Continuing a hugely profitable trend of cheap, schlocky, horror movies which prove to be immensely popular despite having zero substance or originality; Insidious: The Last Key, a generally bland, by-the-numbers, affair is in cinemas now.
The fourth film in the Insidious franchise (actually the second film chronologically), sees Lin Shaye reprise her role as psychic Elise Rainier, return to her childhood home to help its new owner combat a pesky poltergeist, and revisit a few demons from her past along the way.
It’s not exactly a new premise, and isn’t told in a new, or especially exciting, way. The direction, from The Taking of Debrah Logan‘s Adam Robitel is generally uninspired and, though not particularly bad, fails to even capitalise on the majority of [easily predictable] jump-scares; meaning viewers are left with an average plot, and not even able to be shocked, creeped out, or gain even a momentary jump from much of this, average-at-best, ghost movie.
Lin Shaye gives a fairly convincing, and engaging, performance however (despite the limited material she’s given to work with), and manages to carry the film mostly by herself. Sidekicks Tucker and Specs (portrayed by returning stars Angus Sampson and Leigh Whannell respectively) also help provide a few welcome (and surprisingly funny) comedic notes to the otherwise dull proceedings, and both Interstellar star Josh Stewart and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ always welcome Kirk Acevedo add their own creepy essences to the film.
So, while there’s not an especially poor performance made by any of the principal cast members, and there are a couple of mildly interesting twists (which ultimately go nowhere), it’s a by-the-numbers plot, with nothing original add to an already over-populated and under-funded genre, which has been poorly written, directed in an unexciting, non-scary, manner, and a sloppy, uninspired, villain which will leave fans wanting more, and realising the Insidious franchise has long since run its course.
