HOLLYWOOD—“Insidious” when it first arrived in 2010 was an absolute treat as a horror flick. I recall watching this flick in the theater and just feeling glued to that seat and it was full of suspense and shocking moments that gave you those chills and jump scares that you expect in a horror movie. Since then, the flick has spawned numerous sequels, but we’ve reached the end. The fifth entry in the franchise, “Insidious: The Red Door” reunites original stars Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne and Ty Simpkins, who last appeared in the sequel, “Insidious: Chapter 2.”
Let me point this out, “Insidious: The Red Door” has some decent scares that will rattle you in the theater, the problem is you have to enter the theater without seeing any of the promos that have been advertised on TV. If you’ve caught a glimpse of the flick, those frights are going to be spoiled which is a major disappointment. The flick does lack that level of suspense and tension that was helmed by director James Wan. Wan is a master behind the camera when it comes to supernatural chills. Just look at “The Conjuring” and “The Conjuring 2” if you have questions about that.
Tackling writing duties is Scott Teems who helped craft the excessively bloody “Halloween: Kills” and the lackluster “Firestarter” remake staring Zac Efron. Wilson tackles directing duties for the flick in addition to returning as Josh Lambert. Josh is haunted after the events of the second film where he was possessed and tried to murder his family. His marriage to his wife Renai (Byrne) is over, and he is estranged from his oldest son Dalton (Simpkins) who is off to college.
The bulk of the narrative revolves around Josh, Dalton and Renai and their family having to battle with The Further, that realm where danger is all around, but more important is Dalton’s ability to astral project where he has out of body experiences. It is hard to explain in simple terms, but it’s your consciousness or spirit as I would like to deem it leaving your body and exploring. Josh and Dalton are both playing with this notion, as the infamous Red Door returns and that demon is back to threaten the Lambert family one final time.
The movie at its core is examining the strained relationship of a father and son as they work to repair that bond after experiencing a series of traumatic events. Byrne’s character Renai feels underutilized and almost like an afterthought, compared to her appearances in the first and second films. The threat level in this fifth chapter doesn’t feel as potent as the first and second entry for our core characters. I wanted so much more. The narrative is ok, but its lacks the thrills and the threat level that I want to see when it comes to horror, rather you deem in supernatural or actual ghosts.
Does the ending give you a slice of finality? It depends on how you perceive it. I would argue it opens the door that things ‘might’ be over for the Lambert family, but the threat is still there for another family to open that Red Door and unleash havoc. Simply put “Insidious: The Red Door” would have excelled if it had the writing of original scriber Leigh Whannell and James Wan’s touch as director. Without that, we have a decent entry in the franchise, but nothing that excels beyond the first two flicks in the series.
