Review of Insidious: The Red Door (2023) by Marty_Mcfly_Am — 11 Jul 2023

The fifth and final chapter of the "Insidious" series, which has now lasted for almost five decades, completes the origins of the series and is its right epilogue.

The operation is too derivative and partially successful. Although it does not amaze and does not present particular elements of novelty, it still works and does not disappoint.

The plot makes good use of situations and themes already used in the previous episodes (especially those proposed by the first two chapters), but does not find new narrative turns (the Elsewhere of the initial diptych, the demons who attack as a contact with the ancestors, the unconscious as area to meet them and settle accounts).

Patrick Wilson, here a rookie actor and director, effectively adheres to the stylistic features of the horror typology chosen by James Wan (here among the producers), demonstrates a good sensitivity for the subject and manages to create a discreet macabre atmosphere that enhances the figurative and metaphorical aspect of the film. Despite this, he is unable to make up for the limitations of a screenplay that is correct on the whole, but devoid of incisive ideas.

The work skilfully exploits the locations, the tensive aspect and exceeds in jump scares. The rhythm, even if at times devoid of fluidity and mysterious power, is excited; the quality phono-visual system; the well-developed psychological dynamics (the excavation into the past and into the unconscious of the two protagonists is very appreciable).

“Insidious: The Red Door” is very consistent with the first two films in the series. It re-proposes atmospheres, sensations, suggestions, fears and hopes; and combines horror with more intimate nuances (in the affective analysis that mixes incommunicability, errors and remorse).

In essence, the time elapsed between the second film and this one is taken into account, with all the emotional changes that this may have brought to the protagonists, especially Josh and Dalton. It is the relationship between them and the need not to forget but to face the traumas that characterize this chapter, with the horrors we witness taking the form of metaphorical obstacles on their way to reunion.

The path of father and son towards salvation is nothing more than a furious irruption into the unconscious, into the dark areas of the repressed or within family traumas, but also of what is morally inadmissible (possessed Josh who attacks his ex-wife and children), of what is repeated from generation to generation; and all for the sole purpose of seeking a definitive liberation. The focal point of the film is the perception of the past, of memory and what generates the darkest sequences.

As an actor, Wilson offers a very convincing performance that makes his character multifaceted. The psychic Elise Rainier is practically missing here (having died in the first chapter), but the good Lin Shaye is limited to a significant (double) cameo, like her historical assistants.

In conclusion, this filmic work is, especially for fans of the series, an enjoyable, interesting and engaging entertainment; while for all the other spectators it can well be considered an acceptable horror of the supernatural genre, very suitable for some thrills on summer nights. Score: 5.