In review, Insidious: The Red Door or Insidious 5Â is a 2023 supernatural horror film that follows the Lambert family, ten years after the last installment, and their struggle with the Red Face Demon from The Further.
The Red Door is a direct sequel to the popular film Insidious (2010) and Insidious 2 (2013) and overall the 5th installment in the franchise.
The Red Door marks the directorial debut of the lead actor Patrick Wilson (Josh Lambert in Insidious) as he looks to end the final chapter of the Insidious trilogy.
Here is a spoiler-free movie review of Insidious 5: The Red Door.
Premise
The movie basically focuses on the rocky relationship between Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Dalton, which has everything to do with events that happened in the first two movies.
The father, Josh, has a tough time trying to reconnect with the now grown-up son Dalton as he begins college, and is still dealing with his past trauma.
During an art session, Dalton accidentally triggers his past memories and abilities which lead him to draw the titular mysterious red door.
However, things only get worse as the demons from the past, the powerful Red Face Demon, reappears in their lives and they find themselves back into The Further.
The Lamberts must push themselves fathomless into The Further than ever before to finally put their demons to rest once and for all. But will they succeed in their final attempt?
What’s Good?
Well, all the previous characters and villains from the first installment are here and the story continues long down the line from the original film’s events.
The visuals are pretty good and the CGI effects make the iconic characters and scenes look more frightening.
The jumpscares and development are riveting and are still capable to strike a similar cord as the first two movies in the franchise.
The movie is rated M, so it’s perfect fodder for teenagers and newbee horror lovers who will definitely enjoy the jumpscares.
What’s Bad?
In his directorial debut, Patrick Wilson and his performance as Josh Lambert is solid. However, there’s much to be desired for a better script and direction.
The actor who played Dalton has a major role in the movie but is unable to fully justify his fear, emotions and susceptibility of his character. The rest of the cast didn’t have much role to play.
The movie is a slow-burner and the horror takes over only in the final part of the movie. The final act has a lot of things that felt rushed considering the general pace of the movie.
The Red Face Demon screen time and the movie climax feels shorter and unsatisfying.
The movie doesn’t have a solid storyline and heavily relies on jump scares which are fine but if you are a horror freak the scenes wouldn’t even twitch you.
Final Verdict
For someone like me, who is a big fan of Insidious (2007), this movie stands nowhere near the brilliance of the first installment.
Patrick Wilson has decent run as an actor in various horror flicks but as a first-time director, we can clearly see that he still has a long way to go.
The movie is more of an emotional teenage drama that shows the conflicting relationship between father and son which would probably be a big disappointment for people who don’t like the slow-burning approach.
In the scare departments, the lack of original fear factors prevents it from being a good watch.
The movie has quite a few usual jump scares. But you would actually be aware of the jumpscares before they happen if you are a seasoned horror fan.
You would probably find it engaging if you are a fan of this franchise and have a special place for Insidious in the list of your favorite horror movies.
Overall, it’s a decent one-time watch with minimal story and bone-chilling moments.
Rating
Insidious: The Red Door Movie Review Rating – 2.5/5
What’s Next?
The Red Door is the final chapter of the trilogy and a conclusion for the franchise as a whole.
Although it’s already been announced that there will be a spin-off movie of this trilogy with a fresh new cast and focusing on The Further, the nether world where the demons reside.
While the spin-off ‘Thread: An Insidious Tale‘ is already in the works, it remains to see whether the franchise is still capable to attract horror addicts.
