Insidious (2010)

A reported $1.5 million budget bought Insidious a creaky house, a crackly baby monitor and one old record of Tiptoe Through the Tulips, and that song does more damage than any monster in it. The first hour is a clinic in quiet scares: a figure passing a window, a voice on the monitor, a door that wasn’t open a second ago. Then the movie starts explaining itself. Two ghost hunters show up with homemade gadgets and bicker like a sketch duo, Lin Shaye arrives with a gas mask and a lot of rules, and the scary stuff gets a name and a map. Once the story crosses over to the other side, the dread turns into a fog machine and a stage set. Rose Byrne sells every sleepless second as the worn-out mom. It made $100.1 million worldwide. A 6.5 because the first half is legit creepy and the second half talks the creepiness away. $5,121 says you hear a ukulele this month and leave the room faster than you’d ever admit.

What works: The first half is packed with patient, nerve-wracking scares, and Rose Byrne sells every sleepless second.

What doesn’t: Once the ghost hunters arrive and explain the rules, the dread drains away and the other side looks like a stage set.

Who it’s for: Horror fans who like slow-build creepy house scares and can forgive a goofy final act.