Patrick Wilson Is Stalked by Evil Threats

Five years after the last film, fans are invited to return to the horrifying world of Insidious with the release of Insidious: The Red Door, the fifth installment into the franchise and the conclusion of a saga which began all the way back in 2010. The film sees the return of Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne as Josh and Renai Lambert, appearing in the franchise for the first time since 2013. This time, however, Wilson will be on double duty, not only starring in front of the camera, but also taking the reins of the film in his directorial debut. Now, as a new image from the film has been released, Wilson promises The Red Door will be the series’ scariest installment to date.

After the conclusion of 2013’s Insidious: Chapter 2, the franchise took a break from the Lamberts’ story, with the next two films acting as prequels focusing on paranormal expert and medium, Elise Rainier (played by Lin Shaye). With The Red Door, the series returns to the present, taking place ten years after the second film. On his new role as director, Wilson told Empire he had a clear vision for the film, sharing that “I’ve seen this movie on the page for so long that I knew exactly what I wanted… This being a movie with Dalton and Josh dealing with trauma, balancing the light and dark in their life, it’s very heavy stuff and doesn’t lend itself to jump-scares.” Wilson wanted to set the film apart from what had come before, saying “I didn’t want to emulate James [Wan, director of the first two Insidious films], or be more like him. So there’s a tonal dread.”

Focusing more on trauma as a source of horror, as opposed to all too easy and oft cheap genre clichés such as jump-scares, the film is set to be a more character driven affair – particularly thanks to Wilson’s deep connection with the series. The actor/director expressed that he could “only approach this movie from the inside out, looking at what ten years would do to Josh and Renai; what it would do to Dalton [the Lambert’s son, played by Ty Simpkins]; and what it’s done to the rest of the family… and looking at how we can make that scary and make that emotional. If I’m doing this, it’s going to get ugly for these characters.”

RELATED: Every James Wan Movie Ranked from Worst to Best

The Red Door Promises the Return of a Fan Favorite

Another character returning to the series in Shaye’s Elise, who despite dying at the conclusion of the first film, has become a staple of the series, having appeared in every installment. The trailer for the film revealed that Elise will be aiding the characters still, from beyond the grave through what appears to be old camera recordings. After taking the lead in the franchise’s two prequels, Insidious: Chapter 3 and Insidious: The Last Key, no character would be better equip to assist the Lamberts in their fight against The Further’s demonic entities than Shaye’s Elise.

Insidious: The Red Door will be released into theaters on July 7. Check out the trailer below: