Insidious (film series)

Insidious is an American horror franchise created by Leigh Whannell and James Wan that has been produced by Blumhouse in association with Sony’s Stage 6 Films since 2010. The films in the franchise include Insidious (2010), Chapter 2 (2013), Chapter 3 (2015), The Last Key (2018), and The Red Door (2023). The films have grossed over $731million worldwide on a combined budget of $42.5million.

The first two films were directed by Wan, the third by Whannell (who also served as the screenwriter for all five films), Adam Robitel directed the fourth installment, and Patrick Wilson directed the fifth installment (the films marked the respective directorial debuts for Whannell and Wilson). Jeremy Slater is set to direct the first spin-off and sixth installment. FilmDistrict released the first and second films, while Focus Features, Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures Releasing handled the third, fourth, and fifth, respectively.

The first two films center on a couple who, after their son mysteriously enters a comatose state and becomes a vessel for ghosts in an astral plane, are continuously haunted by demons from a forbidden realm known as the Further until they take from the family what they want most: life. The couple hire a team of paranormal investigators to help get their son back.

The third film, a prequel, focuses on the same psychic who helped the family; this time she comes to the aid of a young girl who calls out to the dead. The fourth film follows her when her own family becomes haunted. The fifth film follows a grown-up Dalton and his relationship with his father, with the two having to uncover their repressed past. While Josh is haunted by his father's spirit, Dalton gets terrorized by the titular demon of his past.

Insidious (2010)
Insidious was directed by James Wan, written by Leigh Whannell, and starred Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne and Barbara Hershey. The story centers on a couple whose son inexplicably enters a comatose state and becomes a vessel for ghosts in an astral plane. The film had its world premiere on September 14, 2010, at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and was released in theaters on April 1, 2011, and is FilmDistrict's first theatrical release. The film's success led to it being used as inspiration for a maze in Universal's Halloween Horror Nights in 2013, 2015 and 2017.

Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)
Insidious: Chapter 2 was also directed by Wan and written by Whannell. The film stars Wilson and Byrne reprising their roles as Josh and Renai Lambert, a husband and wife who seek to uncover the secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world. The film was released on September 13, 2013. It was a box-office success, grossing over $161million worldwide, but received mixed reviews.

Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015)
Insidious: Chapter 3 is the third film in the series, written and directed by Whannell. The film is a prequel to the haunting of the Lambert family in the first two films, and stars Stefanie Scott, Dermot Mulroney, Lin Shaye, and Whannell. The plot follows a girl—Quinn—who is haunted by a demon after trying to call out to her mother Lillith, who died. It was released on June 5, 2015.

Insidious: The Last Key (2018)
Insidious: The Last Key is the fourth film in the series while chronologically taking place between the third and first installments. Lin Shaye reprises her role as Elise Rainier alongside Spencer Locke, Caitlin Gerard, Bruce Davison. The plot centers on the Rainier haunting, after a young Elise opened a forbidden red door and unwillingly allowed an extremely dangerous spirit known as the Key Demon to enter the human world. Directed by Adam Robitel and written by Whannell, the film was released on January 5, 2018.

Insidious: The Red Door (2023)
Insidious: The Red Door is the fifth film in the series and serves as a direct sequel to Insidious: Chapter 2. The film is Patrick Wilson's directorial debut, while Scott Teems serves as screenwriter, based on an original story by Whannell and Teems. The plot centers around a now-grown Dalton Lambert and his relationship with his father, with the two having to uncover their repressed past. Wilson, Ty Simpkins, Andrew Astor, Rose Byrne, Whannell, Angus Sampson, and Lin Shaye all reprise their roles from the first two films with Sinclair Daniel joining the cast. It was released on July 7, 2023.

Possible crossover
In January 2018, during a press interview for The Last Key, Jason Blum stated that a crossover film between Insidious and Sinister had previously been in development. He also said that he personally believed it had potential for re-entering development in the future, stating that "we're going to cross our worlds at some point... We're going to try".

Spin-off
Thread: An Insidious Tale: In January 2022, a new film in the franchise titled Thread, was revealed to be in development. While the plot was not revealed, Jeremy Slater was hired to serve as writer and director in his directorial debut, with James Wan serving as producer. By May 2023, the film was revealed to be a spin-off of the mainline series and will be titled Thread: An Insidious Tale. Mandy Moore and Kumail Nanjiani will co-star.

Sequel
In May 2024, a sixth untitled Insidious film was announced to be in development, from Sony Pictures. The film was given a scheduled release date of August 29, 2025.