The Insidious franchise will release its fifth and seemingly final entry soon. Insidious: The Red Door will take the series back to its beginnings as it follows the Lambert family once again. The previous four entries are filled will terrifying moments and heavy lore that some fans may have forgotten about. In preparation for the latest entry, we will take a look at the previous four films. We will be highlighting the major events in each movie to refresh the minds of fans before they see The Red Door.
Insidious (2010)
As mentioned, Insidious: The Red Door will follow the Lambert family, and their story started here. Josh Lambert moves his wife, Renai, and three children to a new house. While exploring the attic, the oldest son, Dalton, suffers a head injury. Dalton falls into a coma that doctors say shouldn’t have happened. While Dalton remains comatose, strange things begin to take place in the Lamberts’ new home. A distraught Renai convinces Josh to move the family away from their seemingly haunted new home.
Whatever is plaguing the family follows them, and it soon becomes clear that an entity is keeping Dalton’s soul somewhere beyond our world. After hiring a psychic, Elise, Josh learns that he was once able to astral project in his sleep. Dalton has inherited his power, causing Demons from a place called The Further to cross over. In order to save his son, Josh must travel into his son’s mind to free him of the demon seeking to cause him harm.
Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)
The second chapter of the Insidious franchise begins by showing Josh as a young boy. Like Dalton, Josh was also targeted by demons in The Further. Josh is shown to use his ability of astral projection to inadvertently bring a demon into our world. For his own safety, Elise suppresses Josh’s abilities. In the present day, Renai is speaking with detectives regarding Elise’s death in the prior film. Josh is suspected of her murder, but this is only the tip of the Lamberts’ issues.
It is clear that the demons are still latched onto Dalton, and now Josh is acting strange as well. Josh’s physical form has been taken over, and his astral form is desperate for help. In The Further, Josh is accompanied by the spirit of Elise, who helped him realize they are dealing with the vengeful spirit of a serial killer. After an intense battle that spans our world and The Further, Josh and Dalton have their abilities suppressed once more to prevent any more demons from crossing over. This was the last time the Lamberts were the focus before Insidious: The Red Door.
Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015)
Three years before the events of the first film, Elise is shown to have retired from her abilities. She reluctantly agrees to once more use her powers when a teenage girl becomes possessed. The teenager, Quinn, had recently lost her mother. Quinn believes her mother, Lillith, has been attempting to reach her from beyond the grave. Quinn goes to Elise hoping to find a way to talk to her mother. Elise warns her that if she calls out to the dead, she will attract something evil. It appears to be too late, as something has targeted Quinn and is looking to exploit her grief. The demon eventually causes Quinn to be hit by a car, making her break her legs.
The now incapacitated Quinn is helpless to defend herself from the demon. Quinn’s father Sean convinced Elise to help his daughter. A more confident and powerful Elise is able to get rid of the demon rather easily, but Quinn must fight the battle for her soul alone. She is successful and finally comes to terms with her mother’s death. Elise then joins her two partners to combat evil once more, leading to her helping the Lamberts in the original film.
Insidious: The Last Key (2018)
Set just before the first movie in the Insidious franchise, The Last Key is the most personal case for Elise yet. The film shows audiences Elise’s traumatic childhood. Her father worked as an executioner at a prison. Elise’s first encounter with the paranormal comes when she begins seeing the spirit of a man executed by her father. Elise’s abusive father locks her in a basement when she begins to claim she sees ghosts. While there, she encounters a being known as Key Face that kills Elise’s mother.
As a teenager, Elise escapes her abusive father to use her powers to help others. In the year 2010, Elise receives a call from a potential client. She soon realizes the house the client lives in is her childhood home. Key Face has returned. While back home, Elise reconnects with her estranged brother. She also realizes her client is actually a serial killer. After investigating him more, she comes to believe he is possessed by Key Face. When her own niece becomes possessed, she travels into The Further to face her personal demon. She is successful but manages to open a red door. This door creates a rift that causes Dalton Lambert to become possessed, leading directly into the original film.
Insidious: The Red Door will finally focus on the Lamberts again, bringing the entire franchise full circle.
