Top 10 Things to Know Before Watching Insidious: The Red Door

You’d think you’d need to watch all four previous films to be up to date. But since the third and fourth entries are prequels, it’s really “Insidious: Chapter 2” that we look to here. Resolving the events of the first film, “Chapter 2” saw the Lambert family reeling with the development of patriarch Josh being possessed by a deceased serial killer named Parker Crane. Thanks to some old friends and new, they’re able to put Josh back in the driver’s seat and do away with their spiritual tormentors. They seemingly get a happy ending - or, as happy as it gets - when Josh and his son Dalton willingly have their memories erased to hopefully cut off their connection with the malevolent dimension known as the Further.

It’s been ten years since “Chapter 2,” both for us and the characters. Dalton is now college-aged and enrolled at an ivy-league university. Josh goes to drop him off at school, but remnants of the Further start to manifest in both of them. Through his artwork, Dalton starts to recall horrible memories that have long been suppressed. Instead of running from their literal demons, Josh and Dalton must instead confront them head on, which means another trip into the Further to tamp down its influence on them once and for all.

“Insidious: The Red Door” has been described very much as a father-son story, which is fitting, seeing as how so much of the series hinges on Josh’s and Dalton’s abilities to travel - essentially spiritwalk into the Further. However, whereas shared trauma can bring people together, the erasing of their memories seems to have had the opposite effect. Sure, a young adult spreading his wings can naturally distance himself from his father, but Josh and Dalton’s general estrangement in the years since will only be another obstacle for them to overcome if they want to survive. It sounds like “The Red Door” looks to be a very cathartic story, and we cannot wait to see how that plays out on-screen.

With it being the subtitle for the whole movie, you’re probably wondering what “The Red Door” is referring to. Well, even though it’s in the title for this fifth entry, it’s something that may be a staple of your nightmares already. Indeed, the red door appears in the first installment in the Further, specifically signifying the entrance to the lair of the Lipstick-Face Demon. That’s right - essentially the title is teasing the return of one of horror’s most terrifying figures, king of the jumpscare. It’s actually quite fitting, seeing as this sequel will be harkening back to the franchise’s glory days. And honestly, it’s been too long since we’ve seen old Lipstick-Face, he only appearing briefly at the ends of movies three and four.

Legacy sequels have been something of a trend in recent years, and more often than not, they’ve been pretty satisfying. “Insidious” looks to be doing it the right way, bringing back the main cast of the first two films. In addition to Josh and Dalton actors Patrick Wilson and Ty Simpkins returning, so too will Rose Byrne as Lambert matriarch Renai. But because no family reunion would be complete without him, also returning is Andrew Astor as Dalton’s little brother Foster. It’ll be interesting to see what the family dynamic looks like so many years later with the kids practically all grown up.

Sure, we could’ve added her to the last entry, but we think she deserves one of her own. For a supporting character who technically dies in the first installment, Elise has surprisingly become quite the franchise mainstay. Such is the on-screen talent of actor Lin Shaye, who’s definitely gotten her flowers in the horror genre since the first “Insidious.” Indeed, we wouldn’t want her to miss out on this one, having essentially led the last two installments, prequels though they were. This time around, Elise will be popping up in archive form, helping out the Lamberts from beyond the grave. But who knows? Maybe we’ll see her on the other side once again.

James Wan has since become one of the biggest names in horror since helming the first two “Insidi-i” if he wasn’t already. So his continued presence on the producing side of things bodes well. Wan’s longtime creative partner Leigh Whannell is also on board, coming up with the story, having penned the first four installments. Already having the core creative team back is great to hear, but the pedigree doesn’t end there. The horror filmographies of producers Oren Peli and Jason Blum practically speak for themselves, the latter being of the megastudio Blumhouse. Perhaps you’ve heard of them?

The big story behind the scenes though is that of franchise star Patrick Wilson. Wilson has amassed quite the legacy in the horror genre himself, his work in “Insidious” being a major highlight. Sufficient to say, he knows his way around a film set. Plenty of actors have had great success making the transition to behind the camera in recent years, and we’re sure Wilson will be no exception. Of course, we’re sure pulling double duty as both director and star can’t have been easy. But if there’s anyone up to the task, it’s him. We look forward to seeing how this might springboard him into future directing gigs as well.

It’s been five years since the last “Insidious,” but thankfully, you likely won’t have to wait long until the next one. Just a couple months prior to the release of “The Red Door,” news broke that the franchise would be getting a spinoff film titled “Thread: An Insidious Tale.” Plot details are scarce at this time, but it’s set to be written and directed by Jeremy Slater, with James Wan again returning as producer. Not only that, but also announced are leads Mandy Moore and Kumail Nanjiani. We’ll just have to wait and see how it all connects.

While the future of “Insidious” looks bright, it should be recognized that “The Red Door” also marks the end of an era. It’s been widely reported that the film will see the Lamberts’ overarching story come to a close, which is fitting seeing as it ties so much into the legacy of the franchise. If anything, it only makes us more excited to see it, as we’re now less sure how everything will play out. It’s a sign of a healthy franchise to see it having one eye looking back at the past and another at the future. But at the end of the day, we’re sure it’ll give us plenty of reasons to scream here and now.