Shortly after moving into their new home with their 3 children, Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai Lambert (Rose Byrne) start to experience spooky and mysterious things. Boxes and other items go missing or are inexplicably moved, doors randomly open and close, and strange noises can be heard throughout the house. After an encounter with an entity in the attic, oldest son Dalton (Ty Simpkins) ends up in a coma, but the doctors can’t explain why—he is otherwise in perfect health. Afterwards, the paranormal events start to intensify. So much so that Josh finds excuses to stay at work and avoid going home, while Renai finally demands that they move. However, even after changing houses, the sights and sounds continue, and Dalton doesn’t seem to be getting any better. Whatever was in the house has followed them to the new one.
After Renai tries priests and other methods to deal with the problem, Josh’s mother Lorraine (Barbara Hershey) enlists the help of psychic Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) and her team of paranormal investigators, Specs (Leigh Whannell) and Tucker (Angus Sampson), who deploy some unorthodox methods to discover what is really going on, and figure out a way to save Dalton from these evil spirits before he becomes lost forever—his spirit stuck in another realm, called The Further. It is a race against the clock, and some hidden secrets from the past may help provide the solution.
Insidious was first released in 2010, and has since spawned a sequel and two prequels, and has a second sequel, Insidious: The Red Door, due to hit theaters in a few weeks. I somehow had never seen any of these films before I sat down to watch this first installment of the franchise. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. The movie starts off looking like it’s going to be your standard haunted house story, but then becomes so much more as it evolves into a possession movie—but one unlike anything you have seen before. It delves into the concepts of astral projection, and establishes a fully fleshed-out world and characters. It’s easy to see how they were able to expand this franchise into several other movies.
Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson are excellent as the beleaguered parents who ar trying to deal with the paranormal mystery and save their son. And you can’t have a horror movie without the iconic Lin Shaye, and she is so goo in this as well! The film also introduces some creepy and instantly iconic evil entities.
The filmmakers do an excellent job of slowly building the tension and anticipation, just giving flashes and glimpses into what is haunting this family. At the same time, the audience is given a detailed explanation of what is going on, in a way that feels organic and natural. There are lots of jump scares throughout the film to keep the viewers on the edge of their seats. However, as the filmmakers state in one of the bonus features, these are not just cheap “fake scares” to misdirect the viewer. There is one scene involving the creepy Lipstick-Face Demon (played by composer Joseph Bishara) that had me practically leaping out of my seat! The film sets up this interesting and engaging world, and it’s easy to see why the movie has become so popular over the years. I will certainly be checking out more of this franchise.
Insidious arrives on 4K UHD for the first time in a new SteelBook release from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The audio/video presentation on the original Blu-ray release (which is also included here) was already excellent, so while this 4K release certainly has a noticeable uptick in detail and clarity, it is not an extremely drastic difference. That said, much of this film takes place in darkness, and the black levels are excellent, retaining a lot of clarity and detail even in the darkest of scenes. The Atmos audio track is amazing, providing a fully-immersive experience, particularly when strange things start happening in the home(s), or when the paranormal experts try to communicate with The Further. The viewer feels like they are right in the center of the paranormal activity.
The release includes both a 4K and a Blu-ray disc, which are placed overlapping on one side of the SteelBook case. The only bonus material on the 4K disc is the film’s trailer. Everything else, which consists of 25 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes, is on the original Blu-ray disc. An insert provides instructions on how to redeem a 4K Movies Anywhere-compatible digital copy of the film.
What’s Included:
Film: (1:42:53)
- 2160p / Widescreen 2.40:1
- Dolby Vision / HDR10
- Audio: English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible), English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
- Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.40:1
- Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
- Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish
- 4K digital copy, redeemable via Movies Anywhere or Vudu
- Trailer (1:47)
4K disc only - Horror 101: The Exclusive Seminar (10:27)
Screenwriter Leigh Whannell and director/editor James Wan talk about making a haunted house movie, relating with the family before all hell breaks use, the use of jump scares but not false scares, transitioning into a possession movie, how they livened up some of the classic tropes of the genre, creating the limbo “Further” world and its inhabitants, their inspirations, and more. - On Set with Insidious (8:15)
The cast and crew talk about keeping a light mood on set, working with and getting parenting advice from Patrick Wilson, casting the movie, the stunts, some of the scenes that were cut, the practical effects, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/editor James Wan, screenwriter Leigh Whannell, stunt double Danny Downey, and stars Patrick Wilson (“Josh Lambert”), Rose Byrne (“Renai Lambert”) & Ty Simpkins (“Dalton Lambert”). - Insidious Entities (6:32)
The cast and crew discuss the look and inspirations for the various evil entities, and how more is revealed as the film goes along. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/editor James Wan, screenwriter Leigh Whannell, production designer/co-producer Aaron Sims, costume designer Kristin M. Burke, makeup department head Eleanor Sabaduqia, hair department head Yesim “Shimmy” Osman, and actor J. LaRose (“Long Haired Fiend”). - Previews (10:32)
Trailers for Sony Blu-ray (1:20), Priest (2:27), Quarantine 2: Terminal (1:39), The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (2:26), Battle: Los Angeles (2:07) and Breaking Bad: Season 3 (:32) play back-to-back.
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4K UHD:
Blu-ray:
Digital (Limited time offer):
Extras:
Except for the trailer, all bonus material can only be found on the Blu-ray disc.
Final Thoughts:
Insidious is an excellent horror film that seamlessly evolves from haunted house movie to possession movie, to even more. It’s easy to see why this has been able to launch a franchise of sequels and prequels. Sony’s new 4K release provides a slight but noticeable uptick in visual quality over the previous Blu-ray release, but that already looked quite good. There is no new bonus material included here (unless you count the film’s trailer, which was not on the previous Blu-ray). However, the release also comes with a 4K digital copy and arrives in beautiful new SteelBook packaging. While die hard fans will likely want to upgrade, more casual fans probably don’t need to double-dip if they already own the Blu-ray. However, for new viewers/owners, this is certainly the release to pick up.
Insidious (Steelbook) [4K UHD]
35% Off $45.99 $19.99 (as of November 15, 2024 22:23 GMT -05:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
