BY BECCA JOHNSON JULY 6, 2023
There's plenty of reasons why fans are excited about Insidious: The Red Door hitting cinemas this Friday; the first is that we are getting The Lambert's back. First gracing our screens in 2010, the Lambert's are the much-loved family from the franchise's first entry from James Wan. Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne and Ty Simpkins all give great performances, helping to create a family we can root for. Although they appeared in the second instalment in 2013, the last two entries have been without them, and we've missed them!
The second reason is that horror favourite Patrick Wilson is directing 2023's fifth instalment to the franchise. Although we trust him in any given horror movie acting-wise, this will be his directorial debut. We can all admit we're intrigued to see what he'll bring to the table, but who better to direct than someone who not only knows the franchise, but is one of the stars?
The final reason to be excited, perhaps the most important of all, is that we cannot wait to be scared. Insidious may not be fans favourite horror franchise of all time, but one thing is for certain – it has consistently delivered on the scares. Join us as we count down the best scares from the Insidious franchise so far.
SPOILER WARNING: This article reveals spoilers for Insidious franchise
5: The Room of Bodies
It's no secret that Insidious: Chapter 2 is a pretty strong instalment into the franchise, the room of bodies being one of the creepiest moments in both this movie and the franchise as a whole. Whilst our ghost-hunting crew are investigating the story of The Bride in Black in an abandoned house, they move a bookshelf that is blocking the entrance to what appears to be the inside of a church. Sat in it's pews are rows of dead bodies sitting up with rotting sheets over them. What makes this scene so scary is the way it builds tension through it's atmosphere. It's not full of jump-scares, but with it's torch lighting, panning camera and eerie score, it makes it's audience scared to look as we expect The Bride in Black to jump out at us or one of the sheets to start moving. Not to mention our characters heaving at the smell of the bodies...
4: The Woman in White
Another terrifying moment in the second instalment occurs when Rose Byrne's Renai is home alone with Cali, her baby. When Renai walks past the lounge, the audience sees The Woman in White sitting in one of the chairs in the background. Next, Cali's walker starts moving on it's own, from the lounge into the hallway where Renai is sat on the stairs taking a phonecall. Renai enters the lounge that at first appears to be empty, until The Woman appears on the couch. Renai attempts to run away, whilst a terrifying lullaby taunts her from Cali's baby monitor. Renai's motherly instincts kick in, seeing her running up the stairs to reach Cali before the evil does. Of course, Cali's crib is empty, leaving Renai running frantically around the house trying to find her. The franchise is laden with jump-scares, and this scene leads to one of the scariest of all. The Woman in White pops up directly in front of Renai, screaming 'Don't You Dare'. Yikes, this one got all of us.
3: The Reveal of Elise's Fathers Secret
Despite being one of the weakest in the franchise, many enjoy Insidious: The Last Key as it gives us an insight into Elise's backstory, who is played beautifully by Lin Shaye. There are plenty of fear inducing moments throughout this movies run-time, but the most memorable is that of real horror – we find out just how vile Elise's Father was. Many scenes show Gerald beating Elise, as he wanted her to be 'normal' and didn't approve of her gift. As we know, Elise is able to see ghosts, and one scene shows us a young Elise talking to the ghost of a girl in the laundry room in her home. The ghost looks terrifying and like she's endured a horrible death. Later on, we discover that the ghost was not a ghost at all, but a woman called Anna. It is revealed that Gerald kidnapped women and hid them in the basement; the ghost Elise sees is an almost escaped Anna, who nearly made it to safety before Gerald caught up with her. If this true crime-esque sub plot doesn't send a shiver down your spine, I don't know what will.
2: Tiptoe Through the Tulips
Music holds a lot of power in horror movies, and the use of Tiny Tim's 'Tiptoe Through the Tulips' in Insidious (2010) elevates the scare factor like you wouldn't believe. Renai (again - she can never catch a break!) is going about her daily tasks when a record starts scratching, and the spooky track starts playing. Whilst outside and walking past the window, we spot a terrifying ghost boy dancing along in the lounge. As she enters the house in attempt to find him, spotting his shoes behind the curtain like he's playing a game of hide-and-seek, he is not behind the curtain after all but in the cupboard above, jumping out at both Renai and the audience. This is one of the franchise's most iconic scenes, leaving fans terrified of this song for years afterwards. James Wan is a fantastic director in this genre, many would even go as far as calling him their favourite, and this remains to be one of the strongest scenes he's ever created.
1: The Red-Faced Demon
If it wasn't for The Exorcist III, the reveal of the Red-Faced, or Lipstick-Faced Demon would likely be known as the scariest jump-scare of all time – not kidding. Everybody knows this scene, even those who have never even seen the movie. It occurs when the Lambert's are sitting round a table, and Lorraine tells Josh and Renai what she saw in her grandson Dalton's bedroom. During the table scene, we get flashbacks of Lorraine witnessing the demon in the corner of Dalton's room. Viewers relaxed, thinking this was the only scare the scene had in store, but it cuts back to Patrick Wilson's Josh sitting at the table, the Red-Faced Demon appearing behind him with a crescendo of music. It might sound like just your average jump-scare, but it works so well and is truly frightening. The franchise has given many scares, as this ranking suggests, but nothing can ever beat the demon popping up behind Josh in the series' first instalment.