A new ‘Insidious’ film is out right now. For a while, it was believed that the franchise would remain a trilogy after 2015’s ‘Insidious: Chapter 3”. But nonetheless, ‘Insidious: The Last Key’ is in theatres as we speak. The first film had a simple plot, centered around a young boy who becomes haunted after his soul briefly ascends to a demonic realm known as The Further during his sleep. In a scene very reminiscent of the horror classic ‘Poltergeist’, the parents call in a woman who can supposedly heal the boy and get rid of the demon inside him. The name of this psychic woman is Elise, and she is accompanied by two somewhat goofy men who assist her in various tasks. She was just a side character in the first movie.
In the sequel, when the father of the boy becomes possessed by the demon, she has a slightly greater involvement in the story. And by the third film, which chronologically takes place before the first two, she is actually one of the main characters. It dives deeper into her backstory and mysterious abilities.
‘Insidious: The Last Key’ is essentially all about Elise. The film hops between being a sequel to ‘Insidious: Chapter Three’ and a prequel to the entire saga. Following the events of the third film, Elise is called to help a man who believes his house is haunted; the house turns out to be the one she was raised in, and this results in many flashbacks to her childhood. After the first switch between time periods, I feared that the movie would feel choppy. I was delightfully proven wrong after seeing the smooth transitions.
The character of Elise is handled well as always. Seeing her take center stage was enjoyable. She delivers a great balance of light humor, raw emotion, and boss moments. Since this movie involves interactions with her funny sidekicks, flashbacks to her awful childhood, and fights with demons, all of those elements are definitely needed in her character. The sidekicks are funny as well. One of them is your typical awkward geeky guy with glasses, and the other has crazy hair and is always eating some random junk food. Funny duos like them have been in many movies and shows, but I find their dynamic to be rather iconic after watching the entire ‘Insidious’ saga.
The last movie in the series lacked the trippy and mind-blowing factor of the first two films. But this movie brought it back by making the audience connect some dots and have some unexpected realizations. One aspect that this movie did not have as much of was jump scares. Having watched the whole series, it seems to me that the story becomes more and more prevalent with each ‘Insidious’ film, and the jump scare count lessens. This is not a downside for me, but some horror fans may be disappointed when their hearts do not jump as much as they desire throughout the movie.
I suggest seeing this movie if you are familiar with the previous movies, and a fan of the character Elise. If you have not seen any of the other movies, there may be some “Huh?” moments, but the movie does a good job of simplifying the story for new viewers for the most part. ‘Insidious: The Last Key’ is a necessary addition to the franchise, and an enjoyable watch.