Having earned over $740 million at the global box office, the Insidious franchise returns with a new creative direction, a new family, and a terror that redefines what The Further can do.
In Insidious: Out of the Further, Amelia Eve stars as Gemma, a young mother raising her daughter in the house she grew up in, who discovers she can travel into The Further, the purgatorial realm of lost souls at the heart of the Insidious universe.
When something evil comes after her, Gemma discovers an ability that changes everything: she doesn’t just enter The Further; she can bring what lives there back to the real world. Once the demons realise her power, our world becomes their playground.
As we first reported on FearHQ.com, the first reviews have been counted, and critics seem to either love or hate this latest instalment in the long-running horror franchise. io9, for example, hails it as "the best Insidious film since the original," only for IndieWire to label it "direly, dreadfully boring."
Insidious: Out of the Further's Rotten Tomatoes score is, however, a "Fresh" (and franchise-best) 67%. It debuted with a "Rotten" 59% score, but with 43 reviews counted, it seems safe from that dreaded green splat.
2010's Insidious was the franchise's best-reviewed movie with 66%. Behind that are Insidious: Chapter Three (2015, 56%), Insidious: The Red Door (2023, 39%), Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013, 38%), and Insidious: The Last Key (2018, 35%). As you can see, the franchise has never really been beloved by critics.
DreadCentral gives this latest chapter a thumbs-up, writing, "It’s a captivating mix of clever scares and a heartbreaking emotional foundation. Insidious: Out of the Further emerges as one of the franchise’s best entries and one of 2026’s best surprises."
"A better soft reboot than a sixth franchise entry has any right to be," IGN concurred, "Insidious: Out of the Further delivers a popcorn-rattling ride full of fun, creative scares and serviceable human stakes."
Polygon counters, "Insidious: Out of the Further works best when it focuses on the generational tale of mothers and what they pass down to their daughters. As it stands, it’s hard to find that heart amid all the noise."
MovieWeb, meanwhile, feels the franchise has run its course. "In a world where Backrooms and Obsession are putting a young and exciting charge into horror, Insidious: Out of the Further doesn’t look old-school; it just looks old," the site explains.
Still, horror fans may walk away happy. "It’s possibly the most chilling the series has been in years," notes Metro, even if Next Best Picture then states, "Manages to capture an engaging atmosphere before succumbing to tedious storytelling choices by the end."
With Lin Shaye reprising her iconic role as Elise Rainier and Jacob Chase (Come Play) directing, Insidious: Out of the Further features a screenplay by Jacob Chase and a story by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Jacob Chase. The movie, based on characters created by Leigh Whannell, opens on August 21.