Insidious: Out of the Further

by Mike McGranaghan

James Wan’s 2010 Insidious was one of the most effective, jump-inducing paranormal chillers of that decade. It was followed by a series of sequels that were popular, although generally not very good. This gives me complete confidence in saying that Insidious: Out of the Further is the best entry since the original. At least it is for my money.

The film was written and directed by Jacob Chase, whose excellent Come Play got lost during the Covid pandemic. He brings a few fresh ideas to the franchise, starting with heroine Gemma Hall (Amelia Eve), a dental hygienist who – as she eventually learns from late psychic Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) – has the ability not only to enter the haunted realm known as “the Further” but also to bring things from it back into the regular world. An evil entity has been tormenting her, presumably to take advantage of that ability. Gemma tries to deal with that problem while also protecting young daughter Maya (Island Austin) from getting sucked into any supernatural madness.

If forced to describe Insidious: Out of the Further in one word, I would choose “super-freaky.” In fact, the movie is so super-freaky that Rick James could have written a song about it. Chase devises several highly creative set pieces to give viewers the willies. In one, Gemma crawls into Maya’s pillow fort, only to discover that it’s impossibly large from the inside, and she’s not alone in there. Another, involving her efforts to clean the teeth of a weird elderly man who’s seemingly stalking her, will prove nightmarish for those with dental anxiety.

The last half-hour is wild and furiously paced, with the characters moving back and forth between the realms. Allowing creatures from the Further to enter our world gives the series a much-needed boost of creativity. Previous sequels largely recycled ideas established in the original; here, there’s a new hook to make the movie feel like an extension of Insidious’s premise, rather than a mere retread of it. Chase additionally uses the tale to explore Gemma’s efforts to grapple with the mother who committed suicide in front of her as a child. That plot thread pays off intriguingly during the finale.

All of these films are inherently a tiny bit silly, dealing as they do with red doors and “lipstick demons” and the like. This installment is no different. Amelia Eve makes an appealing protagonist, though, providing the human core that any good horror flick requires. Lin Shaye makes another return appearance, despite Elise dying in the first one, but she’s the glue that holds everything together. The actress once again gives a rousing performance.

Insidious: Out of the Further is visually spooky and packed with quality jump scares. It delivers on the promise of the first Insidious in a way the other sequels did not. I wouldn't have guessed that there would still be life in this saga six chapters in. Happily, there totally is.