Review – Insidious: Out of the Further

WARNING: Possible Spoilers ahead

If you could leave your physical body and roam around in a ghostly dimension, would you do it? We find ourselves asking this question again and again (six times to be exact). It’s a scary thought, and there are those who claim they have had this experience in the real world. But how many times on film does this story get to be told before we as horror movie lovers say enough? Now, to be fair, the 80’s had its fair share of long-running franchises. Some were good, some were confusing (looking at you, Halloween 3). But we often ask ourselves, “what is a good number to stop on?” Now, for me and this franchise, personally, I can’t get enough… or so I thought.

Gemma is no ordinary traveler. Not only can she travel into the further, but she possesses the ability to bring things back to the prime-material plane. Is this a gift or more of a curse? Knowing she has this ability and trying to raise a young daughter on her own makes Gemma think of her own childhood and what it was like growing up with a mother she never speaks of. Once the dead know she has this gift, they will stop at nothing to hitch a ride back to reality where they can live again. Now this is where things get goofy. The Further used to be a place that would haunt my nightmares and make me afraid that I would get stuck in some ghost dimension the moment I shut my peepers. But where this film starts with the charm the other Insidious movies possess (no pun intended), it falls off quickly. The further isn’t creepy at all. Look, I know in this economy things are rough, but that’s no excuse to fire the fog guy. There is very little on screen to differentiate between our world and the dead. On paper, this film probably sounds like a blast, but the execution, in my opinion, comes up a little short. The three acolytes come off as cartoon characters, and they are just too silly to be scary. By the time I got to the third act, I found myself walking slowly to the bathroom.

New Characters, Who Dis?

For the most part, there are a lot of new faces, but some old favorites from previous movies can be seen here. Gemma has a young daughter named Maya that she is trying to raise as a single mother, but a girl does get lonely. Enter Nick, the police officer she is dating who has yet to meet Maya. I have no issues with Nick; he’s a decent character. The side characters are fine, but again, the addition of the three acolytes is what burns my stew. They are laughable; at no point are they menacing. The scene featured in the trailer that involves Gemma crawling through a pillow fort is absolutely terrifying if you are claustrophobic. Then you add in these goofballs who chase her throughout the tunnels, and in my opinion, it took me out of what should have been one of the most anxiety-inducing scenes.

Final Thoughts

Look, I didn’t think this was a terrible movie. I am okay with changing the formula a little bit. Gemma being able to bring things back and forth through the future was pretty cool. And the finale showed us just how powerful she can be. I can only suspend so much disbelief. I constantly wake up in the morning with the blanket half off the bed from where I alligator death roll throughout the night. But I am supposed to believe these old mutant people nailed themselves into the floor, with no help, and slept like newborn babies? Even if I were a millionaire, I’m still not buying it. The concept on paper probably sounded brilliant. And I didn’t hate the story; it was the execution. I think if the further had felt more like the further and the characters didn’t feel like they were ordered off of Temu, this movie would’ve hit harder. I think it’s worth a one-time watch, but for this guy, I am in no hurry to watch it again. I know what you’re thinking right now. But Ian, you forgot to mention the main villain. That’s because he was forgettable, my friends.

Have you seen this movie? What did you think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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