Claw Sharpening Scene, Insidious

Tiptoe Through the Tulips by Tiny Tim

Rating: 8/10

Image source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dOludJPlVk

I distinctly remember watching Insidious backstage during my school’s musical (The Wizard of Oz) in sixth grade. Looking back, I now realize how strange it must’ve been; a group of middle schoolers huddled around a laptop that was playing one of the most notorious horror films from the last decade as we waited for our cues. I remember watching on and thinking how my mom, who never wanted me to watch horror movies, would be so angry if she found out. Watching it felt out of place, nothing about the situation made sense, yet it’s something I remember to this day because it stuck out from the day-to-day memories so much.

A scene from this film that lasts only a few seconds ties into my memory of this film insanely well. It’s only fitting that Insidious would have an obscure song choice for an incredibly bone chilling scene. Tiny Tim’s Tiptoe Through the Tulips is played twice in the film. It’s a bouncy, lighthearted song, that’s meant to stick out of the grey-tinted horror. Yet whenever I hear Tiny Tim’s unique vocals, I always feel like his voice is a little haunting. His vibrato and tambre always make me feel like he was scared, or even a little sad while creating his music (despite many of his songs being very lighthearted and fun).

The first time we hear the song, it is right before the ghostly figure of the young boy is shown running throughout the house. The use of this song as a backing track that transitions a scene from normal to creepy was honestly a great choice. But this scene is far less interesting than one later in the film, once our characters are in The Further. In The Further, there are a few seconds where the Demon can be seen sharpening its claws. And what’s playing in the background but Tiny Tim’s ghostly vocals appearing for a creepy reprise. It’s both a bit funny and terrifying. Here we have a demon, who the audience simply cannot sympathize with, sharpening its claws and playing music as if it were any mundane task a viewer might do. It’s funny: our slight comedic relief. It suddenly humanizes a demon, but only for a second before it becomes nightmare fuel again.

Honestly, I feel like this song choice was great. The directors needed an upbeat song that could easily become creepy without altering it in any way, and I can’t think of a better option than anything from Tiny Tim’s repertoire. I loved the first use of it in the film as the sound floated from a record player, adding an extra creep factor with a hint of static. I also enjoyed that they brought back the song again, however it seemed just a bit pointless. The protagonists are freaking out, trying to remain calm even, and we cut to the Demon paired with this song. Does it add a bit of comic relief: yes. Do we return almost immediately to the terrified protagonists: also yes. It feels just a bit forced, like the editors thought it would be a funny gag to throw in at the last minute. Still in the context of the scene, the song truly does become terrifying. So as strange of a song choice as this is, it still seemed to fit the film well enough because it was always meant to stick out.