Review: INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER Sustains The Franchise’s Growing Legacy

The dependability of Blumhouse’s Insidious franchise is underappreciated. Nothing’s touched James Wan and Leigh Whannell’s first two entries, but there’s a nerve-pricking steadiness to the haunts Insidious directors summon. Come Play’s Jacob Chase carries the baton with Insidious: Out of the Further, another family-oriented supernatural thrillride that feasts on the series’ bread and butter. Perhaps the dish is a bit stale this time—Chase’s cloyingly sentimental screenplay lays a generic foundation—but you’ll still squirm, yelp, and sense an elevated heart rate like in every Insidious prior.

For this sixth installment, we bid farewell to the Lamberts and say hello to Gemma (Amelia Eve), a young mother who inherits an incredible gift (or curse). Gemma is a “Courier” who can transport objects between The Further. Unfortunately, this has made her the target of a cult-leader demon known as Cyrus (Sam Spruell), who wants to escape his astral Further imprisonment. It’s Gemma’s duty to not only protect her daughter, Maya (Island Austin), but also ensure Cyrus cannot bring himself or his followers back to reality. Luckily, Gemma’s not alone; Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) pledges her aid, along with medium slash tattoo artist Clare (Maisie Richardson-Sellers) and Gemma’s cop boyfriend, Nick (Brandon Perea).

The stakes are hefty in Insidious: Out of the Further, which exploits a “broken containment” threat that could ignite an undead apocalypse. There’s always been a looming threat of The Further’s denizens trying to break free, but Chase views the dangers of Insidious on the largest scale. Gemma and Maya are still terrorized on an intimate level, since Gemma refuses to leave the house where her own mother killed herself—a tragedy spurred by eerie similarities to Gemma’s haunting—but The Further’s army assembles. Chase co-writes with frequent Wan collaborator David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick to explore The Further’s hells on Earth in a unique, universe-expanding way, which is an exciting angle.

That said, Insidious: Out of the Further doesn’t hit as hard in The Further. Wan and Whannell were merciless as the Lamberts scampered through The Further’s foggy nothingness; Chase doesn’t achieve equal nightmarish Furthering. There’s also a softening of demon appearances, whether recurring bastards like The Lipstick-Face Demon or Parker Crane, or blindfolded Cyrus, leading his senior citizen acolytes. The Further doesn’t hit as hard, flipping on the dim-and-frigid colorization but missing that up-close, deranged sense of panic that Patrick Wilson felt as he dashed to his vacated body. There’s something more human about the nasties in Chase’s entry that diminishes ghoulish appeal, especially Cyrus, this babbling baddie pulled from the Jim Jones playbook.

While the performances are solid, the storytelling of Gemma’s hereditary horror plot is weaker. As is common for Insidious, struggles between the dead and living hinge on grief, trauma, and devotion to loved ones—but the hokey predictability of Insidious: Out of the Further lacks the raw emotion of Wilson and Rose Byrne’s performances. Amelia Eve anchors everything as a mother trying not to repeat her mother’s “mistakes,” but also as a damaged daughter, which comes out in a relatable messiness. And yet, Gemma’s ghost story for the soul unfolds like the most linear, paint-by-numbers adaptation of such a motherhood tale we’ve seen in the genre.

However, Insidious: Out of the Further retains enough of the franchise’s signature chills to fulfill expectations. Whether it’s another gnarly cut-to-jump-scare, a children’s pillow fort turned into a Backrooms anomaly, or Cyrus’ insta-kill flick of his pointy metal finger blade. There’s ferocity to Chase’s frights when he lands a loaded punch, and an overall ick factor well within PG-13 guidelines. Dentistry scenes made me stop munching on popcorn, as Gemma picks at chunky tartar or gunky buildup. It might not be the most terrifying Insidious, but it’s no slouch, either. Chase never feels like an imposter by franchise standards, introducing another entity to fear within The Further.

There’s also a goofiness to Insidious: Out of the Further that I wasn’t expecting. Bless Lin Shaye’s return, in which she gets to spit dialogue typically reserved for burly action heroes (“It’s what I do,” yes, queen). Or Clare’s gimmick of tattooing images conveyed by Elise from The Further onto grapefruits because why not? Chase has his fun, including the cutest and funniest bit of an elderly woman and her unaware husband in The Further. Like, don’t expect a horror-comedy? But don’t be surprised if you chuckle more than you predicted, either. Stay for the post-credits sting!

Insidious: Out of The Further isn’t the franchise’s best or brightest entry, but it sustains a growing legacy that’s rarely dipped below acceptable quality thresholds. Chase takes to The Further by respecting the realm’s bones while putting his own stamp on a fresh addition—like a contractor you’d hire again. In6dious never outshines Wan or Whannell, but has a few bits that’ll be seared into your brains. Not every risk Chase takes pays off—that third act gets murky—but what we get is a delightfully eerie Insidious flick that goes down like comfort food for horror fans.

Movie Score: 3/5