insidious the last key movie review

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, insidious: the last key.

Now streaming on:

Don't go alone if you must see the tepid, but mostly adequate ghost story "Insidious: The Last Key." Really, don't even bother to see this third sequel in theaters unless you really, really want to. Yes, I too know the Siren call of a new horror film on opening night. 

But really, whatever you do, don't watch "The Last Key" without the emotional support of a buddy who can confirm that you're not just imagining this: these movies  are  still getting incrementally better, a trend that began with "Insidious: Chapter 2." And "The Last Key"  does  feel like it's 70-minutes dripping wet (even if it's a shocking 103 minutes?). And the makers of "The Last Key"  do  pull enough punches that you'll actually wish the rest of the movie weren't as dependent on jump scares to establish terror. No, you may think you should see "The Last Key" with a friend because being sociable is a good excuse for poor life choices. But the best rationalization for seeing "The Last Key" with another person is being able to look at another soul, and realizing you're not losing it when you think: wait, this one is almost good.

If you must know what this one is about, you should be forewarned that plot, themes, and characters barely matter in the " Insidious " films. That's not a good or a bad thing, it's just something you should accept now that you're presumably committed to watch the third sequel in a cheapo horror series. That said: when we last saw broody psychic Elise ( Lin Shaye ), she was more convinced than ever that she must use her ability to communicate with ghosts to help unfortunate home-owners who are too stupid to cut bait, and move into less supernaturally busy environs. In this lofty goal, Elise is aided by ostensibly lovable tech-savvy goofuses Tucker ( Angus Sampson ) and Specs (series co-creator, and "The Last Key" screenwriter Leigh Whannell ). And that's about it, that's their story. 

Now, Elise must return to her childhood New Mexico home to relive formative traumas involving the mysterious murder of her angelic, but powerless mother Audrey ( Tessa Ferrer ). Mind you, the house where Elise was raised overlooks some kind of oil derrick and a prison too. It's also where she and her poor brother Christian ( Pierce Pope , who is replaced in the film's present day with the somewhat more mature  Bruce Davison ) were given corporal punishment by deadbeat dad Gerald ( Josh Stewart ), who may or may not have been haunted by a demon. Also, Christian has two adult daughters, and they're also in danger, even if they don't live in that one house.

None of that really matters here since "The Last Key" is, like its predecessors and the other horror franchises begat by " Saw " and " The Conjuring " co-creator James Wan , as programmatic as a Rube Goldberg machine. These shock-dispensing mechanisms are all so shoddily produced that you should know by now that they will inevitably go off the rails when they must wrap up with a good climactic jolt. 

Thankfully, the build-up to several major scare scenes in "The Last Key" is relatively subtle. There are even several moments where the filmmakers psych you out, and make you believe that something's going to jump out at you ... but then nothing does. Which is usually when something  really  jumps out at you. But in this film, you have to wait a little longer. That kind of defiance of expectations is much appreciated if you go into this new "Insidious" film expecting it to not be good enough to coast on its artful sound design—some really nice floor-boarding creaking, and doorknob jiggling—and even some (dare I say) atmospheric sets.

Ultimately, "The Last Key" just isn't good enough to break the years-hardened mold of expectations that was established and then confirmed by the last three "Insidious" movies. Everything looks different, but nothing has changed: Shaye performs a thankless task admirably, and constantly looks vulnerable enough to cry at the drop of a hat. Whannell never develops his ideas enough to offer a sensible take on personal loss, survivor's guilt, or domestic abuse. And there are several moments where you can't help but wonder "Are these characters really that dumb," "Why aren't they calling the cops," or "What does that even mean?"

So yes, "The Last Key" is still rather ... limited in its appeal. But it's also good enough to feature a momentarily clever twist (if you don't overthink it), and it's got a couple of good fake-outs. And it is awfully fun whenever you can contrive an excuse to turn to your neighbor, and ( discreetly ) whisper a joke whenever something silly happens (even when it's not always intentionally silly). With these limbo-low expectations in mind: you may enjoy "The Last Key" well enough. Just don't forget to bring a friend.

Simon Abrams

Simon Abrams is a native New Yorker and freelance film critic whose work has been featured in  The New York Times ,  Vanity Fair ,  The Village Voice,  and elsewhere.

Now playing

Brian Tallerico

Dad & Step-Dad

Carlos aguilar.

Disappear Completely

We Grown Now

Peyton robinson.

The Listener

Matt zoller seitz.

Film Credits

Insidious: The Last Key (2018)

Rated PG-13 for disturbing thematic content, violence and terror, and brief strong language.

103 minutes

Lin Shaye as Elise Rainier

Angus Sampson as Tucker

Leigh Whannell as Specs

Josh Stewart as Gerald Rainier

Caitlin Gerard as Imogen Rainier

Spencer Locke as Melissa Rainier

Tessa Ferrer as Audrey Rainier

Kirk Acevedo as Ted Garza

• Adam Robitel
• Leigh Whannell

Writer (based on characters created by)

Cinematographer.

• Toby Oliver
• Timothy Alverson
• Joseph Bishara

Latest blog posts

Speed Kills: On the 25th Anniversary of Go

Joanna Arnow Made Her BDSM Comedy for You

The Movies That Underwent Major Changes After Their Festival Premiere

Netflix's Dead Boy Detectives Is A Spinoff Stuck In Limbo

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Trivia & Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

• What's the Tomatometer®?
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening this week
• Top box office
• Coming soon to theaters
• Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

• Fandango at Home
• Netflix streaming
• Prime Video
• Most popular streaming movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• Challengers Link to Challengers
• I Saw the TV Glow Link to I Saw the TV Glow
• Música Link to Música

New TV Tonight

• The Veil: Season 1
• Hacks: Season 3
• The Tattooist of Auschwitz: Season 1
• A Man in Full: Season 1
• Acapulco: Season 3
• Welcome to Wrexham: Season 3
• John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA: Season 1
• Star Wars: Tales of the Empire: Season 1
• My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman: Season 4.2
• Shardlake: Season 1

Most Popular TV on RT

• Baby Reindeer: Season 1
• Fallout: Season 1
• Shōgun: Season 1
• Dead Boy Detectives: Season 1
• Velma: Season 2
• Them: Season 2
• Ripley: Season 1
• Under the Bridge: Season 1
• 3 Body Problem: Season 1
• We Were the Lucky Ones: Season 1
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV
• TV & Streaming News

Certified fresh pick

• Dead Boy Detectives: Season 1 Link to Dead Boy Detectives: Season 1
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

All Zendaya Movies Ranked by Tomatometer

Video Game TV Shows Ranked by Tomatometer

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Awards Tour

The Most Anticipated Movies of 2024

Poll: Most Anticipated Movies of May 2024

• Trending on RT
• Most Anticipated TV of May
• Seen on Screen
• Zendaya Movies
• Play Movie Trivia

Insidious: The Last Key Reviews

The scares are mostly nonexistent.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Mar 16, 2022

You can expect the fun scares these films have provided over the last eight years, but after four films, it seems they are struggling to follow through in the last act. Providing a finale that is undeserving for a respected franchise.

Full Review | Jan 2, 2021

...a surprisingly enthralling capper to a series that was on the verge of running out of steam.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Oct 8, 2020

[It operates] only to either telegraph a jump scare with its silence or drown the viewer in a cacophony of noises that are far more annoying than unnerving.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/5 | Jul 23, 2020

Insidious: The Last Key is a letdown from its predecessor, yet not as much as Chapter 2 was after the first.

Full Review | Jun 30, 2020

Insidious 4 is fun, smart and frightening, an engaging movie that has a handful of creative scares and although it trips a bit at the finishing line, the amount of heart on display for the characters and the fans makes it a thoroughly entertaining watch.

Full Review | Jun 24, 2020

The film isn't a total bust, but having linked it back to the original film, it seems like a good time for creators Wan and Whannell to call it quits on a largely successful horror series before things get so stale it becomes an embarrassment.

Full Review | May 27, 2020

Narratively, the film is a shambles. It feels like disparate ideas being stitched together in post-production.

Full Review | Mar 23, 2020

Director Adam Robitel creates a tone unlike anything his predecessors generated; mournful yet warm, the movie engenders sympathy for the characters even as the action turns somber or gruesome.

Full Review | Mar 10, 2020

Unnecessary and far from noteworthy, Insidious: The Final Key should provide the final nail in the coffin for the film series.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jul 23, 2019

Shaye makes for a compelling heroine, refusing to be a victim and taking charge where men frequently fail, and her grounded and performance gives the film an emotional center.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jun 3, 2019

Very similar to other Insidious films but the backstory of its lead character, Elise, provides depth we have not seen before.

Full Review | Original Score: B- | May 8, 2019

A lot of fumbling over themes of family unity and believing in yourself - and that abusive fathers may not always be the most trustworthy people.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Mar 21, 2019

To this day, I can still think of the crazy and scary moments of the first two Insidious films. I can't say that about The Last Key no matter how much of a fan I may be with this franchise.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Jan 30, 2019

The kind of horror film that tells you exactly when to close your eyes, but it's fun nonetheless.

Full Review | Jan 19, 2019

Insidious: The Last Key fulfills my wish of learning more about Elise, but it is still probably the weakest installment of the franchise.

Full Review | Original Score: 5.5/10 | Nov 2, 2018

A serviceable prequel, but it is also the weakest entry in the franchise because it fails to do anything new with the property

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Oct 31, 2018

Leans harder than the others have on the central theme of hauntings as a metaphor for generational trauma and psychic scarring - though it doesn't lose sight of being the "fun" haunted house series opposite the Conjuring movies.

Full Review | Original Score: 3 | Oct 31, 2018

The fourth trek into The Further resembles what awaits when one duplicate their abode's metallic pass at most Houston Home Depots: a dud.

Full Review | Original Score: D | Oct 11, 2018

The film is a jumbled mess of backstory and personal demons, clichés and uninspired monsters.

Full Review | Original Score: 2 | Aug 29, 2018

The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News

Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter

site categories

‘insidious: the last key’: film review.

Lin Shaye returns as an intermediary between humans and the ghosts who scare them in 'Insidious: The Last Key,' the fourth franchise installment, directed by Adam Robitel.

By THR Staff

• Share this article on Facebook
• Share this article on Twitter
• Share this article on Flipboard
• Share this article on Email
• Show additional share options
• Share this article on Linkedin
• Share this article on Pinit
• Share this article on Reddit
• Share this article on Tumblr
• Share this article on Whatsapp
• Share this article on Print
• Share this article on Comment

Before we’re all done marveling at the fact that 2017’s three biggest hits were led by female actresses, here’s a more modest but noteworthy fact: 2018 will begin with the fourth installment of a hit franchise whose hero is not just a woman, but a septuagenarian who takes on boogeymen the youngsters can’t face. Adam Robitel’s Insidious: The Last Key , a sequel to the prequel to the series’ first two outings, brings the saga full circle in a way that should, true to the title, conclude the adventures of Lin Shaye’s ghost-whispering character Elise Rainier. A workmanlike but fan-pleasing picture, it may well earn enough to make producers reconsider that whole “Last” thing — not that such promises are often kept in the horror biz.

Related Stories

Meryl streep was "traumatized" watching nicole kidman's emotional scenes in 'big little lies': "never seen anything like that in my life", anne hathaway on how she overcame being a "chronically stressed young woman" in hollywood.

Elise, of course, was killed at the end of the first film, only to reappear for Insidious 2 in “The Further,” this saga’s vision of a spirit world where icky-looking baddies torture the souls of mortals. The third film took us back to an earlier episode in Elise’s career as a paranormal investigator-slash-problem solver.

Release date: Jan 05, 2018

The Last Key , which mostly occurs shortly before the events in the first film, begins with an extended flashback: We meet Elise as a child, being raised in 1950s New Mexico by a stern prison-guard father. She’s seeing ghosts even at this age, and while her mother accepts the reality of her daughter’s spiritual gift, Dad is prepared to beat it out of her. When Elise won’t deny that she’s seeing things, he locks her in the basement, where a hidden portal leads to very scary things. Unwittingly, she helps an evil being enter our dimension. His hands have keys where the fingertips should be, so let’s call him The Man With the Keys.

Back in this century, Elise gets a call from a stranger whose house has a ghost infestation. Trouble is, it’s Elise’s childhood home, where the furniture has for some reason been left as-is (down to the blanket-fort built on the bunk beds) for the half-century or so since she fled home.

Understanding that whatever she unleashed as a child is still attacking the living, Elise heads to New Mexico with her eager young employees Tucker (Angus Sampson, of Mad Max: Fury Road ) and Specs (Leigh Whannell , screenwriter of all four Insidious pics). These dudes, to be honest, aren’t good for much: They’re armed with high-tech gizmos but far too few flashlights; they flirt in a more-icky-than-cute way with Elise’s young nieces; and most important, with only Whannell’s rudimentary dialogue to go on, they’re pretty limp in the comic relief department. Their best line is when, introducing themselves to a client, Tucker points at Elise and says, “She’s psychic; we’re sidekick.”

As has been the case since the first film, this one centers on shock cuts and sudden appearances of figures in the shadows. While the franchise’s technical overkill may have mellowed over time (sound effects are far less oppressive here), the delivery of the “boo!”s remains on the cheap and arbitrary side. (Which isn’t to say it doesn’t make you jump on occasion.) In only one gag is the film’s obvious manipulation of the viewer structured in a clever and elegant way. Sure, it comes in the middle of one of those “there’s no way anyone would do something this stupid” sequences that fright flicks rely on. So what.

While it’s finding ways to tie real-world horrors into this The Further business, the pic makes good use of Elise’s childhood, both as a reason for us to care about overfamiliar haunted-house stuff and as a means to introduce new blood: those aforementioned nieces (Caitlin Gerard and Spencer Locke), who may be positioned to pick up the ghost-hunting torch should the need arise. Given the economics of the milk-it-’til-it’s-dry horror business ( Whannell’s other franchise, Saw , just released its eighth installment), that’s far from impossible.

Production company: Stage 6 Films Distributor: Universal Cast: Lin Shaye , Leigh Whannell , Angus Sampson, Kirk Acevedo, Caitlin Gerard, Spencer Locke, Josh Stewart, Tessa Ferrer , Ava Kolker , Pierce Pope, Bruce Davison Director: Adam Robitel Screenwriter: Leigh Whannell Producers: Jason Blum, Oren Peli , James Wan Executive producers: Bailey Conway, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones , Charles Layton, Couper Samuelson, Steven Schneider, Leigh Whannell Director of photography: Toby Oliver Production designer: Melanie Jones Costume designer: Lisa Norcia Editor: Timothy Alverson Composer: Joseph Bishara Casting director: Terri Taylor

Rated PG-13, 103 minutes

THR Newsletters

Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day

More from The Hollywood Reporter

Meryl streep says she was “traumatized” watching nicole kidman in ‘big little lies’ at afi life achievement gala, ray chan, art director and production designer for marvel films, dies at 56, box office: zendaya’s ‘challengers’ hits target with $15m opening for no. 1 finish, pauly shore says he “was up all night crying” after richard simmons blasted biopic, ethan hawke shares denzel washington’s advice on winning an oscar, ‘kraven the hunter,’ ‘karate kid’ pushed back by sony.

Things you buy through our links may earn  Vox Media  a commission.

Insidious: The Last Key Makes Very Little Sense

I regret to report that I didn’t understand most of what happens in Insidious: The Last Key . Several successful genre films in recent months have been criticized as playing fast and loose with their own fantastical in-film logic ( It, Star Wars: The Last Jedi ) but the fourth installment of Leigh Whannell’s ghost-and-mediums horror series wraps up its own free-association illogic with an impenetrable tangle of woo-woo spirit-world mechanics and lingo. There is a real chance that one might be too busy trying to piece it all together to notice the jump scares, the film’s prime mode of horror-stirring.

It opens with a peek into the origins of Elise Rainier, the medium played by Lin Shaye who has been a constant throughout the franchise. She’s growing up just down the road from a federal penitentiary that executes inmates daily, providing plenty of malevolent spiritual material that keeps young Elise (Ava Kolker) and her brother Christian (Pierce Pope) up at night. Dad doesn’t believe in or approve of her abilities; Mom tells her she’s just a little different. Then one night Elise is lured to the basement by a spirit, who convinces her to open a (physical) door that opens a (spiritual) floodgate of evil ghosts, one of whom kills her mother.

How this plays into the present-day story, in which Elise, prior to the events of the first Insidious, is hired to ghost-hunt her own childhood home by its current occupant, should be satisfying enough. But the nature of the haunting, and director Adam Robitel’s questionable handle on the tone gives the impression of a film that was shot blindly, literally as each page of the script was printed out. There are many puns. Worse, the ghoulish revelations never land as they should, because they come out of nowhere. The central demon, a spindly ghoul with keys on the ends of his spindly fingers that can lock his victims voices and consciousness away is a splendidly creepy creation, but could have shown up in any movie. We never find out what his other three fingers do, which seems like an oversight.

Still, it’s nice to see a horror series confident enough to make its evil-fighting heroine a woman of a certain age, rather than confine such a character to ominous grandma status. And Shaye is eminently rootable in the demon-dimension scenes, even if other scenes come off more stilted. She feels like she belongs in this confounding universe; Bruce Davison (!), who shows up to play present-day Christian, does not. The film hints at a torch-passing to a younger generation of ghost hunters, which will be a shame; the world needs more final golden girls, ideally with stronger material to work with.

• movie review
• insidious the last key

Most Viewed Stories

• A Tennis Dummy’s Guide to the Ending of Challengers
• The 10 Best Movies and TV Shows to Watch This Weekend
• Cinematrix No. 45: April 26, 2024
• Richie Sambora Apologizes to Everyone
• Is Zendaya the Leading Lady We’ve Been Looking for?
• Colin Jost’s Best Jokes at the 2024 White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Editor’s Picks

Most Popular

What is your email.

This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us.

Sign In To Continue Reading

Create your free account.

Password must be at least 8 characters and contain:

• Lower case letters (a-z)
• Upper case letters (A-Z)
• Numbers (0-9)
• Special Characters (!@#$%^&*)

As part of your account, you’ll receive occasional updates and offers from New York , which you can opt out of anytime.

Film Review: ‘Insidious: The Last Key’

Despite star Lin Shaye's best efforts, this fourth "Insidious" installment seems to leave the franchise with nowhere to go.

By Andrew Barker

Andrew Barker

Senior Features Writer

• Shane MacGowan, the Pogues Frontman and ‘Fairytale of New York’ Singer, Dies at 65 5 months ago
• ‘Yellowstone,’ ‘Love and Death’ Spark ‘Game-Changing’ Film Production Spike in Texas 10 months ago
• ‘Welcome to Wrexham’: Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney on Getting Vulnerable, Rejuvenating a City and Gearing Up for Dramatic Season 2 10 months ago

Director James Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell did quite a lot of things right in 2010’s shamelessly entertaining paranormal thriller, “Insidious.” But as far as franchise-building goes, they made one crucial error: killing off the film’s most memorable character, the unflappably empathetic sexagenarian parapsychologist Elise Rainier ( Lin Shaye ). For the first sequel, “Chapter 2,” they brought her back in spectral form, and for 2015’s Whannell-directed “Chapter 3,” they made even more room for her by approaching the film as a prequel. A direct sequel to that prequel, “ Insidious: The Last Key ” finally gives Elise the complete spotlight, and in doing so turns her into something of an action hero, complete with an origin story. Despite the indomitable Shaye’s best efforts, however, new director Adam Robitel is rarely successful in shaking the cobwebs off this increasingly creaky franchise: “The Last Key” is wildly uneven, confused and confusing, and it appears to leave the “Insidious” saga written into a corner yet again.

Largely taking place in 2010, shortly before the events of the first film, “The Last Key” makes ample time for flashbacks, beginning with a 1950s-set prologue depicting Elise’s very unhappy childhood. The daughter of a prison warden, the grade school-aged Elise (Ava Kolker) lives in a creaky house in the shadow of a New Mexico penitentiary, and her budding paranormal gifts are already drawing the curiosity of her skittish younger brother Christian (Pierce Pope) and the ire of her abusive, ghoulish father Gerald (Josh Stewart). In a well-staged early setpiece, Elise finds herself trapped in her house’s basement at night, beckoned by a child’s voice to unlock a mysterious red door, which she does with tragic consequences.

Popular on Variety

Back in the present day, Elise receives a call from the new owner of her childhood home, who has been experiencing strange phenomena of his own. Initially reluctant to revisit her traumatic past, she quickly relents, and heads back to small-town New Mexico with her two ghostbuster-wannabe sidekicks Specs (Whannell) and Tucker (Angus Sampson) in tow. Her new client (Kirk Acevedo) bears a noticeable resemblance to her father – he also walks with a Neanderthal’s gait, and does not appear to have done laundry in a fortnight – and Elise’s team has scarcely set up shop in the house before various apparitions begin to literally crawl out of the woodwork. Back in town, Elise runs into her now-grown brother (Bruce Davison) and his two adult daughters (Caitlin Gerard, Spencer Locke). Christian blames Elise for abandoning him when she was 16 – Hana Hayes plays the teenage Elise in flashbacks – and storms off, but it isn’t long before he and his progeny end up back at the haunted old house as well.

Robitel has a steady craftsman’s grasp of the rhythms that make a classic Blumhouse jump scare, but he struggles with the element of surprise; the setups to the scares are so predictable, the question is never if a demon will appear in a particular frame, but simply how many seconds the shot will be held until it does. Very little of the tension-breaking comedy comes off – a half-baked comic subplot involving Specs and Tucker’s attempts to woo Elise’s nieces is cringe-worthy – and the director will sometimes cut away to ominously emphasized objects that turn out to have no significance at all. But to be fair, the script doesn’t make things easy for him. At roughly the midway point, “The Last Key” makes its boldest gambit, halfway pivoting away from the series’ stock paranormal hauntings to horror of a different, if no more novel, variety. The revelation that occurs makes little sense in light of things that have happened literally minutes earlier, and when the film begins to lapse into surreal dream logic in the final stretch, it feels less like a conscious choice than an attempt to avoid accounting for loose ends.

If the film ties together at all, it’s mostly due to Shaye’s undeniable appeal. A veteran character actress, Shaye clearly knows how rare it is to have a role like this at 74, and she sinks her teeth into every scene. Given a line like “My presence draws the spirits out of their dark little corners,” Shaye is too respectful of her character to deliver it with a wink, but nor does she invest it with the sort of bug-eyed intensity that would make it ridiculous. Watching as the simultaneously vulnerable and fearless Elise throws herself into one perilous entanglement after another, you have to tip your hat to the “Insidious” brain trust for giving the character the starring role, but as the franchise’s chronology drifts ever closer to where it all started, it’s sadly clear that the character has nowhere else to go.

Reviewed at Arclight Hollywood, January 2, 2018.

• Production: A Universal Pictures release of a Stage 6 Films, Blumhouse production. Producers: Jason Blum, Oren Peli, James Wan. Executive producers: Bailey Conway, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Couper Samuelson, Steven Schneider, Leigh Whannell.
• Crew: Director: Adam Robitel. Screenplay: Leigh Whannell, based on characters created by Whannell. Camera: Toby Oliver. Editor: Timothy Alverson. Music: Joseph Bishara.
• With: Lin Shaye, Leigh Whannell, Angus Sampson, Kirk Acevedo, Caitlin Gerard, Spencer Locke, Josh Stewart, Tessa Ferrer, Ava Kolker, Pierce Pope, Bruce Davison, Javier Botet, Marcus Henderson, Hana Hayes,

More From Our Brands

Lindsey graham shrugs off ‘catch-and-kill’ scheme to help trump win election, taste test: buffalo trace’s sister distillery has made the best whiskey of the year so far, detroit sets nfl draft attendance record at 2024 event, be tough on dirt but gentle on your body with the best soaps for sensitive skin, survivor: jeff probst announces season 50 will be returning players, verify it's you, please log in.

Insidious: The Last Key (2018)

• User Reviews

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews

• User Ratings
• External Reviews
• Metacritic Reviews
• Full Cast and Crew
• Release Dates
• Official Sites
• Company Credits
• Filming & Production
• Technical Specs
• Plot Summary
• Plot Keywords
• Parents Guide

Did You Know?

• Crazy Credits
• Alternate Versions
• Connections
• Soundtracks

Photo & Video

• Photo Gallery
• Trailers and Videos

Related Items

• External Sites

Related lists from IMDb users

Recently Viewed

Den of Geek

Insidious: The Last Key Review

Lin Shaye takes center stage in the fourth installment of the Insidious franchise. Read our review…

• Share on Facebook (opens in a new tab)
• Share on Twitter (opens in a new tab)
• Share on Linkedin (opens in a new tab)
• Share on email (opens in a new tab)

The original Insidious (2011) was a welcome return to indie horror form for director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell, who followed up their original breakthrough film, Saw , with a couple of misguided and forgettable excursions into major studio territory (anyone remember Dead Silence ?). Insidious was intimate, original, a little insane, and genuinely creepy; it also established some of the stylistic and narrative devices that Wan would utilize for large-scale horror success with The Conjuring a couple of years later.

Plus, it was a hit, which meant the “we have a new horror franchise!” signs lit up at the offices of original backer Film District. So Insidious 2 came along in 2013, with Wan and Whannell taking up camera and pen again, but it proved to be an unnecessary, overplotted, and often incoherent sequel that actually dissipated the good will of its predecessor. Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015), a prequel, was directed by Whannell himself from a streamlined script, making for a marginally better film but still something of a wheel-spinner.

Which brings us to Insidious: The Last Key . When you get to the fourth film in a franchise, particularly in the horror genre, the thing is often sputtering along on fumes, so I’m happy to report that The Last Key is the best Insidious entry since the first one. And the reason for that is unlikely franchise star Lin Shaye. I say unlikely because, with most horror movies geared these days toward the late-high-school/early-college crowd, and featuring casts that reflect that, it’s improbable that a wise and earthy 74-year-old woman could emerge as the focus of a successful series like this and find a following of her own.

Watch Insidious on Amazon

But Shaye’s paranormal investigator, Elise Rainier, is indeed the heart and soul of the Insidious saga–which has forced Whannell (who is back on screenplay duty for this one while Adam Robitel directs) to twist the franchise into even more of a pretzel since Elise actually died at the end of the original movie. Thus with what is essentially the franchise’s fourth chapter, he goes back in time again, as  The Last Key taking place after Insidious: Chapter 3 but before the events of the first two films. And this time Elise is squarely the center of the story, as she returns to her own childhood home to investigate a haunting there and finds that she has unresolved supernatural and family business of her own to take care of.

Ad – content continues below

Shaye is a warm, empathetic, and engaging presence in all the films–arguably the best thing about them, really–and this time out, you’re invested in her struggle all the way. The actress transmits a genuine feeling of deep psychological and emotional pain as she returns to the house in which she grew up and is forced to delve back into her own tormented memories. The ultimate shape of the plot is nothing especially new — let’s just say that Elise did not have a happy childhood, in part because of her abilities to contact the other side, but Shaye brings a sense of real grief and sadness to the proceedings.

We do care about Elise at this point, as well as her two dim but likable assistants, Specs (Whannell) and Tucker (Angus Sampson). In this vein, Robitel and Whannell make sure to include a decent amount of character moments for all of them amidst the scares and jolts. The director follows Wan’s formula mostly to a tee, alternating extended sequences of dread-filled silence and frame-filling darkness with jump shocks and some morbid new imagery, as well as yet another excursion into the eerie recesses of the Further. Robitel, who also directed the intermittently spooky found footage chiller The Taking of Deborah Logan , doesn’t do anything groundbreaking here but does provide some genuine scares.

Make no mistake, however, this is Lin Shaye’s show, and Whannell was smart to realize that the series was really about her character. That goes a long way, even in a series that should theoretically be on its last legs by now. But Insidious: The Last Key manages to unlock some humanity and tragedy from a well-worn narrative and revive a meandering franchise while bringing it full circle. Horror movies only ever transcend their limitations and become more than just exploitation when you care about the people, a lesson that Wan (who is still a producer on this series) and Whannell have taken to heart.

Insidious: The Last Key is out in theaters this Friday, Jan. 5.

3.5 out of 5

Don Kaye | @donkaye

Don Kaye is an entertainment journalist by trade and geek by natural design. Born in New York City, currently ensconced in Los Angeles, his earliest childhood memory is…

Common Sense Media

Movie & TV reviews for parents

• For Parents
• For Educators
• Our Work and Impact

Or browse by category:

• Get the app
• Movie Reviews
• Best Movie Lists
• Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

• Best TV Lists
• Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More
• Common Sense Selections for TV
• Video Reviews of TV Shows

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

• Book Reviews
• Best Book Lists
• Common Sense Selections for Books

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

• Game Reviews
• Best Game Lists

Common Sense Selections for Games

• Video Reviews of Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

• Podcast Reviews
• Best Podcast Lists

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

• App Reviews
• Best App Lists

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

• YouTube Channel Reviews
• YouTube Kids Channels by Topic

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids Channels for Gamers

• Preschoolers (2-4)
• Little Kids (5-7)
• Big Kids (8-9)
• Pre-Teens (10-12)
• Teens (13+)
• Screen Time
• Social Media
• Online Safety
• Identity and Community

Explaining the News to Our Kids

• Family Tech Planners
• Digital Skills
• All Articles
• Latino Culture
• Black Voices
• Asian Stories
• Native Narratives
• LGBTQ+ Pride
• Best of Diverse Representation List

Celebrating Black History Month

Movies and TV Shows with Arab Leads

Celebrate Hip-Hop's 50th Anniversary

Insidious: the last key, common sense media reviewers.

So-so sequel has jump scares, compelling main character.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Champions concepts like courage and forgiveness. T

Elise Rainier is a most remarkable heroine in the

Jump-scares. Scary stuff/creepy monsters. Young wo

Flirting. A kiss.

A use of "f--king," plus "hell,&quo

A bottle of whiskey and a glass on the table next

Parents need to know that Insidious: The Last Key is the fourth movie in the Insidious horror franchise, which focuses on paranormal investigator/psychic Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) and her sidekicks. A young girl is whipped and locked up by her father, and women are kidnapped, chained, and locked up…

Positive Messages

Champions concepts like courage and forgiveness. The demons feed on hate and revenge, and the heroes realize that they can triumph by not feeding into those things, by forgiving and showing compassion and understanding.

Positive Role Models

Elise Rainier is a most remarkable heroine in the horror genre: an older woman who's both vulnerable and brave. She's not afraid of ghosts, though she is endearingly human, with her own personal fears and faults.

Violence & Scariness

Jump-scares. Scary stuff/creepy monsters. Young women are kidnapped, chained up, and held prisoner. A young girl is whipped and locked in the basement by her cruel father. A teen girl uses powers to assault her father in self-defense. Character brandishes a gun. Single gunshot. Character bashed in the back of the head, skull smashed by falling bureau. Monster smashes a woman against the wall; minor bloody head-wound. Monster stabs key-fingers into throats, chests. Mentions of prisoners dying in the electric chair. Woman hung by loose cord. Scars on back. Arguing.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

A use of "f--king," plus "hell," "screw this."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

A bottle of whiskey and a glass on the table next to the father's chair. A character drinks from a bottle of beer.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Insidious: The Last Key is the fourth movie in the Insidious horror franchise, which focuses on paranormal investigator/psychic Elise Rainier ( Lin Shaye ) and her sidekicks. A young girl is whipped and locked up by her father, and women are kidnapped, chained, and locked up. A woman is smacked across the room by a monster, and a man's skull is smashed by a falling bureau (he also gets a blow to the back of his head). There's some blood, and a gun is brandished, with one shot fired. Other violent events are mentioned. Language includes a use of "f--king," as well as "hell" (spoken by a child). There's a little flirting and a brief kiss. A bottle of whiskey is shown, and a character drinks from a bottle of beer. This installment is less inspired than its predecessors, but it's not terrible and has some decent scares. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

• Parents say (17)
• Kids say (20)

Based on 17 parent reviews

Not for kids!!!

One of the most intense pg-13 11 or older, what's the story.

In INSIDIOUS: THE LAST KEY, psychic/paranormal investigator Elise Rainier ( Lin Shaye ) has recently wrapped up the Quinn Brenner case (from Insidious: Chapter 3 ), but nightmares are plaguing her sleep. Memories of her dark childhood in Five Keys, New Mexico, with an abusive father ( Josh Stewart ), keep coming up. Before long, Elise gets a call from a terrified Ted Garza ( Kirk Acevedo ), who lives in her old house and is being terrorized by malevolent spirits. Joined by her intrepid/knucklehead sidekicks Specs ( Leigh Whannell ) and Tucker ( Angus Sampson ), Elise begins her examination. More dark secrets from her past turn up, including memories of her younger brother, guilt over her mother, a lost whistle, and a gaggle of ghosts. But Elise makes a startling discovery: There's something different about these ghosts.

Is It Any Good?

The fourth entry in this successful horror series is an example of diminishing returns; though the characters are still interesting, it's clear that less care and attention were given to this movie. Filmmakers James Wan (whose first Insidious was the best) and Leigh Whannell (a writer on the entire series and director of Insidious: Chapter 3 ) have hired a second-stringer, Adam Robitel , to helm Insidious: The Last Key , and it shows. Robitel gamely tries to follow the playbook and comes up with one or two great, spooky scenes -- including one in which Elise makes a startling discovery inside a tube-shaped air duct. But the director mostly relies on loud noises and jump scares.

He's not so great with the emotional scenes, either, including Elise's reunion with her long-lost brother, Christian ( Bruce Davison ), and Specs and Tucker's awkward flirting with Christian's teen daughters. The movie's theme of "family" doesn't quite click when all those scenes are awkward and soapy. Frankly, the best reason to see this is Shaye, a wonderful character actress who embodies sweetness and vulnerability and also has a weathered, fearless quality; now in her 70s, Shaye has come into her own only recently as a horror star. Insidious: The Last Key has finally elevated her to leading lady status, and that's exciting to see.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Insidious: The Last Key 's violence . How much of it is directed against women? Is it shocking? Does the fact that the main character is a strong female affect the impact of that kind of violence?

Is Elise Rainier a role model ? Why or why not?

How scary is the movie? What's the appeal of horror movies?

How does this film compare to the three previous movies in the Insidious series?

What does the movie have to say about courage and compassion ? Are these things championed? Rewarded?

Movie Details

• In theaters : January 5, 2018
• On DVD or streaming : April 3, 2018
• Cast : Lin Shaye , Leigh Whannell , Angus Sampson
• Director : Adam Robitel
• Inclusion Information : Female actors
• Studios : Sony Pictures Entertainment , Universal Studios
• Genre : Horror
• Topics : Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
• Run time : 103 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : disturbing thematic content, violence and terror, and brief strong language
• Last updated : October 7, 2022

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

Our editors recommend.

Insidious: Chapter 2

Insidious: Chapter 3

Best horror movies, scary movies for kids, related topics.

• Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes
• Movie Reviews

Insidious: The Last Key is what an out-of-gas franchise looks like: EW review

Horror franchises have a stubborn habit of overstaying their welcome. And Insidious , the ever-so-slight cinematic grab-bag of cheap jump scares and mildly frightening paranormal hooey, is no exception.

Somehow, while no one was looking, writer Leigh Whannell has managed to crank out four of these things. Four! For those keeping score at home (or who couldn’t be bothered to fork over ten bucks for Insidious: Chapter 3 ), the previous installment waded into the backstory of Lin Shaye’s Elise — the intrepid medium with a bone-dry sense of the absurd — whose supernatural gift comes across as both a blessing and a curse. Now, Whannell and director Adam Robitel ( The Taking of Deborah Logan ) double down on her origin story, giving us something more like a character study than an out-and-out demonic chiller. That might have seemed like a solid choice considering how bare the narrative cupboard already was with this saga, but even Shaye’s always-welcome presence can’t disguise how little meat there is left on this bone.

Basically a sequel to a prequel (and also a prequel to the original…got that?), Insidious: The Last Key opens in New Mexico in 1953, where little Elise (played by Ava Kolker) is growing up in the shadow of a creepy old penitentiary in a run-down house whose lights flicker every time a prisoner is zapped in the electric chair. Even at this young age, the girl has the ability to see and speak with poor souls trapped in an unenviable purgatory — something her abusive, alcoholic father (Josh Stewart) unsuccessfully tries to beat out of her.

Eventually, Shaye’s Elise flees, leaving behind her younger brother Christian (Pierce Pope). Cut to 2010, and she gets a call to return to her old house by its rattled new owner (Kirk Acevedo) to rid the place of the evil that first set her on her course. This, of course, happens just after she discovers that the dreams are coming back. How do we know this? Because she actually says, “The dreams are coming back,” out loud to her dog. So Elise hits the road with her two socially-awkward Scooby Doo underlings (Whannell on double duty, along with Angus Sampson) who unsuccessfully try to goose the film with some unwelcome and unfunny comic relief. For the record, there’s no mention of who will look after Elise’s dog while she’s away on her poltergeist field trip. She should’ve left her two dim-bulb assistants with him.

After returning to her old town and reuniting with her estranged brother (Bruce Davison, acting circles around the script), Elise ventures into “the Further” to battle with a decidedly PG-13 demon and put the audience through a drawn-out wringer of gore-free torment and gotcha , jack-in-the-box shocks that may occasionally jolt you out of your seat, but aside from one gag in particular, the scares lack any real mechanical knack. The one thing the otherwise forgettable film has going for it is Shaye, who over the course of the Insidious quadrilogy has miraculously created a real flesh-and-blood character with Elise. But at this late point in the series, that’s just not enough anymore. Let’s hope “The Last Key” isn’t just the film’s title, but also a promise. C–

Related Articles

Home » Movies

Review | Insidious: The Last Key

Remember “Tiptoe Through the Tulips”? Remember trying to get that song out of your mind after the first Insidious movie? Well, this is the 4th Insidious movie to date, and this franchise shows no signs of stopping. It’s a bold move to make nearly half of the franchise prequels, and yet it keeps pulling people back to the theatre. Insidious 3 and 4 even proceeded without beloved horror director James Wan (who still has a producing credit) but the show must go on, whether you want it to or not.

What’s it about?

Insidious: The Last Key follows the fan-favorite parapsychologist Elise Rainier on a more personal journey, throughout her childhood and subsequent haunting only for her to return in her later years to investigate a paranormal problem at her own house. Yep, that’s the entire movie. Simple premise, and yet a somewhat convoluted storyline in which to get us there. We follow alongside Elise and her band of paranormal investigators as they try to piece together the haunting in her house present day, to what changed her forever in her past.

How’s the cast?

Lin Shaye is back as Elise in The Last Key , and she has become an interesting set piece in the Insidious franchise, considering her story arc in the first movie. (NO SPOILERS.) Her role as the lead in this movie is a welcome addition to the franchise, giving her the opportunity to chew more scenery and fully immerse herself in the hauntings. Her two partners, however, seemed to play the audience a little too obviously. Leigh Whannell portrays a character named “Specs”. Yeah, you heard me, not even a real name. Specs is the nerdy, albeit sweet-hearted paranormal technician who sometimes gets in over his head, but is heavily relied on in the movie for a humorous break in tension.  Almost to the point  that his actual act of heroism comes across as clumsy, instead of courageous.

Opposite “Specs” is Angus Sampson as Tucker. If you remember hearing or seeing that name, he recently starred in FX’s Fargo as Bear Gerhardt, as well as Mad Max Fury Road . Where Whannell’s “Specs” is clumsy, silly, and humorous, Sampson’s character, Tucker, is the opposite. Stoic, deadpan, with an almost guttural growl in most of his scenes, Tucker’s deadpan humor works surprisingly well. So much so in fact, that you wish for more story between Elise and Tucker, and honestly wish that Specs would just go away.

Is Insidious: The Last Key  scary?

I will say this: The Last Key definitively packed more jump-scares than Insidious 3 , and maybe even 2 . Is it the horror gold that befell Insidious 1 ? No, not in the slightest. Yet as I sat with a friend in a packed theatre at 8:30 at night, there were more than enough jumps, corner peeks, door creaks, camera footage, and film score swells to evoke screams, groans, yells, and laughs from this movie. If that is not the actual true measure of a horror film, I don’t know what is.

Recommendation?

The Last Key drags on a bit near the middle of the movie but lands in a place that will satisfy fans of the franchise. There are highs and lows. When the movie leans fully into the horror of the unknown, it soars. However, when it leans into the humor, or into the drama, it flounders. With next to zero rewatchability, The Last Key is a “scary movie night” movie and won’t ascend any higher than that.

Article by Jonathon Wilson

Jonathon is one of the co-founders of Ready Steady Cut and has been an instrumental part of the team since its inception in 2017. Jonathon has remained involved in all aspects of the site’s operation, mainly dedicated to its content output, remaining one of its primary Entertainment writers while also functioning as our dedicated Commissioning Editor, publishing over 6,500 articles.

Doom Patrol season 4, episode 3 recap - who is Dr. Janus?

Doctor Slump Season 1 Episode 14 Recap - Trip to Busan

This website cannot be displayed as your browser is extremely out of date.

Please update your browser to one of the following: Chrome , Firefox , Edge