Insidious: The Red Door (2023) spoiler free review
It ends where it all began. Insidious: The Red Door is a American supernatural horror film directed by Patrick Wilson in his directorial debut, produced by James Wan and Jason Blum, and written by Scott Teems and Leigh Whannell . It is the fifth installment in the Insidious franchise and a direct sequel to Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013). Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing it was released in the United States on July 7, 2023.
The Lamberts must go deeper into The Further than ever before to put their demons to rest once and for all.
Film synopsis
The cast includes Ty Simpkins as Dalton Lambert, Patrick Wilson as Josh Lambert, Rose Byrne as Renai Lambert, Andrew Astor as Foster Lambert, Lin Shaye as Elise Rainier, Sinclair Daniel as Chris Winslow, Leigh Whannell as Specs, and Angus Sampson as Tucker.
My opinion
13 years ago [Insidious (2010)] we met Josh and Renai Lambert, a couple whose oldest son Dalton inexplicably slipped into a coma and turned into a vessel for ghosts in an astral plane, known as the Furter. After hiring a team of paranormal investigators they discovered that both Josh and Dalton have the astral projection ability. After Dalton is rescued by Josh in the Furter the family decides that both of them should have their memories suppressed to prevent another incident [Insidious 2 (2013)]. And while it worked for a while the demons of their past have return to haunt them.
Insidious: The Red Door starts right were we saw the Lamberts the last time, with Josh and Dalton’s memories being suppressed by Carl. Nine years later, Dalton is headed to college and the demon that once hunted him is back. Through the film the first two installments are referenced serving as a memory refresher. The first act is way too slow, dragging the film with taking too long to get to the point making act 2 and act 3 feel rushed. Even so, is a good debut for Patrick Wilson as a director. He took his knowledge and experience in the genre to bring a good finale to the Lambert’s story. Both Wilson and Ty Simpkins performances brings a more emotional side of their characters creating a believable story.
As expected, the film is full of jump scares but not all of them are predictable. The dark atmosphere builds up the tension creating scary moments that will make more than one jump of their seats. Compared to the rest of the franchise, Insidious: The Red Door is a good addition to it being better than Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015) and Insidious: The Last Key (2018) but not as outstanding as the first two. Don’t leave when the film ends if you don’t want to miss the post-credit scene and the end credits song by the Swedish rock band Ghost and a special guest.