# 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 $731 million worldwide on a combined budget of $42.5 million.
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.
Lin Shaye, Leigh Whannell and Angus Sampson are the only actors to have appeared in all five films.

## Films

Overview of Insidious films :
| Film | U.S. release date | Directed by | Screenplay by | Story by | Produced by | Status |
| Insidious | April 1, 2011 (2011-04-1) | James Wan | Leigh Whannell | Leigh Whannell | Jason Blum, Steven Schneider and Oren Peli | Released |
| Insidious: Chapter 2 | September 13, 2013 (2013-09-13) | James Wan | Leigh Whannell | James Wan & Leigh Whannell | Jason Blum and Oren Peli | Released |
| Insidious: Chapter 3 | June 5, 2015 (2015-06-05) | Leigh Whannell | Leigh Whannell | Leigh Whannell | Jason Blum, Oren Peli and James Wan | Released |
| Insidious: The Last Key | January 5, 2018 (2018-01-05) | Adam Robitel | Leigh Whannell | Leigh Whannell | Jason Blum, Oren Peli, James Wan and Leigh Whannell | Released |
| Insidious: The Red Door | July 7, 2023 (2023-07-07) | Patrick Wilson | Scott Teems | Leigh Whannell & Scott Teems | Jason Blum, Oren Peli, James Wan and Leigh Whannell | Released |
| Untitled sixth Insidious film | August 21, 2026 (2026-08-21) | TBA | TBA | TBA | James Wan, Leigh Whannell, Oren Peli, Michael Clear and Jason Blum | Pre-production |
Insidious story chronology :
* Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015)Insidious: The Last Key (2018)Insidious (2010)Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)Insidious: The Red Door (2023) ||||

### 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 $161 million 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.

## Insidious: The Further You Fear

Insidious: The Further You Fear was a 2025 canceled live-show which was set to tour in 80 cities based on the franchise.

## Future
### 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

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, it was announced that the film would be a spin-off from the mainline series and 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 originally scheduled to be released on August 29, 2025, but was removed from the release schedule in December 2024. In January 2025, it received the new release date of August 21, 2026.

## Recurring cast and characters

This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in more than two films in the series.
* An empty grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
* $^A$ indicates an appearance through archival footage or audio.
* $^C$ indicates a cameo role.
* $^P$ indicates an appearance in onscreen photographs.
* $^V$ indicates a voice-only role.
* $^Y$ indicates a younger version of the character.
| Character | Films | Films | Films | Films | Films |
| Character | Insidious | Insidious: Chapter 2 | Insidious: Chapter 3 | Insidious: The Last Key | Insidious: The Red Door |
| Character | 2010 | 2013 | 2015 | 2018 | 2023 |
| Humans ||||||
| Elise Rainier | Lin Shaye | Lin Shaye Lindsay Seim | Lin Shaye | Lin ShayeHana HayesAva Kolker | Lin Shaye |
| Steven "Specs" | Leigh Whannell | Leigh Whannell | Leigh Whannell | Leigh Whannell | Leigh Whannell |
| Tucker | Angus Sampson | Angus Sampson | Angus Sampson | Angus Sampson | Angus Sampson |
| Josh Lambert | Patrick Wilson Josh Feldman | Patrick Wilson Garrett Ryan | Garrett Ryan | Patrick Wilson | Patrick Wilson Kasjan Wilson |
| Renai Lambert | Rose Byrne | Rose Byrne | | Rose Byrne | Rose Byrne |
| Dalton Lambert | Ty Simpkins | Ty Simpkins | | Ty Simpkins | Ty SimpkinsKasjan Wilson |
| Lorraine Lambert | Barbara Hershey | Barbara HersheyJocelin Donahue | | Barbara Hershey | Barbara Hershey |
| Foster Lambert | Andrew Astor | Andrew Astor | | | Andrew Astor |
| Kali Lambert | Brynn & Madison Bowie | Brynn & Madison Bowie | | | Juliana Davies |
| Carl | | Steve CoulterHank Harris | Steve Coulter | | Steve Coulter |
| Quinn Brenner | | | Stefanie Scott | Stefanie Scott | |
| Sean Brenner | | | Dermot Mulroney | | |
| Alex Brenner | | | Tate Berney | | |
| Maggie | | | Hayley Kiyoko | | |
| Melissa Rainier | | | | Spencer Locke | |
| Imogen Rainier | | | | Caitlin Gerard | |
| Christian Rainier | | | | Bruce DavisonThomas RobiePierce Pope | |
| Gerald Rainier | | | | Josh Stewart | |
| Audrey Rainier | | | | Tessa Ferrer | |
| Ted Garza | | | | Kirk Acevedo | |
| Chris Winslow | | | | | Sinclair Daniel |
| Nick the Dick | | | | | Peter Dager |
| Professor Armagan | | | | | Hiam Abbass |
| Entities ||||||
| Parker "Marilyn" Crane The Bride in Black | Philip Friedman | Tom FitzpatrickTyler Griffin | Tom Fitzpatrick | | Tom Fitzpatrick |
| Lipstick-Face Demon | Joseph Bishara | | Joseph Bishara | Joseph Bishara | Joseph Bishara |
| Long Haired Fiend | J. LaRose | J. LaRose | | | |
| Michelle Crane The Woman in White | | Danielle Bisutti | | | |
| The Man Who Can't Breathe | | | Michael Reid MacKay | | |
| KeyFace | | | | Javier Botet | |
| Benjamin "Ben" Burton Smash Face | | | | | David Call |

## Additional crew and production details

| Film | Crew/Detail | Crew/Detail | Crew/Detail | Crew/Detail | Crew/Detail | Crew/Detail |
| Film | Composer | Cinematographer(s) | Editor(s) | Production companies | Distributing company | Running time |
| Insidious | Joseph Bishara | John R. Leonetti David M. Brewer | James Wan Kirk Morri | Stage 6 Films Alliance Films IM Global Haunted Movies | FilmDistrict | 102 min |
| Insidious: Chapter 2 | Joseph Bishara | John R. Leonetti | Kirk Morri | Stage 6 Films Entertainment One Blumhouse Productions | FilmDistrict | 106 min |
| Insidious: Chapter 3 | Joseph Bishara | Brian Pearson | Tim Alverson | Stage 6 Films Entertainment One Blumhouse Productions | Focus Features | 97 min |
| Insidious: The Last Key | Joseph Bishara | Toby Oliver | Tim Alverson | Stage 6 Films Blumhouse Productions | Universal Pictures | 103 min |
| Insidious: The Red Door | Joseph Bishara | Autumn Eakin | Derek Ambrosi Michel Aller | Screen Gems Stage 6 Films Blumhouse Productions | Sony Pictures Releasing | 107 min |
| Thread: An Insidious Tale | TBA | TBA | TBA | Screen Gems Stage 6 Films Atomic Monster Blumhouse Productions | Sony Pictures Releasing | TBA |

## Reception
### Box office performance

| Film | Release date | Box office revenue | Box office revenue | Box office revenue | Budget | Ref. |
| Film | Release date | North America | Other territories | Worldwide | Budget | Ref. |
| Insidious | April 1, 2011 | $54,009,150 | $46,097,304 | $100,106,454 | $1.5 million | |
| Insidious: Chapter 2 | September 13, 2013 | $83,586,447 | $78,332,871 | $161,919,318 | $5 million | |
| Insidious: Chapter 3 | June 5, 2015 | $52,218,558 | $60,765,331 | $112,983,889 | $10 million | |
| Insidious: The Last Key | January 5, 2018 | $67,745,330 | $100,140,258 | $167,885,588 | $10 million | |
| Insidious: The Red Door | July 7, 2023 | $82,156,962 | $106,929,915 | $189,086,877 | $16 million | |
| Total | Total | $339,716,447 | $392,265,679 | $731,982,126 | $42.5 million | |

### Critical and public response

| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore |
| Insidious | 66% (177 reviews) | 52 (30 reviews) | B |
| Insidious: Chapter 2 | 39% (132 reviews) | 40 (30 reviews) | B+ |
| Insidious: Chapter 3 | 56% (128 reviews) | 52 (26 reviews) | B+ |
| Insidious: The Last Key | 33% (112 reviews) | 49 (23 reviews) | B- |
| Insidious: The Red Door | 38% (116 reviews) | 45 (23 reviews) | C+ |