Insidious: Out of the Further introduces a new family and a different kind of traveler while delivering the jump scares and creepiness fans have come to expect.
Over a quarter of a century ago, two students met at film school and began a writing collaboration that sparked a number of films, including two very successful horror franchises. The students' names were James Wan (Aquaman) and Leigh Whannell (The Invisible Man), and the franchises are Saw and Insidious. The latter franchise, which began 16 years ago, in 2010, has five films to date, which collectively cost less than $100 million to make and have earned a combined $750 million. While not critical successes, the movies have tended to resonate with fans, prompting the making of a sixth installment, Insidious: Out of the Further, which hits theaters this Friday, August 21, 2026.
At the beginning of Insidious: Out of the Further, we meet 9-year-old Gemma (Charli Penton; Wolf Creek: Legacy), who walks herself home from school, makes her own dinner, and does her homework while her mom is passed out. Hours later, when Mom wakes up, she seems disheveled and mentally ill. Then one day, as Gemma watches, her mom kills herself. Twenty years later, an adult Gemma (Amelia Eve; The Haunting of Bly Manor) lives in the same house, raising her daughter, Maya (Island Austin; God of War), when the same mental illness seems to take control of her. What Gemma originally believes are nightmares are really trips into The Further, the realm beyond the living. However, unlike other travelers, Elise (Lin Shaye; Dead End) explains that Gemma is someone who can move objects through the astral plane, and she is being sought out by the dead to do just that.
While Insidious: Out of the Further has a similar concept and feel as the previous installments, in some ways it is somewhat of a reboot. It has no connection to the original Lambert family, so it introduces new characters, and it adds a new element to the traveler story that was never a factor before. However, Elise is still a prominent figure even though fans are well aware she has passed on to The Further.
Writer/director Jacob Chase (Come Play) is new to the Insidious world, but he no doubt has captured the essence of the story the franchise is telling. He does a great job building suspense but steers away from the gorier aspects of slasher-type horror films. His creepiness "drug of choice" deals with ghoulish-looking, decrepit, or dead people with awful dental hygiene. Since Gemma is a dental assistant, it works nicely into the story, but it is definitely more disgusting than some of the blood and gore I have seen in other horror films. Some audience members at my showing even let out an audible groan as Gemma is cleaning some of the grossest mouths in the film.
The cast is decent, with Eve and Austin being rather strong throughout the hour-and-40-minute runtime and Maisie Richardson-Sellers (Legends of Tomorrow) stealing scenes she is a part of. Lin Shaye was born to play Elise, and I'm glad to see she is still in the franchise, while Brandon Perea (Twisters) is merely okay as Gemma's police officer boyfriend. Sam Spruell (Legend) is creepy as hell as the cult leader who is trying to use Gemma's powers for his own gain.
Insidious: Out of the Further continues the franchise while moving it in a slightly new direction, and most fans will probably enjoy this entry as much as the previous movies. Is it the best of the films? No, but it also isn't the worst. I will say the ending leaves a little bit to be desired, but the plot has enough meat to it, and the movie has enough jump scares and creepiness to appease the majority of Insidious enthusiasts.
Grade: C+
