Oh, how I groaned when I saw that Insidious was ''from the makers of Paranormal Activity.''
I feared another horror which would only make a 15-year-old who hadn't been out in a while leap around.
How utterly wrong I was.
Insidious was the best chiller I have seen this year by a mile.
The jumpometer recorded that I nearly flew out of my skin EIGHT times.
This was easily the most since the original version of REC (probably more actually) and not only did it give genuine frights, it is still messing with my head about five hours later.
It is no joke to say that I walked into the toilet at Sheffield Cineworld directly after the show and jumped at the sight of myself in the mirror.
Of course, most people might be frightened by my ugly mug, but I'm pretty used to it by now.
What's the idea of Insidious? Well things go bump in the night after a young boy goes into a coma after hitting his head in the attic of a family's new home.
The mum (Rose Byrne) goes completely doolally after seeing a few apparitions and demands another house move.
Hubby (Patrick Wilson) agrees but in their new abode the haunting gets even worse.
If you've seen the trailer you will know what comes next: "It's not the house that's haunted, it's your son.''
Wilson and Bryne are terrific as the fear-demented parents, while Ty Simpkins and Andrew Astor are great as their kids.
Top accolade has to go to ghost chaser Lin Shaye - she's wonderfully bonkers.
Director James Wan has used all the usual cliches from the splendidly creepy opening credits onwards.
The first house is fabulously atmospheric, with its dark wood interior and dusty old attic.
The eerie music as well as the creaking floorboards and ghostly voices really get the adrenaline flowing.
And by the end, even a battled hardened film watcher like me was looking at the screen from behind his hand.
What was particularly great about Insidious is that there is hardly a spec of blood in sight.
It is all in the mind games - just like great horrors should be - Eli Roth take note.
Thus, there were no stupid teenagers in the audience giggling throughout - they were too scared.
Rating: A rather spiffing 8.5/10 and a possibility of being in the top ten movies of the year so far.
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