Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Insidious: The Red Door Blu-ray Movie Review

A middling sequel that fails to push The Further... well, further...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown October 11, 2023

Horror doesn't follow typical movie genre rules. The number of mainstream franchises that have made it to a fifth entry in the series? Very small. The number of horror franchises that have made it to a fifth film? Ooph. Friday the 13th, Halloween and A Nightmare on Elm Street leap to mind immediately, but why stop there? Hellraiser, Scream, Child's Play, Alien, Saw, Evil Dead, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Final Destination, The Exorcist, Romero's Living Dead series, Psycho... *inhales deeply*... James Wan's Conjure-verse, Resident Evil, The Omen, Tremors, Wrong Turn, The Purge, Lake Placid (of all things), Critters, Leprechaun, Amityville, V/H/S, Phantasm, Puppet Master, I Spit on Your Grave, Paranormal Activity... huff, huff, huff... and a slew of others. The latest? Insidious: The Red Door, a limp fiver if there ever was one, and there are quite a few. The story drags, the mythos is wearing thin, the scares are hollow, and the drive to set up the next sequel is greater than the drive to create a new franchise show-stopper. It isn't terrible, but then again, it isn't terribly good either.

Set ten years after the ending events of the second film, Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson, who also serves as the film's director) heads east to take his son Dalton (Ty Simpkins) to an idyllic, ivy-league university. Josh's mind has suppressed any memory of his time in The Further (the supernatural realm featured prominently in past entries) and a strain in his marriage has left him divorced and alone. However, when Dalton’s freshman dream becomes a nightmare and the repressed demons of his past suddenly return to haunt him, Josh and his son must face their shared past and come to terms with entities who wish to reclaim them. To end the haunting and to put the demons to rest once and for all, Josh and Dalton must return once again to the Further in order to stop the Lambert family nightmare. 'The Red Door' also stars Rose Byrne as Renai Lambert, Sinclair Daniel as Chris Winslow, Hiam Abbass as Professor Armagan and Joseph Bishara as the Lipsticked Demon.

The most interesting thing about The Red Door is that Insidious mainstay Patrick Wilson wears two hats: leading man and director. But the sequel plays things a bit too safe and feels a tad cut-n-paste to really say much more about his hand at the helm. It's a serviceable picture but there's nothing in the way of notable cinematic flair or unique stylistic flavor to trumpet the first-time filmmaker as anything more than the guy in front of and behind the camera. This is horror for profit's sake, and the idea being pitched by writers Leigh Whannell and Scott Teems is far too generic and sequel-y to make much of an impact. Jump scares are surprisingly scarce (though the movie certainly tries its best) and deep dread and atmospheric terror is nowhere to be found. The Further somehow becomes less and less otherworldly with each visit as well, borrowing one too many elements from better alt-realm creep fests like Stranger Things (which ironically drew some of its inspiration for the Upside Down from the original Insidious films).

The rest is par for the course. Ghosts appear, dreams and nightmares proliferate, astral projection returns en vogue, eerie art holds hidden meanings and... YouTube fills in the blanks for Dalton? Yep, YouTube. Modern horror has a technology problem and has for some time. Cell phones, computers and the internet gum up the works and make it that much harder for scaresome storytellers to work their magic. It doesn't help that the child in jeopardy this time around is a college student, which lacks the unnerving tension of early entries when Josh was fighting to save his then-young family. Byrne is sidelined too, a subplot that doesn't lend itself to much of anything, and family ties (in this case Josh's father, played by David Call) are tacked on and overly convenient. The more I type, actually, the lower the movie score in my head drops. Perhaps I should stop while I'm ahead. The Red Door is, at its center, a trite and ordinary sequel that exists merely to add another chapter in the Lambert saga. There's nothing special (even for franchise fans) and nothing remarkable that might elevate it above other hit-or-miss horror entries. Give it a go if you unapologetically love the Insidious films, but save yourself two hours if you're holding out hope for a series savior.

Insidious: The Red Door Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sony serves up an excellent 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation that stands as the clear highlight of The Red Door's Blu-ray release. Colors alternate between natural, lifelike hues and cold, stylized, otherworldly blues anytime reality gives way to The Further. Primaries remain strong and vivid regardless, black levels are suitably stark, the image's filmic field of grain is consistent but unobtrusive, and contrast is dialed in precisely, staying true to Autumn Eakin's cinematography at every turn. Detail is terrific as well, with refined textures, crisp edge definition and exacting clarity. Shadow delineation doesn't disappoint (other than when its meant to be oppressive and less than revealing) and I didn't detect any significant banding, artifacting or other anomalies. The one way The Red Door could feasibly look any better was if it were available in 4K. Sony has elected to go the 1080p-only route, though, which isn't all that frustrating considering the quality of the sequel's HD presentation.

Insidious: The Red Door Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Blu-ray release of Insidious: The Red Door also features a killer DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. Dialogue is clean, clear and carefully centered (when it isn't being represented throughout the soundfield), spooky Further voices drift in and out of the rear speakers with creepy ease, and the mix does more heavy lifting in terms of atmosphere than the film manages. Dynamics are top notch, as is directionality, a key quality in high quality horror sound design. Low-end power brings plenty of weight and heft to scarier moments as well, and there isn't any prioritization issues to speak of. Nothing overpowers, nothing underwhelms or overwhelms, nothing leaves the listener wanting. Sure, it isn't a Dolby Atmos monster, but as lossless Master Audio tracks go, The Red Door excels.

Insidious: The Red Door Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Family: Past, Present, Further (HD, 4 minutes) - Patrick Wilson, Ty Simpkins and Rose Byrne provide a quick rundown of their characters, previous film escapades, and the series as a whole.

• A Possessed Director (HD, 5 minutes) - Wilson is front and center as he slides behind the camera.

• Sony Trailers (HD)

Insidious: The Red Door Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Insidious: The Red Door is a forgettable franchise sequel that doesn't offer enough chills or scares to justify its existence. It sort of slowly haunts the screen, whispering eerie nothings and occasionally shouting "boo" without ever imbuing its hauntings with any real ferocity. Sony's Blu-ray release at least boasts an impressive AV presentation, although meatier supplemental content might have gone a long way. Why no commentary from Insidious star turned firsttime director Patrick Wilson? Ah well. If you love the series you might, might find something to enjoy in The Red Door. But chances are fans will be even more disappointed than I was.