In 2023, the renowned horror franchise “Insidious” celebrates its 13th anniversary. Given that the number 13 is widely considered unlucky, expectations for the latest installment, the fifth film in the series, aren’t particularly high. This sentiment seems logical considering the declining ratings of recent entries. However, the presence of James Wan’s favorite, Patrick Wilson, in the director’s chair offered a glimmer of hope. After all, if Wilson couldn’t continue the franchise’s legacy, who could? Wan’s return to “Insidious” seems unlikely; directing multi-million dollar superhero blockbusters for Warner Bros. consumes too much of his personal time and creative space. Moreover, Wan’s recent horror film, “Malignant,” suggests he’s grown tired of straightforward ghost stories.
Patrick Wilson as Josh in a scene from “Insidious: The Red Door”
“The Red Door” takes place nine years after the events of “Insidious: Chapter 2.” The story revisits the Lambert family. Dalton (Ty Simpkins) heads off to art college, where he unexpectedly begins practicing astral projection again. Meanwhile, his father, Josh (Patrick Wilson), is going through a rough patch: in addition to his mother’s death (Hiam Abbass) and a difficult divorce from Renai (Rose Byrne), he experiences mysterious memory lapses. Josh attributes it to aging, but sinister ghosts increasingly appear behind his back. Eventually, father and son confront what they’ve been running from for years: the red-faced demon from hell returns to haunt them.
Ty Simpkins as Dalton in a scene from “Insidious: The Red Door”
A Return to Familiar Terrors?
On paper, revisiting the Lambert family’s story seemed like a good idea, potentially reviving the franchise if not saving it altogether. The prequels/spin-offs about the psychic Elise (Lin Shaye) demonstrated that nothing resonates with audiences like a good old-fashioned family drama. Elise, despite her merits, only had a silent spaniel as a close companion, hardly making her an inspiring protagonist. Josh Lambert is a different story. Despite the mystical elements—old women in black veils have never been so terrifying—the first “Insidious” largely focused on the simmering marital crisis between Josh and his wife, Renai, which reached its peak in the second film.
The Weight of Generational Trauma
Evidently, living through Stephen King-esque scenarios takes its toll: the main characters’ marriage is on the verge of collapse, and their eldest son, Dalton, predictably distances himself from his emotionally unavailable father. In “The Red Door,” new screenwriter Scott Teems, replacing Leigh Whannell (who is also too busy and famous for “Insidious” now), continues the theme of intergenerational trauma, responsibility, and fatherhood established at the franchise’s inception. However, at some point, he gets carried away, transforming what was once a horror film into a touching but entirely inappropriate melodrama.
Scene from “Insidious: The Red Door”
Echoes of the Past
Wilson—whether out of a desire to maintain the concept or a genuine love for the director—actively mimics Wan’s cinematic style, even inserting scenes from the first “Insidious,” adding only vomiting escapades and a few biblical references of his own. For a franchise already in a comatose state, this lack of creative vision sounds like a death knell. “The Red Door” barely resembles a standalone horror film; it feels more like an unnecessary story for the fans.
The fifth “Insidious” offers a collection of fan service: a hilarious two-minute cameo by Specs and Tucker (Leigh Whannell and Angus Sampson). Wilson also managed to bring back the original cast, including the Lambert family, Lin Shaye as Elise, and Steve Coulter as Carl. If you view “The Red Door” as a definitive end to Josh and Dalton’s story, watching the slowly decaying corpse of “Insidious” becomes less painful. One can only hope that the producers haven’t planned another installment—Carl and his magic bones are capable of attracting many terrifying ghosts.