INSIDIOUS: THE LAST KEY (2018) - Movie Review

Director: Adam Robitel
Starring: Lin Shaye, Leigh Whannell, Angus Sampson, Kirk Acevedo, Caitlin Gerard, Spencer Locke, Josh Stewart, Tessa Ferrer, Bruce Davison, Javier Botet
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Writer: Leigh Whannell
Runtime: 103 min
Rated: PG-13 for disturbing thematic content, violence and terror, and brief strong language
Buy This Movie: Blu-ray (Amazon), DVD (Amazon), Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

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Synopsis:

Brilliant parapsychologist Elise Rainier receives a disturbing phone call from a man who claims that his house is haunted. Even more disturbing is the address -- 413 Apple Tree Lane in Five Keys, N.M. -- the home where Elise grew up as a child. Accompanied by her two investigative partners, Rainier travels to Five Keys to confront and destroy her greatest fear -- the demon that she accidentally set free years earlier.

Review:

"Insidious: The Last Key" is the fourth installment in the long-running horror franchise, and, so far, the weakest entry alongside "Insidious: Chapter 2". Neither James Wan or Leigh Whannell returned to direct, so the director's chair was filled by relative newcomer Adam Robitel ("The Taking of Deborah Logan", "Escape Room").

This one is another prequel to the first two films, and a direct sequel to the third. Set in 2010 at almost the same time as the events of the original film, it follows psychic Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) and my two least favorite ghost hunters, Specs (Whannell) and Tucker (Angus Sampson), as they investigate a new haunting that is also one of Elise's most personal cases. The evil entity in this one is unfortunately not particularly scary. It has that over-designed Hollywood monster look, which serves no purpose except to look cool.

This fourth installment really is the least scary of the "Insidious" movies. It follows the structure and rules of the franchise, and it tells an okay story, but it just never comes together as well as the previous films did. Like I said in the previous review, Elise and Shaye's performance are the series' greatest asset, so it's a good thing that they keep the focus on her, but even that can only get you so far.

However, this fourth time around the "Insidious" formula felt tired and worn out. The trips to The Further fell short of the usual spooky thrills, and even the jump scares felt lackluster. Elise's family drama, cliched as it may be, adds a little more dimension to her character, which is a good thing. On the other hand, Specs and Tucker, who are as humorless as ever, also add "rapey" to their list of personality traits. Definitely not a step in the right direction.

I still enjoyed "Insidious: The Last Key" and had fun with its B-movie tropes, but much of the series' ability to conjure up scares has eroded, and it would take a miracle to get it back on track.

SCORE: 6/10