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INSIDIOUS (2011)Movie Reviews
Horror thriller about a family attempting to rescue their young comatose son from evil spirits. Cast:Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, Ty Simpkins, Barbara HersheyDirector:James WanRelease Date:April 1, 2011DVD Release:July 12, 2011From:FilmDistrictRating:PG-13Length:1 hr 42 min
Insidious (2011) played to good reviews. • Owen Gleiberman wrote in Entertainment Weekly, "...has some of the most shivery and indelible images I've seen in any horror film in decades." • And Liam Lacey wrote in the Toronto Globe & Mail, "...a more conventional haunted-house and child-possession tale that harks back to horror films of the seventies and eighties..." More Reviews Below...
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: VERY GOOD(cg) "...it'll grab you with some disturbing, raspy whispers on a baby monitor, a few melancholy piano plunkings and the panicky bleating of an alarm..."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 686 words, 03/31/11
Thelma Adams, Us Weekly: VERY GOOD(cg) "...this spooky movie chills as it brings psychic phenomena to the cozy suburbs.... the audience suspends disbelief -- and jumps! -- until the final plot twist."(See all of Thelma Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 89 words, 03/31/11
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a better than average spook-house movie... director James Wan and witty screenwriter Leigh Whannell work you over like pros."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 170 words, 03/31/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...an affectionate visit to the Haunted House Movie... not terrifically good, but moviegoers will get what they're expecting."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 495 words, 04/01/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
Mike Hale, New York Times: FAIR "What had been an eerie ghost story becomes a literal-minded, overexplained, jokily self-referential demonic procedural... a run-of-the-mill 21st-century horror movie."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 331 words, 04/01/11
Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD "...straddles the need to grab teenagers interested in PG-13 gotchas and Wan and Whannell's desire to rework an old haunted-house formula, honorably."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 359 words, 04/01/11
Kyle Smith, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "Creepy spirits in old-timey dress, ear-stabbing sound cues, slamming doors and bloody handprints... a reasonably serviceable mishmash of cheap thrills..."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 245 words, 04/01/11
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...scary as hell... Then come the explanations, the special effects, and the inevitable feeling of been-there-been-bombarded-by-that."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 73 words, 03/28/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...an affectionate visit to the Haunted House Movie... not terrifically good, but moviegoers will get what they're expecting."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 495 words, 04/01/11
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "...a more conventional haunted-house and child-possession tale that harks back to horror films of the seventies and eighties..."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 605 words, 04/01/11
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "...more a reworking of 'Poltergeist' than anything else, with Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne spending a lot of time walking into rooms while something scary lurks..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 175 words, 03/31/11
KEY CITIES (11 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: WEAK(cg) "The heart may still race, and the body may still jump at every turn, but the imagination -- where the scariest stuff lives -- has given up the ghost."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 567 words, 04/01/11
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "If your idea of a fun night out is to be manipulated by freaky sound effects, jumpy edits, and point-of-view shots of ceiling fans whooshing menacingly..."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 374 words, 04/01/11
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: VERY GOOD(cg) "You'll have to fight the urge to yell 'Don't go in there' or 'Something just KICKED your front door in, DON'T turn off the alarm, you idiot!' "(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 574 words, 04/01/11
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "Dingy lighting and creaky, cramped hallways goose up the spook factor... the film is weighed down by too many forehead-palming lapses..."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 183 words, 04/01/11
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: VERY GOOD(cg) "...plenty of creepy set pieces, quick cuts and blasts of music that will have you both squirming in your seat and jumping out of it."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 551 words, 04/01/11
Ethan Gilsdorf, Boston Globe: WEAK(cg) "...runs fully off the rails when the filmmakers go logical and some of the strange gets explained away as a double shot of demonic possession and astral projection."(See all of Ethan Gilsdorf's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 394 words, 04/01/11
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "...a respectable attempt at a type of horror movie they don't make anymore... tries to get under your skin and inside your mind. Sometimes it does."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 491 words, 04/01/11
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a tidy terror flick, and refreshing with its intention to make viewers gasp rather than gag.... it has fun with the cliches -- and that becomes contagious."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 405 words, 03/31/11
Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...traffics in pretty much all the standard 'Paranormal Activity'-style haunted-house fare... But the film is stylish and quietly unsettling even in its derivativeness..."(See all of Connie Ogle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 438 words, 04/01/11
Mack Rawden, Cinema Blend: VERY GOOD(cg) "...terrifying in a completely different way than most horror movies.... I'm still not sure exactly what I watched, but something tells me it's worth recommending."(See all of Mack Rawden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 757 words, 04/04/11
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: WEAK(cg) "...laughter will be drowning out the creaks, atonal chords, and snatches of Tiny Tim's 'Tiptoe through the Tulips' that are meant to scare you on the soundtrack."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 158 words, 03/31/11
Michelle Orange, Movieline: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the effects are too self-conscious and the story too disjointed for it to add up to more than a few arm hairs grudgingly -- if not reflexively -- standing at attention."(See all of Michelle Orange's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 754 words, 03/31/11
Ed Gonzalez, Slant: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a conflation of the horror genre's laziest tropes and visual shorthands, less film than funhouse ride, but it's a frequently scary funhouse ride..."(See all of Ed Gonzalez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 400 words, 03/27/11
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "...more a reworking of 'Poltergeist' than anything else, with Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne spending a lot of time walking into rooms while something scary lurks..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 175 words, 03/31/11
John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: GOOD "...a creepfest... does very well by its cast, and by its makers, too... [but] it is not flawless -- it goes well over the top as it accelerates toward a conclusion."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 628 words, 04/01/11
Mike Hale, New York Times: FAIR "What had been an eerie ghost story becomes a literal-minded, overexplained, jokily self-referential demonic procedural... a run-of-the-mill 21st-century horror movie."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 331 words, 04/01/11
Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...straddles the need to grab teenagers interested in PG-13 gotchas and Wan and Whannell's desire to rework an old haunted-house formula, honorably."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 359 words, 04/01/11
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a moderately effective suburban-family creep show, majorly in debt to 'Poltergeist' and 'The Exorcist' and capturing at least a little of their spirit.... almost-pretty-good..."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 695 words, 03/30/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Rob Nelson, Daily Variety: GOOD "...latest shocker from director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell, flaunts an adequate measure of the duo's trademark borderline-camp humor..."(See all of Rob Nelson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 686 words, 09/15/10
John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: FAIR "...the second hour spends too long astral-projecting through an ill-defined spiritual realm whose dangers and escape routes feel entirely arbitrary."(See all of John DeFore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 485 words, 03/03/11
Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...straddles the need to grab teenagers interested in PG-13 gotchas and Wan and Whannell's desire to rework an old haunted-house formula, honorably."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 359 words, 04/01/11
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the first two reels deliver the expected fears, scares, and frights.... starts to lose its grip and suspense when the filmmmakers feel a need to explain and rationalize..."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 639 words, 03/29/11
Mike Hale, New York Times: FAIR "What had been an eerie ghost story becomes a literal-minded, overexplained, jokily self-referential demonic procedural... a run-of-the-mill 21st-century horror movie."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 331 words, 04/01/11
John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: GOOD "...a creepfest... does very well by its cast, and by its makers, too... [but] it is not flawless -- it goes well over the top as it accelerates toward a conclusion."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 628 words, 04/01/11
18.2 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Insidious (2011)'s reviews are separated by an average 18.2 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Insidious (2011) (41 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Insidious (2011)'s reviews cover 79.7% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 17,498 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 427 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 43.2 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Insidious (2011)'s reviews on average broke 43.2 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Insidious (2011)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Insidious (2011) (41 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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