Insidious The Red Door review: Patrick Wilson's horror film fails to deliver genuine scares

The Insidious film franchise has been a case of diminishing returns. Like so many other cinematic successes, the initial film's triumph prompted the creation of subsequent sequels solely due to its popularity. The first film was truly a great horror thriller, with a few truly great atmospheres, scares, and a constant, creeping sense of dread that something terrible is about happen. However, as the franchise continued, each new instalment turned out to be worse and worse. Insidious: The Red Door, the fifth entry, sadly continues this trend, though it is probably not the worst. Actor Patrick Wilson, who played the role of Josh Lambert in the first two movies, makes his directorial debut with The Red Door.

He couldn't have chosen a more unfortunate project. The direction is not the problem here. The script, by franchise creator Leigh Whannell (who is surely capable of greater things), does not have enough meat on the bones. The characters and plot are severely underdeveloped. But first, let's explore what the film is all about.

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What is Insidious: The Red Door about?

Taking place a decade after the climactic events of the second film, the story unfolds with Josh Lambert embarking on a journey to accompany his now-grownup son, Dalton (Ty Simpkins), to an idyllic and prestigious university on the East Coast. What should have been a joyous occasion quickly turns into a harrowing nightmare as the suppressed demons from their past resurface with a vengeance, threatening to shatter their newfound sense of normalcy.

As the haunting escalates, Josh and Dalton find themselves trapped in a terrifying battle against the forces of darkness that have relentlessly pursued them throughout their lives. In order to finally put an end to the relentless torment and lay the Lambert family's demons to rest, they must once again venture into the perilous realm known as the Further.

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Is Insidious: The Red Door worth watching?

I have a complaint against most horror films being made today. Writers, directors, and studios believe that a handful of well-timed jolts are sufficient to make a compelling horror movie for fans of the genre. However, this approach often comes at the expense of a substantive and engaging story and characters, which end up being disappointingly paper-thin, if itexistsat all. The Red Door manages to salvage a little sense of thrill, largely thanks to its talented cast — particularly Wilson who might not have been in many truly great movies but is a phenomenal actor.

There is also a rather worthwhile (at least at the outset) conflict-riven relationship between the father and son duo (Josh and Dalton), but in the second act onwards, it devolves into your usual visions and nightmares. And the eventual reconciliation, when it comes, is due to a sacrifice which is soon undone. Dalton is your usual 20-something angsty young man who has reasons to despise his father, who has been absent from his life for the last few years. The father, on his part, is suffering from a hazy memory and is visited by ghostly apparitions that may or may not be products of his imagination.

At his college, where he is an art student, Dalton and his classmates are asked by his instructor (played by Marcia of Succession, Hiam Abbas) to explore their subconscious to create authentic, true-to-yourself art. However, long-suppressed memories of Dalton tumble out, leaving him once again at the mercy of the demons of the underworld... I mean, the lost souls of the Further.

If it seems to you that The Red Door is a vague rehash of the events from the first film, albeit, without the idyllic American family dynamic, your observation is indeed accurate. It treads familiar ground, drawing upon elements and themes reminiscent of its predecessor. But does not have the decency of providing you with enough scares and a semblance of a story. Everything that happens in the movie would fit inside a one-hour TV episode. It probably would be more entertaining without all the fillers (there is a frat party scene that leads to absolutely nowhere)

As it stands, The Red Door fails to deliver on its promise of genuine scares, leaving viewers more startled than genuinely frightened. It is a complete letdown.

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