Insidious

THE GIST: After an accidental fall, young Dalton goes into a coma, followed by weird happenings and apparitions, which lead his parents to reach out to Elise Rainier, a medium. Her investigation reveals that Dalton's spirit is lost in a dimension she refers to as "The Further." Meanwhile, malevolent entities are trying to reclaim his physical body, so his soul must be retrieved soon.

Insidious is a well made horror/mystery movie that clearly benefits by the presence of accomplished actors like Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Barbara Hershey, and above all Lin Shaye, who is a real revelation.

There are countless movies about possessions of houses or souls, so you might think, What's the big deal about this one, but Insidious is well written and its scares are well placed and paced.

THE BOTTOM LINE: If you like scary movies that aren't totally dumb, then definitely check this one out. I totally fell in love with the character of Elise.

Grade: 7.5