I just rented this and haven't watched it yet.. Is it worth the rent at least???

Why don't you watch it and find out?

I'm with Alex Y - I found the first half to be disappointingly generic and scare-free. None of the actors were particularly good, so it was hard to care. It still never really was nearly as scary as I'd have liked, but once they moved out of the house (rad!) I appreciated the third-act for at least trying something new. It was still very silly, and overly ambitious for the limited budget, but I appreciated the effort.

C+

Finally saw this today (can't believe I posted that many times and didn't see it).

I loved it. I enjoyed the scares of the first half (though the second half has a few good creepy moments too), and enjoyed the ambitious second half. I had no idea where it was going, and I know that it alienated a lot of people that enjoyed it up to that point, but I dug it. Far-fetched and over the top? Maybe. But all things considered, especially the low budget, they pulled off a lot with very little.

It also feels like a sister film to the Paranormal Activity movies.

Certainly one of those love it or hate it flicks.

***1/2

I dug this, maybe even more than The Conjuring. It looks a little cheap, but the look ends up working well to build the creepiness. And going completely crazy in the third act is something more horror movies should do. The Further isn't all that interesting, but it's sure more fun to explore that than just watching a typical exorcism. B+

I still hate hate HATE this movie The mere thought of it makes me angry. And I loved The Conjuring, for the record.

I wouldn't say this too loudly outside of your therapy sessions.

This is ridiculous . Maybe you should give it another chance .

HULK SMASH INSIDIOUS.

I think this is way scarier than The Conjuring.

Go home, Lecter, you're drunk.

The Conjuring is extremely well-made, well-directed and had a great atmosphere. But I thought there was only one scary scene in it.

Insidious

Not a bad film, and I really liked the concept. It was refreshing. It had a few scary moments, with some spooky imagery, but overall it just felt like they were up to third gear and never wanted to put it in fifth. It felt like a PG-13 horror like Drag Me To Hell (just checked mid-review and they are all PG-13s, so no wonder). Scary for teenagers, I'm sure, but I am just sitting here now not believing that it's the end. I think the best part (scariest) was one of the first scenes when the demon man was standing behind the cot.

The ending gave me a Max Payne-dream sequence vibe. It was great to relive that!

I will give Insidious Chapter 2 a chance, of course, because I think James Wan is a very talented director. He's made great movies in The Conjuring, Death Sentence and Saw. He's very good at creating unique atmospheres and not just repeating the same ones from some other movie (like some horror directors who are very one-note). I hope he comes back to the horror genre eventually, and hopefully he does Insidious Chapter 3.

B

This is a very disjointed movie. It starts of as a spooky story and then morphs into a simplified verson of fantasy and horror mix that del Toro would make (El espinazo del diablo & El laberinto del fauno).

It was OK I guess.

I've got the second film ready to watch now. I just remembered something from Insidious that I thought was rather cool. He's a teacher, and behind him is a blackboard. On the blackboard is the puppet face from Saw (which Wan also directed). Pretty neat.

Watching this film for the third time with the sound turned up and the lights turned down, and I still get fucking scared at certain parts. It's just unsettling.

I don't even have a problem with the Lipstick-Face Demon but for all the buildup, he's hardly as sinister or terrifying as what comes before him. The walk through the house is just creepy.

I've purposely avoided Chapter 2 because I'm afraid it won't live up to the original.

And, FWIW, this is one of the very few horror movies that genuinely scares me on repeat viewing. Might be the only one.

The only thing more terrifying than Insidious are my posts in this thread.

Yeah there is something about the world of Insidious that is generally scary, even though most of the demons are actually quite silly looking. I'm gonna give James Wan's ability to create an unsettling atmosphere the credit until Insidious 3 proves me wrong. And you should absolutely watch Chapter 2. It is excellent.

Chapter 2 is not excellent at all, IMO.