insidious – PopCult Reviews

Movie Review – Insidious: The Red Door

Insidious: The Red Door (2023)
Written by Leigh Whannell and Scott Teems
Directed by Patrick Wilson

At one point (maybe still), we could have had an Insidious/Sinister crossover. I saw Sinister around the time it was initially released on DVD, and I remember really liking the vibe of the film, especially the bizarre films within the film. However, I can’t imagine a crossover would be any good. Insidious has really failed to live up to my already low expectations. Blumhouse got the old gang back together for a film that would serve as a direct sequel to Insidious: Chapter 2. This makes the Insidious chronology as follows: Insidious: Chapter 3, Insidious: The Last Key, Insidious, Insidious: Chapter 2, Insidious: The Red Door. It’s not as confusing as the Fast & Furious chronology, but it’s definitely up there.

Movie Review – Insidious: The Last Key

Insidious: The Last Key (2018)
Written by Leigh Whanell
Directed by Adam Robitel

Much like the continuity of Saw or the Fast & Furious franchises, Insidious became a tangled-up non-linear film series. This particular film takes place after Insidious: Chapter 3 (the earliest film in the timeline), though The Last Key starts with a flashback that is the furthest point back in the timeline thus far. That honor used to belong to the prologue of Insidious: Chapter 2. The Last Key takes place around a year before the first film and focuses entirely on the backstory of Elise, the film’s somewhat main protagonist. As I have said in all these reviews, stating unequivocally who the main character or villain is in these films is utterly impossible as they flail around from picture to picture.

Movie Review – Insidious: Chapter 3

Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015)
Written and directed by Leigh Whanell

After the conclusion of the second film, the story of the Lamberts & their haunting seemed to be over. Yet, Blumhouse wanted another installment. Leigh Whanell returned to write this script, while James Wan moved on to direct Furious 7. A few months into production, it was decided that Whanell would make his directorial debut with Chapter 3, and I can tell you it didn’t inspire confidence in me to learn this fact. Whanell would go on to direct The Invisible Man remake in 2020, which, aside from some clever ideas, just failed in the execution. For a person who has devoted so much of his career to horror, you would think Whanell might just once pull off something actually scary instead of the same level of horror you find in your local seasonal haunted house attraction.

Movie Review – Insidious: Chapter 2

Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)
Written by Leigh Whanell
Directed by James Wan

The first Insidious felt like it was always made with a sequel in mind. It makes sense that James Wan & Leigh Whanell had a lot of success with the Saw franchise, so they wanted to repeat it with something new. Insidious Chapter 2 picks up exactly where the first film ends and never feels like it’s creating a story where there is none. Loose ends from the first picture are continued and resolved, so the conclusion is an excellent place for the series to stop. Of course, that won’t happen, and three more movies will come later. I didn’t enjoy the first entry in this series, and it won’t surprise you that I enjoyed this picture even less.