Into The Further: Insidious: The Red Door Review
Pictured above is the Insidious: The Red Door poster.
Image Credit: Sony Pictures and BlumHouse
So, I was unsure whether to post this review this quickly, but after some decision making, I decided to write this review. This was also my first time seeing an Insidious movie in theaters but that won’t affect my review as I want to be unbiased and straight to the point, with that being said, let’s get straight to this spoiler free review of “Insidious: The Red Door”.
Insidious: The Red Door is a 2023 supernatural horror film directed by Patrick Wilson (who also stars in this movie, and this was his directorial debut), This movie was produced by James Wan and Jason Blum, the movies screenplay was written by Leigh Whannell and Scott Teems, the cast involves Patrick Wilson as Josh Lambert, Rose Byrne as Renai Lambert, Ty Simpkins as Dalton Lambert, Sinclair Daniel as Chris Winslow, Hiam Ambbass as Professor Armagan, Andrew Astor as Foster Lambert, Juliana Davies as Kali Lambert, Steve Coulter as Carl, Peter Dager as Nick the Dick, Justin Sturgis as Alec Anderson, Joseph Bishara as the Lipstick-Face Demon, Leigh Whannell as Specs, Angus Sampson as Tucker, and Lin Shaye as Elsie Rainier.
The Plot:
Josh Lambert heads east to drop his son, Dalton, 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.
Positives:
One positive I have about this movie was the tone of the movie as it had a tone of finality for *THIS* chapter of the Insidious franchise. I enjoyed how dark this movie got for a PG-13 horror movie as it didn’t hold back on the scares…with that being said that also is a drawback which we will get to later. The demons were terrifying, I audibly said “Nope.” when one of them appeared.
Pictured above are 2 of the many demons the Lambert family faced in this movie.
Image Credit: Sony Pictures and BlumHouse
The second positive I have about this movie were the performances especially Patrick Wilson and Ty Simpkins as father and son duo Josh Lambert and Dalton Lambert as they struggle to confront the demons of their past and present and it makes you root for them. Each cast member did a decent to great job in their roles. The demon performances were unsettling in a way that will make you feel a sense of disgust and discomfort. The third positive I have was the use of The Further and how terrifying it can get.
Pictured above is Patrick Wilson as Josh Lambert
Image Credit: Sony Pictures and BlumHouse
Pictured above is Ty Simpkins as Dalton Lambert with a familiar foe in the background.
Image Credit: Sony pictures and BlumHouse.
Negatives:
One negative I have was the overreliance on jumpscares, I felt like if you want to terrify your audience, throw in a couple jumpscares, not 5-7, I loved the background scares this movie had and the payoffs to said background scares. But the jumpscares seemed a bit excessive. Maybe, I’m being a bit harsh on the jumpscare element of the movie.
The second negative I have was the pacing as some parts of the movie seemed to drag in the beginning, however that is just a knit pick. But overtime the movie picks up which is fantastic.
My overall thoughts:
While I didn’t love this movie, I enjoyed it, however, don’t let these negatives and positives affect your viewing experience of Insidious: The Red Door as I recommend checking it out whenever you get the chance to do so. Check it out in theaters, streaming, and physical media (when it comes out). At least it made $32.6 million at the box office in its opening weekend which is fantastic for horror. Okay, I know it seemed like I was ripping into this movie, but I mean it when I say go check it out whenever you get the chance.
Where to watch Insidious: The Red Door?
Insidious: The Red Door can currently be watched in theaters.
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Insidious: The Red Door (2023)
If you’ve lost count, Insidious: The Red Door is the fifth entry in the Insidious series. It's a direct sequel to Insidious: Chapter 2, with both Insidious: Chapter 3 and Insidious: The Last Key serving as prequels to 2010’s Insidious. Confused yet? I don’t blame you. The franchise’s tight continuity involves its own mythology on top of some head-warping time-travel elements. It’s been ten years since we last saw the Lamberts. Thankfully, writer Scott Teems reminds you of all the important details but nothing in this entry is groundbreaking, which can easily make it feel like “just another one”.
In 2010, Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) and his son Dalton’s memories of The Further are repressed via hypnosis after Josh becomes possessed (see the events of “Insidious: Chapter 2”). Nine years later, Josh is divorced from his wife Renai (Rose Byrne), his mother has passed away and his relationship with Dalton (Ty Simpkins) has become strained. When Dalton rediscovers his astral projection abilities, he risks unleashing a forgotten evil. Meanwhile, his father begins seeing a ghost as well.
I’ve seen all of the Insidious films but have to confess that I don’t remember them all very clearly. I remember some of the monsters we saw along the way, how The Further works and the characters but I get what happened in which film mixed up - probably a symptom of their criss-crossy stories. It’s a good thing the film finds ways to explain it all to you. As Dalton begins college, he makes friends with Chris (Sinclair Daniel, very charming). As his abilities re-emerge, both have to rediscover the rules associated with this series. This may be frustrating for superfans who just want to get right into the terror. They may also be find this new chapter’s lack of innovation disappointing. It’s nice that we find out what happened after the end credits of Chapter 2 but did we REALLY need to? Wasn’t it scarier not knowing? The two movies that followed were more interested in going back rather than going forward - probably because the series killed off Lin Shaye’s Elise Rainier - and with the previous movie being called “The Last Key”, you’d think that meant the whole thing was done, but it isn’t. We get another one and if the post-credit shot (I won’t even call it a stinger) means anything, we’ll probably get a sixth one. It sort of makes you wonder how long it will take before the franchise goes into space.
Those sentiments aside, this is an effective ghost story. The monsters we encounter in “The Further” are frightening and you care about the characters. You’ve known them for so long. You feel bad for Josh. It’s good that he overcame the demonic possession from 2010, but that’s not a happy ending. You want something more, something better. Similarly, you want Dalton to reforge the bond between him and his dad and you’re worried that this ability he’s rediscovered will land him in an even more dangerous situation than before. He’s grown up… but alone. Some great, effective scenes build up the tension as spooky figures slowly get closer and closer to our protagonists. Other threats approach in a less literal way, as Dalton keeps exploring The Further without knowing what that place is actually about. There’s a recurring motif of a painting he’s working on and of a sinister red door. His teacher pushes him to explore the recesses of his soul to create - not knowing this is exactly what the wraiths are hoping for. His memories are slowly returning and as they do, he’s putting the finishing touches on the painting. When you see the whole thing finished, it’s a great reveal and that idea of remembering important details through paint and a brush comes together splendidly at the end in a scene that I found unexpectedly emotional.
As a directorial debut, Patrick Wilson could've done much worse than Insidious: The Red Door, particularly considering his character plays a major role in the film. The movie has some good scares, creepy monsters and the characters - both new and recurring - are likable. I won't call this chapter essential, even for those who've followed this universe since the beginning but if you're interested, I'd say check it out. (September 22, 2023)
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So yeah this past Tuesday we went to
see Insidious: The Red Door (Insidious 5)
and I thought it was pretty great
I would have to say I did enjoy it
Story wise it takes place after the
second one and once again follows
the Lambert family. There is a
9 year time jump in the story.
The kids are older now and
Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) and
Renai Lambert (Rose Byrne) are now
divorced due to their haunting experiences.
Dalton Lambert (Ty Simpkins) is off to college
and is dropped off by his Dad
the two seem to be having some cognitive
problems as a result of the events of
Insidious: Chapter 2 which as lead to
their strained relationship.
While at college Dalton inadvertently
reconnects with his abilities and once
again opens the "Red Door" the
metaphorical portal to "The Further"
which once again unleashes horrors
to plague him and his father ones more.
but will they be able to close the door
once and for all?
like I said I thought this one was great
I did enjoy it as I did with all the
Insidious movie and I'm surprised that
we are now at Insidious 5.
pretty much all main characters show
up or have cameos in the movie.
and we are of course introduced
to some new characters as well
one if which is Chris Winslow
(played by Sinclair Daniel)
who befriends Dalton at college
and helps him through the events
of the movie. I really liked
her character and could relate
to her in a way. I liked her personality
and thought I could probably be
friends with her.
so I did enjoy her and was probably
my favorite character in this movie
Everyone else did an excellent job
in this movie too.
the movie is not overly scary
but does have that disturbing creepiness
about it that the others in the series
does too and there is plenty of shocks
and jumps in the movie it did get me
a couple of times for sure and there
is a lil bit of grossness at some
parts like the puking scene.
I don't feel like it is straight
up horror there is a bit of a mystery
in there as well being you get to learn
more about the family's history
especially Josh Lambert's (Patrick Wilson)
side of the family which was cool.
but of course the movie does have plenty of
unnerving and creepy visuals which make
it lots of fun.
Now if this is truly the last one
then I think it wrapped things up
pretty good and feel that there doesn't
need to be a Insidious 6
so I was happy with how it did all that
and kinda don't feel there is any loose
ends that need to be tied or anything.
So the best thing I can say is if you
like the series then you might like
this one as well so I would say
give it a try.
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