One Look at the Film INSIDIOUS, and You'll Know It's True: the Classics Still Rock

Many will talk and say that the classics have their place: in the past. Sure, some of those films were scary in a moody sort of way, but you'd find it hard to see a teen shrieking at the sight of Bela Lugosi's Dracula or a mind-numbing look at the Creature From the Black Lagoon. And then you have the Friday the 13ths and Nightmares on Elm Street puzzling many and wondering what it was that scared us old folk into oblivion.

What Many Don't Realize Is That the Classics Define the Modern Horror Age

On the surface, you don't see it.... But look a little closer. Take the now iconic American horror film Insidious, for instance. Yes, we're looking at a film that really targets some of the pricklies on your skin in a way the classics probably never have done, and new cinematic tech certainly helps. CGI does have its place, and we're wondering if the likes of Freddy Krueger and Leatherface would've benefited from it.

That's a mystery: because even now those "remakes" can't seem to even match up the classic-ness of the originals, don't you think? Here's the thing, though: MODERN HORROR FILMS WILL *ALWAYS* BE INFLUENCED BY THE CLASSICS, AND HERE'S THREE EXAMPLES FROM THAT FILM "INSIDIOUS" THAT HONOR WHAT CAME BEFORE US.

The TWINS

Admit it: you can't deny that the hairs all over your suddenly stood on end when you saw this simple little scene.

What you may not realize is that this one scene indirectly honors another common horror trope we've seen before:

That's right: THE SHINING. Stanley Kubrick's classic rendition of Stephen King's novel. Since then, for some odd reason, twins seem to bring out the spook in all of us, and if you do look really hard, you might find quite a few modern-day horror flicks utilizing this trope with effectiveness. It isn't just random. It's borrowed, honored, glorified and made new again over and over again.

What About the Classic "Old Lady Mystic Character?"

Just about every ghost story has a character like this, and there's a reason why Lin Shaye scored the big one with it. Almost always there's a classic psychic in a story, serving to provide backstories, support, clear direct courses of action and at least a little bit of hope that the protagonists can somehow come out of the darkness, but didn't you know that this isn't the first time the classic character model made its appearance?

Tangina was undoubtedly the showstopper of the forever classic POLTERGEIST (skip the remake, sadly) for good reason. Somehow there was something off about her; but at the same time she was that exact sign of hope for the family to survive the supernatural onslaught.

Lastly, There's Always a "Psycho Dad" Out There....

Yes, indeed. There most certainly is something wrong with Dad. As this clip from the sequel proved (and got even worse as the film progressed, no doubt). Oftentimes in ghost stories like this, effectively the protagonist becomes the antagonist, and most of the time it's the less sympathetic male character who suffers from the switch. Often the father is the hapless victim. With a few exceptions, such as with The Babadook. This, however, isn't uncommon as we circle back to the iconic....

You seriously can't beat the one scene that made THE SHINING a true classic. Jack Nicholson at his best. Something about a descent into madness made for great horrific drama, and as much as we don't mind seeing a female go crazy in a horror movie, it's the Dad that earns kudos for bringing the best scares to the table. It's no wonder if it's often replicated in cinema!

When Viewing in Comparison, It's Staggering How Solidly Identical They All Are

And that's proof that even still to this day, the classics continue to work. What other comparisons can you draw from the classics vs. modern? You'd be surprised at how much you can find. Even the film GET OUT has some inspired clips!