Antidote to "Insidious"... "Diabolique"

Diabolique 1955

Insidious 2011

The recently released film "Insidious" (from Filmdistrict directed by James Wan)  uses familiar devices to tell a story of a family troubled by demons and possessions. It is clichéd-ridden, but not the worst effort in the modern genre of horror and gore. As an antidote to this film, I recommend the 1955 French film "Diabolique" directed by Henri Georges-Clouzot. I first heard of this movie at Robert McKee's 'Story" seminar in New York in 2005. The movie is brilliant. tense, suspenseful, riveting, and any other word I can think of to positively describe it. It is an experience as much as a film. You can get it on Netflix or at the library. It will give you the fix you could be looking for in 'Insidious", yet done with a master's use of the filmmaker's tools.