Twigs - Insidious: The Red Door

The final final Insidious movie for real this time (maybe).

[Note: This review will discuss elements of Insidious: The Red Door that were revealed in promotional material, such as trailers. If you’re someone who enjoys going into new movies knowing as little as possible, you may want to skip reading this review.]

The Insidious series has seemingly come to an end.

While the title of the previous installment in the franchise, Insidious: The Last Key, may have indicated the movie would be the last one in the series, the 2018 film was actually a prequel to the original Insidious. If you were to watch all five Insidious movies in chronological order, you would go from Chapter 3 to The Last Key, followed by Insidious and Insidious: Chapter 2. Then there’s Insidious: The Red Door, the fifth film in the series which serves as a direct sequel to Insidious: Chapter 2. It also seemingly serves as the true finale to the franchise, wrapping everything up while telling the story of a father and son learning to reconnect. Of course, with Thread: An Insidious Tale, a spinoff starring Mandy Moore, seemingly still in the works, only time will tell if the latest installment will be the final one.

For now, though, The Red Door is the last film in the Insidious series. Taking place nine years after the events of Chapter 2, The Red Door sees the young Dalton now college-aged (played by the same actor as previous Insidious films, Ty Simpkins) and being driven to his new school by his dad, Josh (reprised by Patrick Wilson, who also directs the film). While Dalton is trying to adjust to his college life, he accidentally unearths repressed memories of his time in the Astral Plane—known as “the Further”—when he was a child. This causes demonic entities and restless souls to mess with Dalton’s mind. It’s something his father is experiencing as well, though there’s no real explanation at first as to why. The pair are forced to confront the memories of their past if they are to find out why the demons and spirits have returned, and how they can put a stop to it.

Out of all the Insidious sequels, The Red Door feels like the best directed one so far. It harkens back to the slower, methodical direction of the first Insidious, which meshed the terror of ghosts in the background with jumpscares based on actual danger. The subtle moments of horror are more subdued here, though, as there isn’t a clear reason for much of the hauntings going on until later in the film. Even so, despite being Wilson’s directorial debut, The Red Door offered enough horror competency that I wouldn’t mind seeing another movie in his style going forward. Wilson also steals the show in the acting department, as him and Simpkins’ chemistry makes them feel like a real father and son whose relationship has been skewed by memories they no longer have.

However, the film often feels like it’s made for people who either haven’t seen another Insidious movie, or who haven’t seen the previous installments in a long time. The first hour or so of the 107-minute film is dedicated to establishing the new setting while Dalton and Josh try to understand why supernatural events are happening around them. A little more time past the hour mark is spent with Josh and Dalton trying to recall the events of Insidious and Chapter 2. Unfortunately, the way it’s presented makes it feel like it wants to help you, the viewer, recall those memories too. I made the mistake of rewatching the first two movies before going to see The Red Door. If I had to do it again, I would have gone into the film with as foggy a memory of the first two as possible. Doing so would have enhanced the experience. Though that may not be a plus for a film in an ongoing franchise.

Even so, the way the mystery was handled felt unique within the bounds of the franchise. Much of the story uses Dalton pursing a career in art as the main plot device. There is a power to artwork in this story that I thought was well-executed, even if it was a little cliché. I also enjoyed seeing Succession alum Hiam Abbass in the film as Dalton’s art teacher. While her few scenes are little more than cameos, they do a lot to establish Dalton’s state of mind and set up the plot of the film. Sinclair Daniel as Chris was another interesting addition. But, while I enjoyed her performance, it definitely felt like it belonged in a comedy more than a horror movie. Nonetheless, it’s clear Daniel had fun with the role, and it would be cool to see her play a similar role in a film with a more succinct tone.

Because aside from the plot elements of the movie feeling like a retread of the first two Insidious films, The Red Door sometimes isn’t sure what kind of film it wants to be. While the opening sequence and general plot feels like it wants to be a father-son horror movie, there are other parts that border on parodic comedy, strangely-placed bits of lukewarm social commentary, and elements of the Further that make it feel more like a supernatural thriller. While I can commend the first half hour and the final 20 minutes of the film for being a good mix of horror and thriller, it’s that middle part that felt a little disjointed. If there had been a way of presenting the story that flowed better, it may have resonated more with me.

However, I will say that The Red Door continues the trend in Insidious films of having jumpscares that are more than fakeouts. Every jumpscare in the movie is accompanied by some horrific ghost or demon that drives the momentary startle into terror. While it’s nothing that hasn’t been done before in other Insidious movies, I’m glad the consistency was there. This film also brought back hidden ghosts in creative ways, harkening back to the original Insidious. Not since that first movie have hidden ghosts been utilized so well. In fact, despite the film’s flaws, I would say this was an element it did better than the original. The ghosts in the background are only indicated through visual cues instead of a thump or an obvious “that looks out of place.” It’s neat, and I want to see more horror movies that use hidden ghosts in that way.

At the end of the day, though, Insidious: The Red Door wasn’t anything special. It was a generic horror movie with some out of place bits of comedy and thriller thrown in for good measure. The scares were nothing I hadn’t seen elsewhere, including in the franchise itself. However, I do appreciate that the film felt like the previous four and managed to include the same horror staples the Insidious series has always utilized. In addition, Wilson’s directing brought a new feel to The Red Door that I appreciated, as did the additional cast members that helped bring the film to life. By no means do I think Insidious: The Red Door is a great film. However, it is the best Insidious sequel by far. I would love to see Wilson direct more movies, and was satisfied by the end of the film regardless of my gripes with it.

Though given how satisfied I was, I do hope the franchise can be laid to rest here.

***

If you like the blog and want to support me, consider buying one of my books here.

For weekly updates on my writing, subscribe to The Crown Informer!

For more Frayed Branches, you can subscribe to get new essays (usually) every Tuesday and Thursday at 5 PM EST below:

You can also share this essay by clicking the box below:

Thank you for your support!