Insidious

As directed by James Wan and written by Leigh Whannell (Saw) and produced by the wunderkind of the micro-budgeted Paranormal Activity, this marriage of twisted minds is by no means a fresh new take on the creaky old haunted-house genre. But coming in on a less-than million-dollar budget, the movie is a refreshingly entertaining example of how lo-tech can actually cultivate creativity—and look just as good as its better-funded brethren. The story is pretty basic: a family moves into an old dark house and almost immediately begins witnessing things that go bump in the night. Mamma (Rose Byrne) wants out … as in, now. Unfortunately, somewhere between unpacking and repacking, the son takes a tumble and falls into a three-month coma that opens his vacant shell to some paranormal activity. Which means it’s time for Team Poltergeist to roll in and start pointing out the scary. There are a few good chills and a couple of jumps, but I just couldn’t roll with what Team Insidious thinks is scary … but that’s pretty much me. Even though I’m a voracious horror fan, I’ve never seen a ghost story that sold me. Solid date material though. Cinemark 14, Feather River Cinemas and Paradise Cinema 7. Rated PG-13