'Saw' director dips into sci-fi, fails

These days, scary movies walk a fine line between laughable and seriously terrifying. That being said, director James Wan’s “Insidious” still manages to include some jumpy moments and disturbing imagery, as well as music and introduction formatting from old-school horror cinema. 

As in many recent horror films, an innocent boy, Dalton Lambert (Ty Simpkins), gets involved with the wrong side of the world: the dead. Here’s where “Insidious” crosses into nerd territory. Thanks to Dalton’s power of “astral projection,” his three-month coma is really just an other-worldly visit to the Further, where a Freddy Kreuger look-alike proceeds to keep Dalton in chains and away from his tearful parents.

Of course, we don’t know this until Dalton’s daddy (Patrick Wilson) travels into the Further in spirit with the help of a petite middle-aged woman (Lin Shaye), who happens to be a mediator. 

While “Insidious” aspires to pay homage to classic scary movies, Wan’s “Saw” does better at inspiring the same uncomfortable, consuming feelings every horror story aims at. With “Insidious,” my only feeling was discomfort due to a silly plot.