INSIGHT (2011)

Streaming on Tubi!
Directed by Richard Gabai
Written by Aaron Ginsburg & Wade McIntyre
Starring Sean Patrick Flanery, Natalie Zea, Angeline-Rose Troy, Adam Baldwin, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Veronica Cartwright, Christopher Lloyd, Juliet Landau, Max Perlich, Lesley-Ann Brandt, Matt Knudsen, Rick Overton, Daniel Roebuck

Though I would categorize this film as leaning more toward the thriller genre than straight up horror, strong performances and a plot that shows a lot of balls toward the end of the film, INSIGHT is something that might even surprise the hardest of horror fans.

The story follows Kaitlyn (played impressively by JUSTIFIED’s Natalie Zea), an ER nurse who accidentally is in contact with a patient when she receives a shock from the defibrillator paddles sending her into cardiac arrest. After waking up in the ER, Kaitlyn starts seeing visions and reliving the last moments of her patient’s life. As the patient was stabbed numerous times and her perpetrator was not caught, Kaitlyn attempts to talk with Detective Rafferty (BOONDOCK SAINTS’ Sean Patrick Flanery) and help him in solving the case, but Rafferty and pretty much everyone in her life has his doubts about Kaitlyn’s sanity. As Kaitlyn continues to remember details of the patient’s murder, she desperately tries to get those around her to believe her.

I love the way this film toys with the viewer’s expectations. What begins as a typical psychic phenomenon detective flick blossoms into so much more in the latter half of the film. The plot is serpentine, twisty and deceptive, with a powerful bite at the very end that I didn’t expect.

The cast is also pretty impressive. Zea and Flanery are strong here, but the film also stars Adam Baldwin as an unethical therapist, Christopher Lloyd as a nosey neighbor, a sincere performance by Veronica Cartwright as Kaitlyn’s mom, and even LOST’s Daniel Roebuck shows up to offer his signature nervous charm. Though none of these actors are necessarily A-list draws, they are fantastic character actors and bring their all to this film.

INSIGHT will definitely surprise you at the dark depths it will take you by the closing credits. It’s not a shiny big budgeter, but a slow building thriller with a hell of a hook. I recommend INSIGHT for those who like their horror on the more subtle side.

Check out the trailer here!!