It was thirteen years ago since Insidious film helped launch Blumhouse Productions to the horror juggernaut studio. Now, the third film, Insidious: The Red Door is the direct sequel to Insidious: Chapter 2, but the fifth film of the franchise of which Insidious: Chapter 3 and Insidious: The Last Key served as prequels.

The film returns to the Insidious roots of the Lambert family. The returning cast consists of Patrick Wilson as Josh Lambert, Rose Byrne as Renai Lambert, and Ty Simpkins as Dalton Lambert. The Insidious franchise favorite with Lin Shaye as Elise Rainier is regulated to more of a cameo in this film.

The story takes place nine years after the incidents of Insidious: Chapter 2, with the family attempting to move on by hypnotizing themselves to erase their fears and memories. Dalton Lambert moves on to college, Renai divorces Josh, and the film focuses on the family dynamic. Somehow, The Further manages to catch up to both Josh and Dalton through projections and dreams. And the evil ensues.

ALSO CHECK OUT: What to Watch This Weekend: Past Lives

Insidious: The Red Door marks the feature film directorial debut for Patrick Wilson. In many interviews, he hopes to have more opportunities to be at the helm for more films. His directorial debut is decent, with a few jump scares and solid directing with acting on the project. No doubt, Wilson will have more opportunities down the road.

The issue may be the story is based on a long-drawn-out, tired franchise. As the third film of the Lambert family, Insidious: The Red Door may be one of the least scariest films in the franchise. There are a few jump scares in the movie, but not too surprising and quite expected. Without new demons introduced, the ending became all too predictable.

The marketing tagline “It ends where it all began” is misleading. There is no indication that the franchise cannot continue or that this is the last time we will see the Lambert family.

As for the Blu-ray and digital release has two featurettes titled “Past, Present, Further,” and “A Possessed Director.” The featurettes delve into the background of the Insidious franchise and introduce Patrick Wilson as a director. It should’ve included an alternate ending or deleted scenes. And that was a missed opportunity.

In the end, Insidious: The Red Door can be scary for those easily spooked or fans of the Insidious franchise. For many horror aficionados, the film didn’t simply go far enough.

Insidious: The Red Door is available on Blu-ray and digital today.

Grade: C+

For news and interviews, contact Gig Patta at [email protected]. Follow https://x.com/GigPatta, https://www.facebook.com/OfficialGigPatta, https://www.instagram.com/gigpatta or https://www.tiktok.com/gigpatta for all his postings and musings in entertainment.

Source: LRM Online, Sony