Early Reactions To Insidious: The Red Door Say It All
After five years, one of horror's most enduring modern franchises has returned in the form of "Insidious: The Red Door." Are critics and fans raving about it? Or are they telling everyone to leave the red door unopened?
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00:00 After five years, one of horror's most enduring modern franchises has returned in the form
00:05 of Insidious The Red Door.
00:07 Are critics and fans raving about it?
00:09 Or are they telling everyone to leave The Red Door unopened?
00:11 "There's only one way to find out."
00:14 The Red Door is the fifth film overall in the series, but an especially important one,
00:19 as it brings us back to where it all started.
00:21 The story picks up with the Lambert family, who we followed in both Insidious and Insidious
00:25 Chapter 2.
00:27 Now Josh and a college-aged Dalton are forced to travel deeper into the further than ever
00:31 before, facing their family's dark past and a host of new terrors that lurk behind the
00:35 titular Red Door.
00:37 "Our family has been keeping secrets.
00:41 They suppressed our memories."
00:42 Several members of the slash film crew have seen The Red Door, and had much to say about
00:47 it.
00:48 For instance, Matt Donato was disappointed in Patrick Wilson's directing debut, referring
00:52 to it as a "letdown," before adding, "It's torn between being a Lambert family drama
00:57 and spooky submersion into the further once more, never finding harmony or balance."
01:02 On the flip side, Bill Brea had a good time with the film, writing, "If you're already
01:06 Insidious-pilled, then The Red Door is a great time.
01:10 Best MRI scare scene yet.
01:12 Patrick Wilson does a duet with Ghost for the end credits.
01:14 Come on now."
01:16 In his official review, Chris Evangelista gave the movie a 6 out of 10 rating, calling
01:20 it "mostly successful," and writing, "It closes the book on the Lambert family, and
01:24 delivers more than a few thrills and chills.
01:26 It doesn't reinvent the wheel, and it doesn't really add a whole lot to the series as a
01:29 whole."
01:31 Emphasizing that the film doesn't spend a lot of time explaining itself, or the now-complex
01:35 mythology that the franchise has developed across five entries, he continued, "Some
01:39 viewers might actually be surprised at how little the overall Insidious mythology is
01:43 explored.
01:44 But perhaps Wilson and company figure we already knew everything we needed to know.
01:48 Perhaps they're right.
01:49 It's okay to let some things remain a mystery, especially things in the further."
01:53 "When you awaken the dead, the further you travel, the riskier your journey will become."
02:00 Critics overall are a bit mixed on our reunion with the Lambert family.
02:04 Collider's Perry Nemiroff wrote that it's a solid return to the further, explaining
02:08 that it "blends visuals, set pieces, and character-focused scares well."
02:11 "I feel like I'm getting closer to something.
02:15 Or something's getting closer to me."
02:18 Anthony, of Film Independent, had similarly kind things to say, writing, "Patrick Wilson's
02:24 love for the series allows his directorial debut to be a frightening send-off.
02:29 A surprisingly heartfelt story of fathers and sons."
02:32 He did mention it is "conventional" at times, but "always gripping."
02:36 The Guardian's Charles Bromesco, meanwhile, was pretty harsh in sharing his thoughts on
02:40 the weekend's big new release.
02:42 He wrote, "Sorry to say that Insidious The Red Door is more like Insipid-us, The Red
02:47 Snore.
02:48 I am generally pro-Patrick Wilson and take no pleasure in reporting this.
02:52 But hey, not quite the worst movie I've seen this week."
02:55 Similar to the critics, fans seem to be having varied reactions to the movie in the early
02:59 going.
03:00 One Twitter user had mixed thoughts on the film, writing, "Insidious The Red Door was
03:04 okay.
03:06 Great story for a closure.
03:07 A bit slow at start.
03:09 Overall it's good."
03:11 Another Twitter user had nothing but nice things to say about the latest Insidious entry, writing,
03:15 "As someone who grew up alongside these movies, I'm really satisfied with this final entry.
03:19 Patrick did a phenomenal job with this as his director debut.
03:23 If the franchise is close to your heart, you'll definitely enjoy."
03:25 Meanwhile, another Twitter user didn't mince any words, giving this advice to anyone who
03:30 hasn't seen it yet, "Do what you will this summer, but don't bother opening The Red
03:35 Door until it hits streaming."
03:37 It seems the bottom line we can glean from this collection of reactions is that The Red
03:40 Door may not be worth the time or money required to make a trip to the theater, at least if
03:45 you're not a diehard fan of the franchise.
03:47 [music]
03:49 (engine revving)