The fifth installment of the highly successful horror film franchise Insidious, The Red Door. is set to debut in Indian theatres on July 6, 2023 after a five-year gap between its last installment. Despite the franchise getting mixed critical reception, the films are huge money-spinners considering their minisucle combined budgets of just $26.5 million, collecting a combined $542 million worldwide. The franchise was created by Leigh Whannel of Upgrade and The Invisible Man fame which shows that he is the maestro of creating good quality low budget cinema. As the fifth part nears its release and many of us having the lack of time to catch up with all the last fourth films, here is a quick recap of everything you need to know before stepping in for The Red Door.
Insidious (2010)
This is the one that started it all as it ultimately led to James Wan carving his own niche in the horror genre as he followed this film with the highly-successful Conjuring franchise who came fresh off the sucess of his Saw films. With Insidious, the horror master came up with a new kind of horror film which focused more on the atmospheres being haunted rather than merely showing just severed body parts. The first film revolves around young parents Josh and Renai Lamberts whose son Dalton is mysteriously possessed and is astrally projecting into the spirit realm, called the Further, and the evil spirits trapped there are hoping to catch a ride to Earth through Dalton's body. The film was a major box office hit, collecting $100 million on a meagre budget of $10 million hence a sequel being greenlit was inevitable.
Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)
The sequel released in 2013 continued the story of the Lamberts trying to put the past behind them but all attempts go in vain with Renai being framed for killing Elise and once again the family start facing enigmatic disturbances through the environment and ultimately, Josh's body being possessed by the ghost of the serial killer Parker Crane. The film suffers from too much exploration of the backstory of Parker Crane and less surprises with the film playing it safer with clichés this time, resulting in a decline in novelty factor. Despite stepping down in quality from its predecessor, the film was still a commercial success, grossing $161 million worldwide on a mere budget of $5 million. The film still offers a fair share of scares despite its comapritvely weak writing and direction.
Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015)
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The series shifts timelines with this sequel as the third installment of the franchise is actually a prequel, set three years before the events of the film film and stars a completely different set of characters. Elise, who featured in the first film as the psychic aiding the couple, is the supporting hero in this film which revolves around a teenage girl Quinn who is still reeling through the grief of her dead mother and ends up in a haunting situation due to her attempts ot get in touch with her. The film is also the directorial debut of the series creator Leigh Whannell thus giving it a varying touch from the first two films which were more fast-paced. The primary antagonist here is The Man Who Can't Breathe, who doesn't speak a single word and has little to no backstory, thus making him more menacing for the viewers. The film is the most skippable out of the pack as it fails to offer anything new except a few good performances and creepy moments. It also saw a drop in the collections as it could do just $112 million in its entire run which was lower than its predecessor but was still a profitable venture for the makers due to its shoestring budget of $10 million, showing that they opted to increase the budgets slowly and steadily with each installment.
Insidious: The Last Key (2018)
The film is the second prequel of the franchise and fits between the second and the third films in terms of chronological order. The film is a scarier outing than the last installment with deeper emphasis on Elise Rainier's backstory. Director Adam Robitel took over the director chair this time around, providing a fresh lease for the series. The film focuses on Elise's upbringing and her troubled relationship with her abusive father who worked as a guard and serves as a decent prologue to all the events in its predecessors which have events taking place in the future according to the timeline. It is one of the better sequels as it leans more towards providing genuine scares and delving deep into the psyche of the characters. The film also saw an imorved performance at the box office, clocking $167 million on a budget of $10 million.
Insidious: The Red Door (2023)
The fifth film of the franchise will now finally go into events that take place after the second installment of the series and is reportedly the final spooky adventure for the Lamberts as Dalton finally goes off to the college but the ghosts of his past don't seem to leave him behind, resulting in his parents stepping into The Further again to get rid of the nightmare for good. The film will also mark the directorial debut of Patrick Wilson who starred as Josh in the first two film and this one as well. The actor is also a regular collaborator for director James Wan in his Conjuring films. The film will be released in Indian cinemas on July 6, 2023.