The Insidious franchise has been widely successful with more movies joining the series since 2011. The franchise has been the brainchild of Australian horror filmmakers James Wan and Leigh Whannell. The duo have worked together on several horror projects, with Whannell as the screenwriter.
So far, the Insidious movies have centered around the Lambert family, Elise Rainier, Specs, and Tucker. Their plot focuses on The Further, a spirit realm filled with ghosts seeking to feed on human souls. With talks of a new movie, crossover film, and spin-off, now is the best time to catch up on all five released Insidious movies. Here’s a list of all the Insidious movies by release order.
Insidious (2011)
The 2011 Insidious was the first movie released in the franchise. The movie had its world premiere at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 14, 2010. It was released theatrically about 7 months later in the United States, on April 1, 2011. The Lambert family is introduced in the 2011 Insidious film. Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne play the Lambert parents. After the family moves into a new house, the oldest child, Dalton Lambert, sneaks into the attic and accidentally falls from an old ladder. After hitting his head from the fall, Dalton slips into a coma for months.
After moving back home, the family begins to experience paranormal events. With non-stop attacks and manifestations, Lorraine Lambert (Barbara Hershey), Josh Lambert’s (Patrick Wilson) mother, invites a demonologist for help. This introduces Elise Rainier and her team of paranormal investigators, Specs and Tucker. The 2011 Insidious movie was an instant Box Office hit. Produced on a $1.5 million budget, Insidious grossed $100.1 million.
Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)
With the first movie’s Box Office success, talks for a sequel followed almost immediately. However, it wasn’t until February 2012 that there was an official confirmation for Insidious: Chapter 2. As a direct sequel, Insidious: Chapter 2 addresses the unanswered questions in its predecessor. James Wan and Leigh Whannell agreed to return as director and screenwriter, respectively.
The movie’s plot also centered around the Lambert family. Insidious: Chapter 2 was released theatrically on September 13, 2013. Despite being made with a higher production budget of $5 million, Insidious: Chapter 2 was another Box Office juggernaut. The movie grossed an impressive $161.9 million at the Box Office.
Watch Insidious: Chapter 2 on Apple TV+
Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015)
After a third installment was announced in September 2013, fans of the franchise, as well as Patrick Wilson, raised concerns about the direction in which it could go. Also, James Wan did not return as director but announced Leigh Whannell would direct Insidious: Chapter 3 as his directorial debut. However, although not attached as the film’s director, Wan stayed on as a producer. By the end of the first quarter of 2014, Screen Rant reported Chapter 3 would focus on a new family.
However, although true, Insidious: Chapter 3 was cleverly created as a sequel to the first two released movies. Its plot focuses on Elise Rainier, Specs, and Tucker’s backstory. Although Insidious: Chapter 3 was produced with 10x the budget of the first movie, it was still widely successful. After its theatrical release on June 5, 2015, Insidious: Chapter 3 grossed $113 million at the Box Office, with an $11 million budget. Although it failed to surpass its predecessor, it was the second highest-grossing movie in the franchise after its theatrical run.
Watch Insidious: Chapter 3 on Apple TV+
Insidious: The Last Key (2018)
Insidious: The Last Key was released on January 5, 2018, as a New Year’s gift to the franchise’s dedicated fandom. Leigh Whannell has no interest in returning as director but chose to focus on developing the story and writing its screenplay. American filmmaker and actor Adam Robitel was hired as The Last Key’s director. Insidious: The Last Key was created as another sequel, set a few months before the events in the first movie.
As such, it is the second film in the franchise where the Lambert family does not appear. Insidious: The Last Key’s budget was slightly reduced to $10 million. Although it was received with generally negative critical reviews, it became the highest-grossing film in the franchise after its theatrical run. Insidious: The Last Key earned $167.9 million at the Box Office.
Watch Insidious: The Last Key on Apple TV+
Insidious: The Red Door (2023)
After a five-year wait for the next project in the Insidious franchise, Insidious: The Red Door was released on July 7, 2023. With a 107-minute runtime, Insidious: The Red Door has the longest runtime in the franchise, exceeding the 2013 Insidious: Chapter 2 by a minute. The Red Door’s storyline returns the franchise to its original timeline with the Lambert family. It is also created as a direct sequel to Insidious: Chapter 2. It is also the first movie in the franchise that Leigh Whannell did not write the screenplay.
However, he helped develop the story with the screenwriter Scott Teems. Also, Patrick Wilson, the actor who plays Josh Lambert in the franchise, directed Insidious: The Red Door as his directorial debut. So far, The Red Door has the highest production budget in the franchise, with $16 million. Also, with Box Office earnings of $189.1 million, the Patrick Wilson-directed Insidious: The Red Door is currently the highest-grossing film in the Insidious film franchise.
Watch Insidious: The Red Door on Apple TV+
Future Projects In The Insidious Franchise
Blumhouse Productions, the company that produced the Insidious franchise, has had plans to make a crossover movie with Sinister. Blumhouse CEO and founder Jason Blum first announced the plans in January 2018. Although he confirmed it had been in development, the untitled crossover movie has been in development hell ever since.
While audiences eagerly awaited the release of the fifth installment in the franchise, a spin-off update was announced in January 2022. At the time, nothing was said about the plot’s direction, but American filmmaker and writer Jeremy Slater was hired as the movie’s director. The spin-off movie will be Slater’s feature directorial debut but will have James Wan as one of its producers. In mid-2023, an update stated Mandy Moore and Kumail Nanjiani will lead the cast, with the spin-off title released as Thread: An Insidious Tale.
However, the Insidious franchise isn’t only looking towards the direction of spin-offs and crossover films. In May 2024, Song Pictures announced a sixth installment in the franchise was in development. The untitled film is scheduled for release on August 29, 2025. Insidious fans can only keep their fingers crossed for what is promised to be a jaw-dropping addition to the film series. If you haven’t watched the Insidious franchise movies, the best way to watch them is chronologically.
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