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Mbfg (Mbfg)
Username: Mbfg

Registered: 09-2010
Posted From: 86.27.114.151
Posted on Saturday, December 07, 2013 - 01:36 pm:   

Last night I was flicking through the channels and discovered that the film "Insidious" was being shown by Film 4. So, I decided to give it a go. It's a horror film and I read and write weird fiction. Seemed like a good match.

About three-quarters of the way in, excruciatingly bored by the whole affair, I switched it off and continued my progress through the "Mad Men Season 6" box set.

I was under the impression that "Insidious" as considered a good horror film. It bored me to tears. Same old same old. And why does a last on half of a film family he to have either a high flying, or unusual job. The wife was a songwriter (nothing intrinsically wrong with being a songwriter). Why couldn’t she be a bank clerk or accountant or the lady who works on the till at a supermarket? At least the husband had the relatively ordinary profession of school teacher.

Why do they always have to live in an enormous house?

Why was I so utterly bored and jaded by this film?

It delivered its shocks well. It had a slow burn story, was moderately original in the concept of the boy in the unexplained coma.

Is it my age? Have I really seen it all before?

I loved "Byzantium" and "Let The Right one In". But "Insidious"...whatever.

Can someone help me please, advise me and suggest a cure for my horror film malaise.
kind regards
Terry
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Saturday, December 07, 2013 - 03:38 pm:   

Terry, there's the smaller "truth of the situation" here: Insidious was written by Leigh Whannell and directed by James Wan. Those are the guys behind Saw; James Wan in particular, gave us this year The Purge and The Conjuring, two wildly successful horror films, though he was already riding high on the Saw franchise. He is the Stephen King or Spielberg of horror right now. Whatever he wants to direct, he get to; whatever script his close friend Leigh gives him, will get made.

To the larger point... those others come from outside the Hollywood system, where movies can be "smaller." No studio would greenlight a quiet tale of vampires in a small town in Sweden in the 70's; until it already got so popular, it warranted remaking. Hollywood only knows how to do things big and flashy—big houses, big jobs, big scares and sfx, etc.

"Death spiral" seems to be a popular term in American culture lately, and I kinda think Hollywood's in its own kind of death spiral. People are leaving in droves for TV, enjoying a lavish golden age of quality. What were the big draws to film, are rapidly losing their luster: the most amazing sfx you can now see daily in stupid car insurance commercials—hell, you can make yourself on your own smart phone! Forget the outrageous pricing and hassle, and forget the ever-increasing quality of home entertainment equipment: people just aren't going to movies anymore like they used to, because there's increasingly proving to be no good reason to go.

You want some good horror though, Terry? My gosh, go back and watch this season's "American Horror Story: Coven" from the beginning—there's still time to catch up (and again, it's an all original storyline, so you need go no farther than that). It's a total crazy ball of nuttiness! But it's some damn good horror, too....
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 85.255.233.228
Posted on Saturday, December 07, 2013 - 08:14 pm:   

I really enjoyed 'Insidious' as a well made good old fashioned crowd pleaser of a horror movie. It was great to experience with a screaming audience in the cinema. I loved the vibe it generated. But as for Wan's follow up, 'The Conjuring', it was lazy uninspired crap.

Watch 'Stoker' or 'Sleep Tight', Terry, if you want to see two genuinely great and disturbing recent horror films. I agree with you about 'Byzantium' as well. It's one of Neil Jordan's finest achievements.
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Lincoln (Lincoln_brown)
Username: Lincoln_brown

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 101.119.29.86
Posted on Sunday, December 08, 2013 - 01:28 am:   

Nothing wrong with you Terry - it was a terrible film. Banal, uninspired rubbish. Like most horror films these days.
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Stu (Stu)
Username: Stu

Registered: 04-2008
Posted From: 90.244.34.250
Posted on Monday, December 09, 2013 - 09:14 pm:   

I hated it. Amazed that so many horror fans gave it the thumbs up.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 85.255.233.228
Posted on Monday, December 09, 2013 - 09:38 pm:   

It's not a serious horror movie, Stu. It's a well mounted big daft ghost train ride very much in the style of 'Poltergeist'. Good fun and nothing more. I really did hate 'The Conjuring' though.
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Stu (Stu)
Username: Stu

Registered: 04-2008
Posted From: 90.244.46.192
Posted on Tuesday, December 10, 2013 - 01:51 pm:   

Insidious isn't fit to be mentioned in the same breath as Poltergeist.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Tuesday, December 10, 2013 - 03:05 pm:   

What I liked about it was that it had an original and genuinely weird Twilight Zonish plot, extremed well mounted scares and creep-out moments and also lots of humour. It's nowhere near a great horror film, and neither is 'Poltergeist' (though it is easily the better film), but it did it what it set out to do and it really worked as entertainment, imho.
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Gary Fry (Gary_fry)
Username: Gary_fry

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 2.102.68.140
Posted on Tuesday, December 10, 2013 - 08:14 pm:   

It was good fun. I was entertained.
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Gary Fry (Gary_fry)
Username: Gary_fry

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 2.102.68.140
Posted on Tuesday, December 10, 2013 - 08:15 pm:   

I like The Conjuring, too.

But neither is in the same class as SINISTER.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 94.118.113.202
Posted on Tuesday, December 10, 2013 - 08:39 pm:   

Hey, great to see you back Gary!
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David Lees (David_lees)
Username: David_lees

Registered: 12-2011
Posted From: 94.9.54.66
Posted on Tuesday, December 10, 2013 - 08:46 pm:   

Insidious was definitely fun, but not one to be taken seriously. A few people have told me the sequel is better so I'm looking forward to that.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 82.145.220.77
Posted on Wednesday, December 11, 2013 - 12:45 am:   

Sinister is definitely the best US horror film of recent years. It genuinely creeped me out. Regardless of what Craig says it's brilliant.
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Stu (Stu)
Username: Stu

Registered: 04-2008
Posted From: 90.244.44.98
Posted on Wednesday, December 11, 2013 - 05:03 pm:   

I had tons of hardcore horror fans telling me how brilliant Insidious was. It's not.

I didn't mind Sinister though.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.145.102.161
Posted on Friday, June 21, 2019 - 12:26 am:   

This was really eleven years ago? Wow.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 213.233.147.120
Posted on Friday, June 21, 2019 - 02:14 am:   

No it wasn't. Where did you get 11 years from?
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 213.205.241.158
Posted on Friday, June 21, 2019 - 01:33 pm:   

Saw 07 and thought it was the year.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 213.205.241.158
Posted on Friday, June 21, 2019 - 01:36 pm:   

Saw 07 and thought it was the year.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 89.19.67.50
Posted on Friday, June 21, 2019 - 07:43 pm:   

Ah. And just there I Saw 07 and thought it was another film.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 89.19.67.91
Posted on Friday, June 21, 2019 - 07:43 pm:   

I mean I saw Saw 07...

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