7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Shortly after moving, a family discovers that dark spirits have possessed their home and that their son has inexplicably fallen into a coma. Trying to escape the haunting and save their son, they move again only to discover that it was not their house that was haunted.
Starring: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins, Lin Shaye, Leigh WhannellHorror | 100% |
Thriller | 52% |
Supernatural | 39% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English, English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Digital copy
BD-Live
4K Ultra HD
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Sony has widely released a UHD SteelBook packaging variant for the hit 2010 Horror film 'Insidious.' This marks the film's UHD debut, and it currently exclusive to SteelBook packaging. The film was first released to Blu-ray in Summer 2011. See below for coverage of the new video and audio presentations and see the 'Special Features and Extras' section of the review below for more on the SteelBook's look and feel and mention of the single new extra on the UHD disc.
This new 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD release of Insidious might be a tough sell considering that the original Blu-ray still presents a fantastic picture even a dozen years since its release, but this new presentation is certainly its superior. The picture offers the usual array of improvements, including amplified clarity and clearly heightened details. These are not enormous upticks from the Blu-ray, but viewers will note the more exacting and precise detail on skin and clothes, surfaces around the home, and so on, even in the film's multitude of lower light locations. The improved clarity is the most immediately evident benefit here, and the digital photography certainly shines here, but the gains are more incremental than they are monumental. The Dolby Vision grading is very good. It deepens the palette, but not so significantly as to drastically alter the film's look. This already dark film is darker, but it's more a nuanced grading here that renders tones more naturally inclined and subtly tuned to amplify effect. Black level gains are welcome for added depth and darkness without losing any shadow detail. Skin can look slightly pasty but colors overall in the film are slightly flat to begin with in both versions. White balance is excellent here. Noise is practically nonexistent even in darker scenes, and no obvious compression issues come into play, either. While not a game changing upgrade, the incremental improvements do add up to a very satisfying watch that is clearly superior to the still-excellent Blu-ray.
For this UHD release of Insidious, Sony releases the film with a new Dolby Atmos soundtrack. The presentation is exceptionally airy, spacious, and clear, characteristics that are evident in the film's opening minutes. The sense of absolute immersive detail to stringy instruments and airy notes and the excellent clarity in conjunction are nothing short of astounding. It's always nice for audio content to impress and satisfy in 2023 when it seems like high end tracks are commonplace, but this one in the early moments -- and throughout the entire film -- truly dazzles and delights in its perfectly tuned stage presence. The new channels add to the sense of total immersion. The overheads are not used with extreme discrete content, but they are engaged in such a way as to heighten (quite literally, at times) the overall scope and scale at the track's disposal. There are also some great discrete effects at work, including a number of very aggressive bangs and crashes as well as smaller little support ambient sounds -- the steps creaking, for example -- help to add positionally accurate immersion throughout the film. This one is absolutely defined by its spaciousness and its clarity. With excellent supportive front-center dialogue also at work, this makes a case for one of the best Atmos soundtracks of 2023.
This UHD release of Insidious contains the bulk of the supplemental content on the included Blu-ray disc, which is identical to the 2011 Sony
issue. See below for a list of what's included, and please click here for full coverage. The UHD disc does contain one extra, a
Trailer (1080p, 1:47) for the film.
Sony's new UHD release of Insidious fine-tunes the video experience and amplifies the audio experience, making this the definitive new version of the film and a clear-cut upgrade for serious fans. For more casual audiences, the legacy Blu-ray still offers a very satisfying A/V experience. No new extras are here, either, beyond at trailer, but the SteelBook packaging will delight fans as well. Overall, this is a worthwhile upgrade. Recommended.
2013
2015
2018
2013
2009
Theatrical + Unrated Alternate Cut
2007
2013
2019
1982
Extended Cut
2015
2011
2005
2013
Collector's Edition
2001
2012
Unrated Director's Cut
2010
2017
Collector's Edition
1986
1983
2002