Film Review: INSIDIOUS: THE RED DOOR (2023): Patrick Wilson’s Film Has Plenty of Ghoulish Images but is Light on Plot

Insidious: The Red Door Review

Insidious: The Red Door (2023) Film Review, a movie directed by Patrick Wilson, written by Leigh Whannell and Scott Teems and starring Ty Simpkins, Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Sinclair Daniel, Hiam Abbass, Andrew Astor, Juliana Davies, Steve Coulter, Peter Dager, Justin Sturgis, Joseph Bishara, David Call, Stephen Gray, Robin S. Walker, Leigh Whannell, Angus Sampson, Lin Shaye and Bridget Kim.

Insidious: the Red Door is directed by its central star, Patrick Wilson, and although there are plenty of potential jump scenes in the new picture that will make audiences jump out of their seats, the movie is strictly for fans of the Insidious franchise. That’s because there isn’t much of a plot and a lot of what happens here depends on having at least some knowledge of the previous pictures in the series. That being said, Wilson’s new entry has some truly ghoulish images and freaky red lighting that could make fans appreciative of the movie’s spooky style.

This film begins with the story of how Wilson’s character, Josh Lambert, tries to bond with his college-bound son, Dalton (Ty Simpkins), after a family tragedy ensues that involves the loss of a loved one. Josh and his significant other, Renai (Rose Byrne), are on shaky ground, unfortunately, but Josh texts Dalton asking him if he can take him to his new school. Dalton reluctantly agrees. When they get to Dalton’s college dorm, there is a girl roommate named Chris Winslow (Sinclair Daniel) who comes into the movie. Obviously, a male and a female roommate are going to be a problem so Chris tries to get a new room immediately but there’s no luck doing so right away and Dalton and Chris are forced to spend some time together.

A well-cast Hiam Abbass serves as Dalton’s teacher, Professor Armagan, who tells a fellow classmate to rip up his artwork. When the student doesn’t consent to do so, he ends up leaving the class in a disgruntled state. Dalton bravely rips his artwork up suggesting he may have what it takes to get through the difficult course and differentiate himself from everyone else in the class.

A lot of this movie focuses on the interaction between Chris and Dalton who seem to have a connection. Chris likes to play her own musical instrument and the movie has fun with this fact. The “Red Door” of the film’s title leads to tortured souls and is the connection to many frightening scenes that occur which could please fans of this franchise. Renai ends up coming back into the action later on and a lot of what happens has hidden meaning behind it that isn’t always easy to decipher on the surface. There’s an unspeakable bond between Josh and Dalton that the movie centers on and does so in an interesting and compelling fashion.

One particularly spooky scene comes when Dalton starts transforming into something really ghoulish while in the company of the charismatic Chris. This is one of the more suspenseful parts of the movie. A lot of the gruesome scenes are symbolic of things that true Insidious fans may want to explore under a microscope. However, the movie doesn’t work as well as a standalone picture. You’d have to like (or at least have seen) some of the previous pictures to really understand some of the new film, especially when a series favorite, Elise (Lin Shaye) pops up out of thin air. The latest movie will work best for people who are familiar with the material.

Wilson is an interesting choice to direct the movie and he does a decent job here. The exploration of art versus the idea of tortured souls is a timeless theme that is done well to at least some extent. It’s a shame the movie doesn’t have some more major plot developments to keep the action moving along. It relies a lot on jump scares and will probably play better with an audience in a theater than it would at home streaming it.

Simpkins is good in what is truly a major part for the actor. Simpkins’s Dalton explores the idea known to audiences as “The Further” through his character here and Simpkins manages to add more depth and complexity to Dalton than what was probably on the page. Patrick Wilson is also successful at portraying the father who yearns to connect with Dalton under less difficult circumstances than the ones that occur in the movie. Rose Byrne tries to make the most of her brief screen time although the actress clearly seems to be under contract to be reprising this role again and is a bit stiff here.

Be warned that there are scenes of freaky looking people, excessive vomiting and other images that could make the movie a bit uncomfortable to watch for people who are unfamiliar with the material the movie presents. All others who know what they’re getting into by seeing this movie may enjoy it a lot more because of their familiarity with the previous films. Insidious: The Red Door has a built-in audience and although the script could have used more work, the premise could be enough to satisfy the film’s target audience.

Rating: 6/10

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