Insidious: The Red Door

8/10

(Note: Contains no spoilers about Red Door, but contains a brief reference to the conclusion of the second film.)

After them being absent in the third and fourth installments, which were prequels, we revisit the Lambert family. The psychic father and son Josh and Dalton Lambert (played by Patrick Wilson and Ty Simpkins) had their memories wiped of their abilities in order to prevent the residents of the Further from gaining access to our world. Dalton's going to college now (credit should be given to bringing back the original actors who were kids instead of recasting them, (looking at you Independence Day sequel; Mae Whitman starred in The Duff, but she wasn't good enough to come back for you?!)). The hypnosis has left Joshua with a foggy mind and there's a rift now between the two. Soon, events cause the two to again investigate the dark and dangerous world of the Further. 

This is Wilson's directorial debut and he does a decent job of keeping up Insidious' distinct feel. It doesn't quite have the scare and cinematic quality of the first film but in fairness, none of the sequels quite manage it. Important thing is you still get a good heaping of creepy imagery and ghosts.

Like in the previous entries, this has a few jokes. It's rather one of the funnier entries (without damaging the atmosphere.) 

Patrick again does an excellent job as the Josh and he really sells his difficulty but also willingness to connect with his son and his mental struggles in general. Sinclair Daniel plays Dalton's new college friend Chris Winslow and is one of the hightlights, serving as the snarky comic relief as well as the voice of reason. Sadly, Lin Shaye as psychic Elise Rainier and Leigh Wannell and Angus Sampson as her assistants (who'd been promoted to leads in the last two films) barely appear in this.  

Unfortunately, the movie continues the sequel-that-came-out-some-time-later-than-the-last-story  trend of having the heroes end up in a far worse place than when we last saw them which has become really tiring. I think Dalton's mother Renai Lambert (Rose Byrne) was basically character assassinated in this piece as I didn't agree with her choices or root for her.

I'm not loving the lack of creative ambition when it came to the forces of darkness here. The Insidious movies have always been known for the distinct style of their supernatural entities. However, Red Door has lost that distinctness. Don't get me wrong, the ghosts and such are still scary, they just don't have that Insidious brand look to them. I was disappointed there is no new big bad here. I've always felt that a strong point of the films were that had new villain with a new look and gimmick rather than recycling. 

The scares are separated by lengthy scenes of people just talking to each other, which to be fair also kinda happened in the first film (I liked that three and four felt a lot faster), but it feels more obvious here. Some may get bored, but for me it wasn't a deal breaker, and I thought the dialogue mostly worked.

Kinda recommended. Many will enjoy another Insidious movie and this continues to deliver what we want. However, some may be bored by the pacing or disappointed that it doesn't 100% quite have that Insidious feel to it. I'd rank this above Insidious 2 and below the other movies.