‘Insidious: The Red Door’ An ‘Insidious’ return to the theater

Jaycee Hampton News and Lifestyle Assistant Editor Review

The Lambert family finds themselves reliving past horrors in the newest installment of the “Insidious” franchise, “Insidious: The Red Door.”

On July 7, Patrick Wilson made his directorial debut and pulled audiences back into the horrifying world of “Insidious.” Sony Pictures distributed this new Blumhouse production, and James Wan (director for the first two installments) hopped on as a producer for the fifth movie. Wilson, reprising his role as Josh Lambert, has been absent from the franchise since “Insidious: Chapter 2” after the production team decided to focus on prequels for the first two films and shifted focus to the psychic medium Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye).

Following the events of “Insidious: Chapter 2,” “The Red Door” mainly follows a now grown-up Dalton (Ty Simpkins) nine years later as he ventures into his first year of college at his dream school. As a family years ago, Josh and Dalton decided to have all memories of “The Further” blocked by hypnosis, which ultimately led to a new set of problems.

At the present time, Josh and his wife, Renai (Rose Byrne), have separated due to untimely events and struggles within the pair. This caused strain between family members, and it is an awkward and unsettling introduction to the film based on the previous productions. Quickly, we learn Josh wants to seek treatment for brain fog and overwhelming fatigue.

When Dalton’s art professor inspires her students to dig deep into repressed memories during a meditation exercise, hoping to help them create better art, Dalton begins remembering events from his past, opening a way for “The

Further” to reach him again. With Josh also seeking answers, things quickly become a nightmare for the family again.

Joseph Bishara also reprises his role as the man with the red face, which has filled fans’ minds with fear for over a decade. Fan favorites, Tucker and Specs, also made a small appearance, adding a remarkable detail from the franchise and embodying a true “Insidious” styled film.

“The Red Door” relies heavily on jump scares, but they fell short. Personally, there wasn’t a jumpscare you couldn’t see coming. The shock factor was missing.

Blumhouse has always found a way to make their films touching, creating scenes that show love and faith can get you through anything dark and sinister. While this can be refreshing from other kinds of horror, which heavily rely on gore to carry throughout the film, it personally ruined the pacing of this film for me. It came off as cheesy and predictable.

Despite not feeling afraid or on edge, it was still an enjoyable film and anyone that is a fan of the previous films will be satisfied with its outcome.

If you are wanting to refresh your memory before viewing “The Red Door,” these are the films in chronological order:

“Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015).

“Insidious: The Last Key” (2018).

“Insidious” (2011.

“Insidious: Chapter 2” (2013).

And now, “Insidious: The Red Door” (2023).

“Insidious” and “Insidious: Chapter 2” are available for streaming on Max and Amazon Prime Video. “Insidious: Chapter 3” is available on Tubi and Amazon Prime Video and “Insidious: The Last Key” is available on Amazon Prime Video.