An attendee of Ambush Bug's Chicago early screening of INSIDIOUS weighs in! UPDATED: This time with story!

Hey folks, Ambush Bug here. Sorry for the jacked up post earlier. Not sure what went pear-shaped, but here it is.

Good to see everyone on Tuesday for the Chicago early screening of INSIDIOUS and the Q&A with director James Wan and writer/actor Leigh Whannell. It was a fantastic experience and I’ll be posting my review in a week or two in a very special haunted house edition of AICN HORROR. Until then, to tide those folks over who were curious about the film, I got an email from an attendee to Tuesday’s INSIDIOUS showing who wishes to be known as Johnny Smith talking about the experience. Take it away, Johnny…

I just wanted to say thanks again for putting the screening together tonight. It was a lot of fun, and the film was great. I'm not sure if Ain't It Cool is looking for a screening review, but I thought I'd send one over. If you use it, credit it to Johnny Smith:

During a panel, Clive Barker was once asked what the difference between good horror and bad horror was. He responded that bad horror storytelling was when a man enters a morgue, and the cadaver jumps up at him. Good horror storytelling is when the mortician takes the man’s hand, leads him over to the covered cadaver, and guides his hand underneath the sheet…

Watching Insidious tonight, I couldn’t help but to think of that distinction. Looking to shed their gorehound image (something they admitted during the Q&A), Director James Wan and screenwriter/actor Leigh Whannell have done just that. They’ve also somehow managed to put an interesting new spin on the haunted house story – which I won’t spoil here. I can assure you it’s not a twist, and very germane to this kind of story.

The basic premise is shortly after moving into their family into a new home, Josh and Renai (Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne) start experiencing supernatural occurrences, which are further exacerbated when their son falls into an unexplained coma. The previews for the movie kind of give some of it away by stating that it’s not the house that’s haunted, it’s their son.

I can tell you the movie lives up to its hype. This is a very creepy, scary film. Wilson and Byrne are strong anchors, and Lin Shaye is a welcome addition in the final act. Composer Joseph Bishara’s score serves the movie with unrelenting violin shrieks, and is reminiscent of Elliott Goldenthal’s iconic Pet Sematary score.

Wan is very confident here, doing a lot with a little. At the Q&A, he admitted the budget was under a million. Along with Ty West, Adam Green, and Lucky McKee, it’s nice to see this new crop of unapologetic horror filmmakers.

Original product, especially horror (Drag Me to Hell) hasn’t found the strongest support recently. If you're craving a non-sequel/re-imagining/reboot, Insidious is worth taking a chance on.

Thanks, Johnny! Glad you had a great and spooky time. Look for my regular AICN HORROR column tomorrow!