‘Insidious: Out of the Further’ Review: A Familiar Haunt with Diminished Returns

The ‘Insidious‘ franchise has steadily established itself as a reliable source of horror entertainment, and its sixth installment introduces a new family, a fresh director, and a premise that allows the demons to invade our living spaces more than ever.

Gemma, a young mother raising her daughter in the same house where her mother’s mental decline unfolded, discovers she can not only enter the terrifying dimension known as The Further but also bring its inhabitants back with her. This twist on the established mythology adds an intriguing layer to a narrative that has spent five films setting the rules, and for a time, the film appears genuinely interested in exploring the consequences of this change for a family already on the brink.

Director Jacob Chase, who co-wrote the script, demonstrates a solid understanding of effective scares, with several sequences delivering genuine tension, particularly a home invasion scene centered around a seemingly innocent blanket fort. The film cleverly taps into primal fears, focusing on themes of mouths, teeth, and bodily violation that provoke a visceral reaction.

However, where ‘Out of the Further’ falters is in the surrounding elements that should connect these moments of dread. The plot, intended to clarify the events unfolding, becomes convoluted, with lengthy explanations that seem designed to fill a two-hour runtime. Lin Shaye continues to be the heart of the franchise as Elise Rainier, bringing warmth and depth that the film struggles to maintain otherwise.

The new characters, however, do not fare as well. Gemma and her allies are portrayed in broad strokes, primarily reacting to the horrors from The Further rather than being developed as individuals worth investing in. There’s a lingering feeling that the filmmakers crafted a narrative primarily to justify the reuse of the franchise’s most recognizable imagery, including its iconic red door and ghostly figures, rather than creating a story that genuinely builds on its predecessors. The visual representation of The Further, once unsettling in its emptiness, now feels like a familiar set dressed with fog, resembling a haunted attraction that has lost its novelty.

Despite these shortcomings, the film remains watchable. It maintains a brisk pace, consistently remembers its horror roots, and embraces a straightforward approach to jump scares that many modern horror franchises have moved away from. However, relying on technical skill and a beloved supporting character can only carry a film so far when the narrative feels so thin and hesitant to take real risks with characters we should care about.

I entered hoping for a glimpse of the eerie melancholy that characterized the earlier entries in this saga, but instead, I experienced a well-crafted haunted house ride that rarely pauses long enough to resonate. It delivers scares in the moment but dissipates quickly, which seems to encapsulate the current state of this franchise after six films. My score for ‘Insidious: Out of the Further’ is 6 out of 10, a film tailored for a Friday night audience seeking cheap thrills rather than for those hoping the series has something new to offer.

Did ‘Insidious: Out of the Further’ provide the frights you were looking for, or is it time to close this door for good? Share your thoughts in the comments below.