BLOOD WORK: THE HORROR HARVEST: INSIDIOUS

INSIDIOUS - THE RED DOOR (2023)

It's been 13 years since the first Insidious film debuted in theaters. A sort of sister-series to the Conjuring universe, I personally have enjoyed all of the Insidious films and have been looking forward to more. With INSIDIOUS - THE RED DOOR, the fifth film in the series, we see the original cast reunited for the first time since 2013.

Where Insidious Chapter 3 and Insidious - The Last Key were prequels to Insidious 1, The Red Door is the long awaited direct sequel to Chapter 2. So, if you haven't seen the last two Insidious films, you're okay to go into this one.

We here at Blood Work haven't missed an Insidious film in theaters since 2013 (we sadly did not get to see the first film in a theater), so there was no way we were going to miss this one! A friend and I went out to see this latest installment in the series not too long ago. While not reaching the highs of the first two films in the series, Insidious - The Red Door was nonetheless a solid film with some great moments.

THE PLOT

It's been over a decade since the Lambert family had endured the horrors of the Further. Even though they've escaped the evil spirits, their family has still deteriorated over the years leaving them a broken home. But what has caused their family to fracture and is it connected to the Further? As Dalton goes to college he begins having visions of something insidious clawing at the edges of his mind. And Dalton's father, Josh, begins uncovering the horrible truth about what happened to them... and it reaches farther back than any of them had imagined.

INITIAL REACTIONS

It's great to see the original cast together once again. Instead of James Wan in the director's chair, actor Patrick Wilson pulls double duty here as director and reprising his role as Josh Lambert. Everyone does a great job here and is a welcome sight to see. The film has a slow start, which may leave some feeling a little impatient, but the film builds into a frightening and exciting final act.

The film's focus is on the Lambert family, particularly Josh and Dalton, the father and son relationship being central to the film. The movie begins with them estranged and we gradually see the two of them come together to confront the literal demons plaguing them. Not only that, but Josh's own father and the relationship between them plays a key role in the film. This father/son dynamic is a great strength of the film and the backbone of the narrative. A positive father/son relationship feels like a rarity in films today and it is executed very well here.

Sadly, this means that the ghouls in the Further take a bit of a backseat in the film, opting for a "less is more" approach. While I would've liked to have seen greater emphasis on the "Lipstick" demon and the lost souls of the Further, ultimately I felt this approach worked. The Lipstick Demon receives a bit of a redesign here, much to the character's benefit, once again portrayed by the film's composer, Joseph Bishara. By the end of the movie I feel satisfied in saying goodbye to the Lamberts, but I still want more of the Lipstick Demon. I feel far from done with the Further and its denizens.

THE VERDICT

Insidious - The Red Door is not my favorite film in the franchise. It fails to reach the heights set by both the original and Chapter 2. But what it does do very well is wrap up the story of the Lambert family and finally closes the door on their terrifying experiences with the Further. The core message about fathers and sons comes across very well and heartfelt. And while I would've liked more with of the Lipstick Demon and the ghosts, what little we get is potent and done well.

Overall Ranking: 6 out of 10