Horror movies are often very hard to take seriously. But, the Insidious horror movie franchise needs to be taken more seriously!
Mega franchises like Friday The 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street and even SAW have all suffered from having one film too many and are quite often portrayed as being films to watch for a laugh with your friends.
But every few years or so, there comes a brand-new release within the genre that can truly shock, scare and surprise audiences. It is a rare occurrence, but it is a real treat for all horror fanatics when this happens.
Looking back at the last decade, one franchise stands out the most because of its innovative storyline and phenomenal use of CGI – Insidious.
When James Wan (SAW) released the first movie in 2011 he introduced horror fans to a fantastic series that is full of memorable characters and plenty of scares.
However, it doesn’t seem like Insidious has gained the recognition that it deserves within the horror community which is a shame as it offers so much that many current horrors fail to provide.
Major spoilers from the films will be revealed.
The Insidious movies have strong and smart storylines
Credit: Blumhouse Productions
The first two Insidious movies focus on a family who are being tormented by ghosts that literally follow them wherever they go.
Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson star as the distraught parents after they find out their son, Ty Simpkins is trapped inside a supernatural world known as ‘The Further’.
Unsure of what to do, the parents turn to a mediumship – Elise Rainer (Lin Shaye), who possesses the ability to communicate with spirits and even travel into their world.
She helps the family save their son, but one of the ghosts ends up travelling into the human world and takes over the spirit of the father.
The second movie (Insidious: Chapter 2) follows the same pattern as the first one, only this time it’s the father who’s in dire trouble, and unlike his son, the spirit that has overtaken his body is far stronger and more powerful.
The third instalment is a prequel to the first two movies and it heavily focuses on Elise and how she began her career as a medium.
She gets caught up in a case about several evil spirits that are terrorizing a young teenage girl.
Much like the first two movies, its full of twists and turns and plenty of jumps that keep you on the edge of your seat.
Then everything comes full circle in the fourth movie – Insidious: The Last Key, as Elise returns to her childhood home to face some evil spirits that are terrorizing another family, but it turns out that they’re also the same ones which used to haunt and torment her when she was a child too.
All four movies offer so many great twists, turns and moments that will leave you completely speechless.
Powerful villains
Credit: Blumhouse Productions
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One thing that truly makes a horror movie stand out is when it contains scary and memorable villains.
Friday The 13th has Jason, Halloween has Michael Myers and Insidious has quite the list…
There is a strong number of different evil spirits that pop up throughout all Insidious four movies, but arguably the one that stands out the most has to be Parker Crane – The Bride In Black.
Crane grew up with his strict and wicked mother, who used to torment him and abuse him both physically and mentally.
She hated the fact that he was a boy and she made him dress like a girl and even make him refer to himself under the name of Marylin.
The Bride in Black appears in all the movies, apart from The Last Key. In the first movie we only see small glimpses of him, but he makes a real impact during the final few moments which leaves you feeling completely and utterly speechless.
He is the main antagonist throughout Chapter 2 and the narrative deeply explores his twisted and disturbing past.
It shows how after all the years of mental and physical abuse that he suffered from his cruel mother led him down a dark road that made him become a sadistic murderer.
Other villains that provide great jump scares include, The Man Who Can’t Breathe – a creepy spirit that wears a hospital gown accompanied by a huge breathing mask that sounds even more terrifying than Darth Vader.
And there’s also the Lipstick Face Demon – a demonic spirit whose entire face is completely burnt. He also happens to be a part of perhaps the most iconic jump scare throughout the entire franchise.
Intense and Creepy Music
Credit: Blumhouse Productions
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The opening credits to all four movies are utterly terrifying.
It’s not because there is anything majorly scary happening at that precise moment, but its because of the bone-chilling and nerve binding music that appears as soon as the film title appears.
That sharp and dramatic violin screech can easily provide you with goosebumps.
But not all of the music that you hear throughout the movies is so dramatic, in fact, you could suggest that some of it is slightly cheesy but also very creepy at the same time too. ‘Tip-toe through the window’…
The Insidious movies have meaningful and likeable characters
Credit: Blumhouse Productions
Read more: Check Out The Creepy Trailer For Insidious: The Last Key
One major problem that many horrors tend to have is that so many of their characters come across as useful, dull and sometimes, very unlikeable.
However, that is not the case with Insidious, as every character plays a major role within their story, no matter how little or big of an impact they make.
The family in the first two movies are easy to get into.
Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson play the roles of struggling parents very well, especially Byrne as you buy into her fear and feel incredibly sorry for her when her husband doesn’t believe her at the start about the spirits haunting them.
And then, of course, Wilson delivers a stellar performance during Insidious: Chapter 2, as the troubling father whose spirit is trapped in The Further, whilst his physical body is being controlled by Parker Crane in the real world.
But, the one character that continuously steals the show is Elise.
She is the true hero in each film as she’s had to face off against countless spirits, which sadly would eventually cost her, her life.
Without her, the franchise would surely suffer and not be anywhere near as good as it is.
What do you make of this feature?
Are you a fan of the Insidious horror movie franchise?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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[…] Horror movies are often very hard to take seriously. But, the Insidious horror movie franchise needs to be taken more seriously! Mega franchises like Friday The 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street and even SAW have all suffered from having one film too many and are quite often portrayed as being films to watch for a laugh with your friends. But every few years or so, there comes a brand-new release within the genre that can truly shock, scare and surprise audiences. It is a rare… Here’s Why The Insidious Horror Movie Deserves More Credit | Small Screen […]
[…] Horror movies are often very hard to take seriously. But, the Insidious horror movie franchise needs to be taken more seriously! Mega franchises like Friday The 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street and even SAW have all suffered from having one film too many and are quite often portrayed as being films to watch for a laugh with your friends. But every few years or so, there comes a brand-new release within the genre that can truly shock, scare and surprise audiences. It is a rare… Here’s Why The Insidious Horror Movie Deserves More Credit | Small Screen […]