''Insidious'' is a series of American horror films created by

Leigh Whannell Leigh Whannell (; is an Australian screenwriter, actor, film producer, and film director. He is best known for writing films directed by his friend James Wan, including ''Saw'' (2004), ''Dead Silence'' (2007), '' Insidious'' (2010), and '' Insi ...

. Five films form this franchise—''

Insidious Insidious may refer to: * ''Insidious'' (film series), a horror film series consisting of the films listed below ** ''Insidious'' (film), a 2010 American supernatural horror film ** '' Insidious: Chapter 2'', a 2013 sequel ** '' Insidious: Chapt ...

'' (2010), '' Insidious: Chapter 2'' (2013), '' Insidious: Chapter 3'' (2015), '' Insidious: The Last Key'' (2018) and '' Insidious: Fear the Dark'' (2023)—and they have grossed a total of $539million worldwide on a combined budget of $26.5million. The first two films were directed by

James Wan James Wan (born 26 February 1977) is an Australian director, producer, screenwriter and comic book writer. He has primarily worked in the horror genre as the co-creator of the '' Saw'' and ''Insidious'' franchises and the creator of The Conjur ...

, the third by Whannell, who also served as the screenwriter for all four films.

Adam Robitel Adam Robitel (born May 26, 1978) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is best known for directing horror films, such as '' The Taking of Deborah Logan'' (2014), '' Insidious: The Last Key'' (2018), ''Escape Room'' (2 ...

directed the fourth installment.

Patrick Wilson Patrick Joseph Wilson (born July 3, 1973) is an American actor and director. He began his career in 1995, starring in Broadway musicals. He received nominations for two Tony Awards for his roles in ''The Full Monty'' (2000–2001) and ''Oklahoma ...

directed the fifth installment.

FilmDistrict FilmDistrict Distribution LLC. was an American independent motion picture company based in Los Angeles. It specialized in acquisitions, distribution, production, and financing. It was founded in September 2010 by Bob Berney and Peter Schlessel in ...

released the first and second films, while Focus Features,

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

, Sony Pictures Releasing handled the third, fourth and fifth, respectively. The first two films center on a couple who, after their son mysteriously enters a comatose state and becomes a vessel for ghosts in an astral plane, are continuously haunted by demons from a forbidden realm known as ''the Further'' until they take from the family what they want most: life. The third film, a prequel, focuses on the same psychic who helped the family; this time she comes to the aid of a young girl who calls out to the dead, the fourth film follows her when her own family becomes haunted. The fifth film, follows their son Dalton going to college and gets haunted by a presence. Plots are depicted as case files of

demonologist Demonology is the study of demons within religious belief and myth. Depending on context, it can refer to studies within theology, religious doctrine, or pseudoscience. In many faiths, it concerns the study of a hierarchy of demons. Demons may b ...

s, and focuses on people who unwillingly make contact with the demonic world.

Films

''Insidious'' (2010)

''Insidious'' was directed by Wan, written by Whannell, and starred

Rose Byrne Mary Rose Byrne (born 24 July 1979) is an Australian actress. She made her screen debut in the film ''Dallas Doll'' (1994), and continued to act in Australian film and television throughout the 1990s. She obtained her first leading film role i ...

and

Barbara Hershey Barbara Lynn Herzstein, better known as Barbara Hershey (born February 5, 1948), is an American actress. In a career spanning more than 50 years, she has played a variety of roles on television and in cinema in several genres, including weste ...

. The story centers on a couple whose son inexplicably enters a comatose state and becomes a vessel for ghosts in an astral dimension. The film was released in theaters on April 1, 2011, and is

's first theatrical release. A sequel, '' Insidious: Chapter 2'', was released on September 13, 2013, with Wan returning as director and Whannell returning as screenwriter. The film's success led to it being used as inspiration for a maze in Universal's 2013

Halloween Horror Nights ''Universal's Halloween Horror Nights'' (originally ''Universal Studios Fright Nights'' in 1991) is an annual Halloween-themed event at Universal Studios theme parks in Orlando, Hollywood, Japan and Singapore. The event was originally named '' ...

''Insidious: Chapter 2'' (2013)

''Insidious: Chapter 2'' was also directed by Wan and written by Whannell. The film stars Wilson and Byrne reprising their roles as Josh and Renai Lambert, a husband and wife who seek to uncover the secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world. The film was released on September 13, 2013. It was a box-office success, grossing over $160million worldwide, but received mixed reviews.

''Insidious: Chapter 3'' (2015)

''Insidious: Chapter 3'' is the third film in the series, written and directed by Whannell. The film is a prequel to the haunting of the Lambert family in the first two films, and stars

Stefanie Scott Stephanie Noelle Scott (born December 6, 1996) is an American actress and singer. Scott began acting with the comedy film '' Beethoven's Big Break'' (2008), and thereafter released her debut extended play ''New Girl in Town'' (2009). This was fol ...

, Dermot Mulroney,

Lin Shaye Linda Shaye (born October 12, 1943) is an American film, television, and theater actress. In a career spanning over forty years, she has appeared in more than a hundred feature films. She is perhaps best known for her starring role as Elise Rain ...

, and Whannell. The plot follows a girl—Quinn—who is haunted by a demon after trying to call out to her mother Lillith, who died. It was released on June 5, 2015.

''Insidious: The Last Key'' (2018)

Prior to the release of ''Insidious: Chapter 3'', Whannell was asked, "If there is a ''Insidious: Chapter 4'', would that be a sequel to ''Chapter 3'', another prequel to the original or will it continue in this timeline or go to a whole new timeline?" Whannell replied: On May 16, 2016, it was announced that ''Chapter 4'' would have an October 20, 2017 release date with Whannell writing, Jason Blum, Oren Peli and Wan producing, Adam Robitel directing, and Shaye returning to reprise her role as Elise Rainier. The plot centered on the Rainier haunting, after a young Elise opened a forbidden red door and unwillingly allowed a extremely dangerous spirit known as the Key Demon to enter the human world. On October 11, 2016, the film was given a new release date of January 5, 2018.

''Insidious: Fear the Dark'' (2023)

In October 2020, it was announced that a direct sequel to ''The Last Key'' was in development.

will serve as director in addition to reprising his starring role, while

Scott Teems Scott Teems is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer best known for his work on ''That Evening Sun'' (2009), '' The Quarry'' (2020), ''Halloween Kills'' (2021), and '' Firestarter'' (2022). Career In 2009, Teems started his car ...

serves as screenwriter, based on an original story by Leigh Whannell. The premise will center around a now-grown Dalton Lambert as he goes off to college, but the nasty demons of his past return to tear Dalton's college trip apart, with

Ty Simpkins Ty Keegan Simpkins (born August 6, 2001) is an American actor. His notable film credits include the supernatural horror '' Insidious'' (2011), its sequel '' Insidious: Chapter 2'' (2013) and ''Jurassic World'' (2015). He is also known for his ap ...

reprising the role.

has also been confirmed to reprise her role as Renai Lambert. Jason Blum, James Wan, Leigh Whannell, and Oren Peli will serve as producers. The project will be produced by Blumhouse Productions and distributed by Sony Pictures. It is scheduled for a July 7, 2023 release.

Potential crossover

In January 2018 during a press interview for ''The Last Key'',

Jason Blum Jason Ferus Blum "Jason Ferus Blum was born in LA in 1969 to Shirley Neilsen, an art professor, and Irving Blum, an art dealer" (; born 1969) is an American film and television producer. He is the founder and CEO of Blumhouse Productions, whic ...

stated that a crossover film between ''Insidious'' and ''Sinister'' had previously been in development, tentatively entitled ''Insinister''. He stated that he personally believed it had potential for re-entering development in the future, stating that "we're going to cross our worlds at some point... We're going to try."

Crew

Recurring cast and characters

Additional crew and production details

Reception

Box office performance

Critical and public response

References

External links

* * * * {{Insidious series Film series introduced in 2010 American supernatural horror films Films shot in California American haunted house films American independent films FilmDistrict films Universal Pictures films IM Global films Stage 6 Films films Stage 6 Films franchises Focus Features films Alliance Films films Entertainment One films Films about spirit possession Horror film series 2010s English-language films 2020s English-language films