Definitive Ranking Of The ‘Insidious’ Franchise

TV & Film

Oct 26

Insidious promo image — Image Source: IMDb

The Insidious franchise is arguably the best collection of demon-possession horror films ever. Yes, I am including The Exorcist in this statement. The films not only turned the paranormal horror genre on its head, but it is also where many fans first met iconic director James Wan. While Wan had previously worked on films such as Saw and Dead Silence these are the films that brought him to the attention of many horror fans. The five-film franchise honestly has no real weak points, but I am going to give you a definitive ranking so you know which of the films you must see this spooky season if you don’t have time to watch them all. WARNING: Contains spoilers for the Insidious film franchise!!

5. ‘Insidious: The Red Door’ (2023)

This is the newest installment in the franchise and was Patrick Wilson’s directorial debut. The film is good, but it unfortunately falls short of the rest of the franchise. This film is set nine years after the events of Insidious: Chapter 2 and saw the original cast return as the Lambert family. There are plenty of scares in this film, but most of it feels more like a family drama than a horror film. There are also a few plot points that don’t seem to go anywhere or add anything to the plot.

Insidious: The Red Door is available to rent on Prime Video or Apple TV.

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4. ‘Insidious: Chapter 3’ (2015)

This film took the prequel route and it worked out well! If you have seen the first Insidious film then you know that the character of Elise steals the show a lot of the time, but we don’t learn too much about her character. This film gave us more time with her character and made her the star of the show. I love a good prequel and this film was really smart because it chose to focus on a smaller character from the first film rather than trying to give more exposition for one of the main characters.

Insidious: Chapter 3 is available to rent on Prime Video or Apple TV.

3. ‘Insidious: The Last Key' (2018)

This is another prequel film and part of it chronologically comes before Insidious: Chapter 3. The film is told in a combination of flashbacks and present-day happenings and it once again focuses on Elise. The flashbacks show us her troubled childhood and why she has a connection to The Further and the present-day happenings revolve around her two nieces. This film isn’t as scary as some of the others but it adds amazing depth to Elise’s character and we are introduced to a new demon.

Insidious: The Last Key is available to stream on AMC+ or rent on Prime Video.

2. ‘Insidious: Chapter 2’ (2013)

This is one of the few examples of a horror sequel that lives up to the original. After the massive success and impact of the first film, it seemed impossible to create a film that could follow it up, but here we are! This film had more effective jump scares than the first and the storytelling was top-tier. It picks up right after the twist ending of the first film where it is revealed that Josh has been possessed. The film uses flashbacks, videotapes, and present-day happenings to show the implications of his possession, and why he has a connection to The Further. Overall, this is a great movie!

Insidious: Chapter 2 is available to stream on Max or rent on Prime Video.

1. ‘Insidious’ (2011)

Like with most horror franchises the first film is easily the best of the bunch. This film did for paranormal horror what Scream did for the slasher genre. It brought a fresh perspective and new ideas to a subgenre of horror that felt overdone and watered down. The film got rid of the idea that hauntings are attached to objects or homes and instead gave us a story about a haunting that was completely centered around a single person.

Insidious is available to stream on Max or Prime Video.

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