My quick rating – 5.6/10. Anticlimactic ending (that was my one comment at the end.) Insidious: The Red Door marks a change for the long-running horror franchise, as Patrick Wilson directs for the first time while series creator James Wan remains involved as a producer. It’s a natural evolution considering Wilson has been the backbone of the series from the beginning, and The Red Door looks to put the lid on the Lambert saga by dragging them, once again, into the dark realm of The Further.

The story picks up years after the previous hauntings. Josh Lambert (Wilson) and his now college-aged son Dalton, played by Ty Simpkins, are still carrying the psychological baggage from their supernatural encounters. Their memories may have been suppressed, but trauma has a funny way of leaking back into your life…especially when it involves astral projection and demons lurking behind mysterious doors. Dalton heads off to college hoping for a fresh start, but it doesn’t take long before strange visions begin creeping back in. At the center of it all is the ominous “Red Door,” which acts as a gateway to long-buried memories and unfinished business inside The Further.

I’ll say this, though – Insidious: The Red Door still knows how to build the tension. The franchise has always been about atmosphere rather than gore, and that remains true here. The filmmakers are relying quite heavily on sound design, shadows, and those jump scares where you throw popcorn in the air in surprise. The concept of the Red Door is nice and adds an extra layer of intrigue with the mystery of the Lambert family.

The monsters that lurk in the realm of The Further are as creepy as ever. There are a number of new creatures in this film that look as though they were ripped from a sleep paralysis dream. Between the creepy visuals and the dream-like quality, this film does a good job of showing us why this series has become such an integral part of contemporary supernatural horror.

The performances also continue to be a staple. Wilson carries the load both in front and behind the camera, while Simpkins does a convincing job as the older Dalton trying to process years of suppressed trauma. I also appreciated the return of Lin Shaye as Elise Rainier, the franchise’s beloved paranormal guide. Her appearance acts as a welcome bridge between the earlier entries and this supposed final chapter.

Visually, the film remains strong. The surreal darkness of The Further continues to be one of the franchise’s most effective elements, with practical effects and CGI blending together to create some genuinely unsettling imagery.

Unfortunately, Insidious: The Red Door stumbles right where it matters most – the ending. After a steady build filled with mystery and creeping dread, the climactic confrontation feels surprisingly rushed. Instead of delivering a powerful payoff, the resolution lands with more of a shrug than a slam. For a movie that positions itself as the conclusion to the Lambert family saga, the finale feels oddly anticlimactic and I was quite pissed.

In the end, The Red Door still delivers a few effective scares and expands the mythology of The Further, but that climax keeps it from reaching the heights of the earlier films. It’s a decent entry in the franchise, just not quite the grand closing chapter I wanted it to be. And when you’re dealing with demons, haunted memories, and doors you definitely shouldn’t open…the last thing you want is the final act feeling like someone quietly closed it instead of slamming that sucker shut with authority.