Get ready to dive back into the Further for one final chapter with Insidious: The Red Door, which also marks the directorial debut from franchise star Patrick Wilson.
Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) heads east to drop his son, Dalton (Ty Simpkins), off at school. However, Dalton’s college dream soon becomes a living nightmare when the repressed demons of his past suddenly return to haunt them both.
The pacing was entertaining, engaging and felt like a combination of modern and classic horror that blended to deliver the best of both worlds. It allowed the audience to get much of the story but still provided that thrill of scares at times that horror films thrive on. It was organized to give a lot of story in the right amounts so it was easy to follow along.
The acting was not bad at all and the actors slipped right back into their character after being away from the franchise for 10 years. Ty Simpkins was brilliant and all grown up and the college level was a great avenue for him. Simpkins’s played the emotional, scarred, and learning part very well. Rose Byrne is just as lovely as ever and a class in the horror movie that is respectable but likable and that balances some of the weaker characters. As for Patrick Wilson, he is the leader of this film and deserves a big nod for the elevated father level meeting a confused individual who is just trying to make sense of things. The chemistry between Wilson and Simpkins’s is solid and a pillar that really helped make the film believable.
And a huge shoutout to newcomer Sinclair Daniel who really had me laughing. Daniel is sassy and quirky, and this new character brought a lot of blending elements to the story.
The story definitely has some gaps to fill in order to stand out for the necessity of a fifth installment. It worked on many levels in terms of taking the ten-year gap and using that to its advantage. It allowed tension, new challenges, and confusion to create something fresh. There is good character development that goes into more depth than what I was expecting between the two leaders, which added heart while other parts had that further investigation into the Further and explored a bit more as to what this other realm continued to serve as. One of the best parts for me was the references and this collection of memories coming back to link things together. It was a cool trip down memory lane.
The atmosphere is another thing that helps this film elevate the level of horror and The Red Door opens a new level of creepiness. The opening credits alone set up a great feel as it utilizes artistic drawings and paintings that really give that nightmarish feel. The trend of creeps continues with the fact that nowhere is safe. The film does well to continue bringing jump scares that are well-hidden and the use of shadows is amazing. It’s some of the best in a long time that really brings out that darker tone, but never to the point of being too hard to see.
Overall, Insidious: The Red Door shows that this franchise isn’t completely dead and does a great job at paying tribute to the story, easter eggs, character development, and establishing growth for the Lambert family. Acting is once again impressive for a horror movie and doesn’t get lost in the typical token characters. The best parts of the film were the atmosphere, surprises, and the use of computer and real effects to make this world come to life. And while this fifth installment is a great technical display, the story and scare execution needed some work. While I wasn’t expecting it to be super scary and I did like that they did get more character invested, I was hoping for that same edge, fight, and mystery that the previous films had. All in all, I did really enjoy this film and it is definitely worth the trip to the theaters.
Insidious: The Red Door is now playing in theaters
What did you think of the film? Let us know in the comments below
