2011’s Insidious is a modern retelling of the haunted house story by director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell. They teamed up to create the hyper-profitable Saw series and followed that with Dead Silence. After seeing how a studio could meddle in their project, they decided that their next project would be outside of the studio system. With a small budget of 1.5 million dollars and just three weeks of shooting, they created Insidious.

One: Composers and Demons

Joseph Bishara has been a composer for more than 20 horror films going back to 1998. Along with composing the music for Insidious, he tried his hand at acting and became the Lipstick-Face Demon, the film’s main antagonist. Bishara would go on to become a monster in several other horror projects like The Conjuring (Bathsheba), Annabelle (Demonic Figure), and The Conjuring 2 (Demon). He would also reprise his role as the Lipstick-Faced Demon in Insidious 3.

Two: Not Just Torture Porn

Insidious was a reaction to James Wan’s Saw series. Though the movies were incredibly successful, Wan felt that certain studios and actors wouldn’t want to work with him because of how grotesque Saw was. He set out to make Insidious an atmospheric horror movie to show that he could make a successful horror film without extreme violence. The movie featured no cursing and hardly any blood. This strategy worked out well, as Insidious was a commercial and critical hit. Wan has also branched out from just horror by recently directing Furious 7, and he is currently directing the Aquaman film.

Three: Young Actors and Horror

Having child actors in a horror movie isn’t new. The Shining, Poltergeist, The Sixth Sense and dozens of others have used them. Due to the content these children are usually shielded from the more explicit or violent action. Ty Simpkins had just turned ten years old and had to be chained to a pillar while The Lipstick-Face Demon wandered around the set. To calm Ty down, they had him watch Joseph Bishara be turned into the demon. After Insidious he would go on to star in Jurassic World.

Four: Chalkboard Easter Eggs

Around 30 minutes into the film, Patrick Wilson is seen in his classroom sitting in front of a chalkboard. On the board is a drawing of Billy, the puppet from the Saw films, as well as several names on the board. James Wan is listed as having a presentation due. Also listed are Leslie Borchard and Yesim Osman who both work in the oft forgotten hair styling team.

(Spoilers for Insidious 1 and 2 ahead ABORT ABORT ABORT IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT)

Five: The Bride is Packing Heat

James Wan originally chose to have the Bride in Black character played by a man to have more masculine features through the veil. At the time he didn’t know that Leigh Whannell would write the Bride in Black as a castrated man in the second film. Parker Craine ends up being the main antagonist after it is revealed that his mother wanted a daughter and was willing to castrate him to make that dream a reality. It didn’t work out very well.

***

Insidious has some flaws but it packs enough charisma and talent to make you forget about them. It delivers just enough levity through characters like Tucker and Specs (played by Leigh Whannell, writer of the film) that the tension enjoyable. James Wan got to make the movie he wanted, and his visionary style shines brightly. The franchise is thriving as a 4th film has been announced. Though Wan will not be directing it, Whannell is returning to write. Time will tell if the coming film lives up to the reputation of the first.

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Tony Southcotte: Tony hails from the Rocky Mountains somewhere around the state of Colorado. Possibly raised by grizzly bears, this gritty denizen of the arena now spends most of his time grappling with Java updates and dysfunctional RAM. With not much fiction under his belt, it might seem tempting to bet against Mister Southcotte, but an impressive knowledge of everything from PVC pipe to psychedelic drugs makes Tony a storehouse of fiction waiting to hit the paper. Plus, you know, there’s the possibility of him ripping you apart like a grizzly bear.