Insidious: The Red Door (Mini-Review)

Insidious: The Red Door is the fifth movie in the Insidious series. It has been nine years since the second movie and things aren't going well. Josh Lambert is now divorced as Renai couldn't handle him after he was briefly possessed. Something neither he nor his son Dalton can remember as their memories were repressed. A thing everyone had agreed to. When Dalton starts art school his repressed memories and abilities start to break out. Josh, trying to get closer to his son, goes on his own journey of discovery. Insidious: The Red Door was released in 2023. It was directed by Patrick Wilson. It stars Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins, and Hiam Abbass.

There is a small post-credits scene. It basically teases that there could be a sequel but I wouldn't call it sequel baiting. This since the movie still works as a final entry.

I am a fan of the Insidious series. The first movie was innovative in its design of having a reason why the family just couldn't move to safety. While I liked the third and fourth movies in the series, I've been waiting for another movie about the Lambert family. So it was a pleasant surprise when I first saw a trailer for this movie.

This movie has a good premise of Josh and Dalton both having no memories of the first two movies. Which means they have an excuse for unwittingly facing evil once again. Dalton does an exercise from his class and ends up accidentally entering The Further once again. Josh wants to strengthen his bond with Dalton and so gets himself checked up. Both actions end up opening the door to evil once again.

There is mention of a frat guy dying. So I thought Dalton would discover more about the guy. Especially when Dalton and Chris went back to the frat house so he could enter The Further. But...that subplot went nowhere interesting. It seemed to just be an excuse to get Dalton back into The Further and have an action sequence. A better solution would have been after Dalton accidentally entered The Further for him and Chris to explore his abilities more.

Elise Rainier had been an important character in the series thus far. But with Josh and Dalton taking center stage, her appearance basically amounted to a pleasant cameo. When Chris shows Dalton a video online, it is of Elise giving a lecture. She also has a brief appearance near the very end of the movie. It was great seeing her again. Especially at the end.

Josh ends up getting his brain scanned and I got flashbacks. I've been in a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) before. The movie gave a good idea of how claustrophobic it is. I've lost track of what direction is which before. The thing that kept me from pressing the button is the knowledge I'd have to do it all over again.

I would recommend Insidious: The Red Door to fans of the Insidious series. I would also recommend Insidious: The Red Door to horror fans.