WATCHING horror films at midnight adds to the fun and thrill of the experience as the total darkness and silence outside further immerse viewers into the movie.
Filipino viewers had an exhilarating movie experience when they watched the supernatural horror film Insidious: The Red Door in selected cinemas at midnight.
The film, which opened this week, trended and made rounds on social media platforms, as moviegoers shared their experiences and reactions to the late-night screenings of the film in some participating branches of Fisher Mall and SM Supermalls.
A netizen took to TikTok to share a recorded reaction of the audience during the screening. Loud screams filled the four corners of the cinema.
“We watched the Insidious: The Red Door and everyone was going crazy last night,” she wrote in the caption.
What added to the thrill was that moviegoers were welcomed by the lipstick-face demon from the film inside the theater.
A netizen shared a point-of-view video on TikTok, where she and her boyfriend were the first ones to enter the cinema.
Her boyfriend had suspected that someone might scare them, and as they walked towards the hallway, they spotted the lipstick-face demon preparing to surprise the viewers.
The malls issued reminders prior to the movie screening.
SM Cinema told the spectators to not watch the movie alone, pack lightly so they could run quickly, avoid unplanned bathroom breaks as they may see the lipstick-red demon in the mirror. It also advised them to park in designated spaces or else they may not make it home alive.
Fisher Mall also got into the spirit of the film and advised those who would bring cars with them to pay parking fee before the screening schedule to avoid hassle after being frightened.
About Insidious: The Red Door
Directed by Patrick Wilson, Insidious: The Red Door focuses on Dalton Lambert’s entry to a university where he hopes to pursue a career in the arts. This college dream becomes a nightmare when repressed demons of his past come back to haunt him and his dad, Josh.
This is the fifth installment in the Insidious franchise and a direct sequel to Insidious: Chapter 2 in 2013.
Wilson, Ty Simpskins, Andrew Astor, Rose Byrne and Lin Shaye reprised their roles from the past Insidious films as Josh Lambert, Dalton Lambert, Foster Lambert, Renai Lambert, and Elise Rainier, respectively.
Viewers’ reactions
While the excitement for the movie is at peak with all these cinema experiences, the film failed to meet the expectation of some viewers.
“Plot wise, I did not find it all that great. Maybe I could have appreciated it more if I remembered the finer details about the previous Insidious movies,” student Gabbie Nicolas, 22, told republicasia.
She added that the movie became a jump-scare-driven horror, and found the lighting of the film “very dark.”
“It relied too much on jump scares and ended too abruptly for me. There was a
resolution but it felt really rushed,” she said.
Student Pamela Gonzales, 21, shared the same sentiment.
“I haven’t watched any of the past movies of Insidious, but I feel like the film was overhyped. The ‘horror’ factor of the movie were mostly jump scares and the storyline did not steep into a deeper level,” Gonzales said.
“I also found the ending corny than how I expected it to end,” she added.
Screening extension
Many viewers are still expressing their interest in watching the film.
In fact, SM Cinema expanded the midnight screening to July 8 and July 9 in some of its branches due to popular demand.
The movie will start at 12:01 a.m. but the gate will be opened at 11:30 p.m.
It also added an earlier night screening for those who are too scared of midnight horrors. This screening will begin at 10 p.m.
