After quite a few convoluted and confusing sequels it’s hard to understand the further and the creatures that lurk within but this instalment brings the franchise to a simplistic conclusion. Here is our Insidious The Red Door review.
Years after the events of the first two movies Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) 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.
Going back to where it all began is a nice way of referencing the older (more successful) movies whilst also making this new film relevant and appealing. Fans of all the Insidious movies won’t find anything new here with the same old jump scares popping up to the point where diehards can pinpoint exactly where they arise.
But what you will find is a simpler understanding of how the further works where other previous movies dived too deep to the point where it became too hard to follow. I know there have been many a times during an Insidious film where my brain has just checked out and given up on trying to understand what was going on, for my simple brain Insidious The Red Door was very easy to digest.
With this new college life ahead of him Dalton is away from his father and their relationship is strained. With them apart I was curious as to how they would be linked in this new story but the link was actually quite interesting. It tied with the past and made this new story believable in a way but at the same time the college scenes somewhat downplay the fact that this is a horror movie.
We have a comedic relief in the shape of Dalton’s college roommate (Sinclair Daniel) and at times it feels like a frat party movie just ready to explore yet we’re dragged into the darkness with a scene or two. I certainly felt relaxed in the cinema watching this movie as opposed to the other ones which focused solely on tension and making you jump as many times as possible.
Fans of the franchise will not appreciate the slower pace of this movie and the toning down of those jumpy moments we all know and love.
Chris’s character adds a unique balance to the Insidious franchise and quite frankly her friendship with Dalton asks more questions than answers them. If you found out a friend of yours could travel into a realm of demons and lure them into the real world, would you stick around? You’d have to be a very lonely person to say yes to that question.
The storytelling is quite choppy as we bounce from college with Dalton to focusing on Josh as they both come to learn that their memories have been suppressed after the events of the original movies. The memories stay suppressed for 9 years until Dalton’s art teacher unlocks his subconscious to focus his attention into art and somehow unlocks his suppressed memories at the same time!
All hell ensues and what we’re met with is Dalton and Josh’s ability to astral-project into this world where creatures lie yet their bodies (now open vessels as the spirit has left them) are open to the creatures that lurk within the further who seek to live within a human vessel.
Patrick Wilson used this movie as his directorial debut and let’s be honest, he knows the source material well. Rose Bryne doesn’t really have a big role in this movie and takes a huge backseat as the Josh and Dalton show comes to the fold.
I couldn’t help but feel as though the third act was fast-forwarded to the the point where it felt rushed. Just as soon as the film started to get going it abruptly concluded with a whimper and the end credits rolled.
A slow burn up until this moment in time before we almost skip a few chapters in real time. There’s a couple of gory moments to keep you occupied but all in all it felt more like a 12-rated movie rather than the 15-rated that was on the films ratings classification.
Insidious The Red Door may not be for most but it did offer me the most simple explanation of ‘the further’ that I’ve had to date but this franchise film certainly feels like a finale, if albeit a rushed one.
But let’s be honest, Insidious Red Door had a budget of $16 million. The film has already grossed $76 million, it’s absolutely smashing it. People LOVE a good horror movie so it certainly won’t be the last we hear of the franchise.
When one red door closes, another 100 more red ones just fly on open!
Insidious The Red Door review by Sean Evans
Our Rating
Summary
Franchise fatigue is in full effect but its box office success will pave the way for more spinoffs and franchise branching. Insidious The Red Door offers the clearest explanation of ‘The Further’ but sadly the story wasn’t developed further as choppy storytelling and quite tame delivery of scares compared to previous instalments certainly made this particular Insidious about as tame as a puppy.
