Patrick Wilson makes his directorial debut with the 2013 release of Insidious: Chapter 2’s direct sequel. Between these, fans of the franchise received two prequels: Insidious: Chapter 3 and Insidious: The Last Key. A phantom hauntingly lingers in the backdrop of Josh Lambert’s (Patrick Wilson) mother’s burial in the fifth installment of the horror series, setting the mood for a gloomy and unsettling trip. Another close-up scene of Josh’s little kid Dalton’s (Ty Simpkins) sketches and drawings with dark outlines heightens the stress. However, it quickly fades away, and the scare lasts only until the very conclusion.
The connection between Josh and Dalton is strained at the start of the movie when the latter enrolls in an art college where Professor Armagan (Hiam Abbas) requires her students to explore their deepest feelings in order to produce their best work. Drawing a red door causes Dalton to start experiencing horrific visions and memories of a terrifying event that left him unconscious for a year when he was 10 years old. A demon (Joseph Bishara) rules over the Further, a dark astral region filled with tortured souls, through the red door in question. The rest of the story concerns the father-and-son team’s return to this realm to put an end to their horror.
In the film’s many spine-tingling scenes, which include Josh getting trapped inside the MRI scanner when he wants to learn more about the causes of his brain fog, Dalton having astral projection episodes, and an encounter with a ghost of a deceased student at a frat party that he attends with Chris Wilslow (Sinclair Daniel) and friend Dalton, Patrick Wilson’s prowess as an actor and director is clear. The screenplay by Scott Teem, however, falls short since it doesn’t conclusively tie up the loose ends. The plot had a lot of potential—Josh finally learned why his father left the family, his mother and ex-wife Renai (Rose Byrne) kept secrets from him, Dalton used his art to delve deeply into his subconscious, etc.—but it did not translate well. Dalton and Chris’s relationship is only transitory, and the red monster is not depicted nearly enough.
Ty Simpkins does a good job portraying the moody and focused young art student, but after a while, his Dalton starts to feel a little one-dimensional. Also, it would have been nice to see more of Rose Byrne. As the vivacious flatmate, Sinclair Daniel speaks a little too loudly.
The movie has a strong start. The occasional bursts of brilliance and some terrifying jump scares make it enjoyable. However, as a whole, it is too hurried and lukewarm to put an end to the horror of the Lambert family.
