Why the sixth installment in the fright-flick franchise is running out of ghost gas and coasting on dental fumes
Insidious: Out of the Further
Starring Ameila Eve, Brandon Perea, Maisie Richardson-Sellers & Lin Shaye
Directed by Jocob Chase
Rated PG-13
In theaters Friday, Aug. 21, 2026
The sixth in the horror/supernatural franchise that began back in 2010 is yet another venture into the spooky realm of ghosts and demons. And these spirits are restless, hungry to walk among us.
In the latest excursion, a young mom, Gemma (Amelia Eve, from Netflix’s The Haunting of Bly Manor), finds that she’s become a portal to “the Further,” a purgatory-like void just beyond the land of the living. And the ghouls want to use her as a conduit to get out of the Further and back into the real world.
If you haven’t kept up with the past Insidious films, you may be a little lost. This isn’t a movie for newbies. It’s made for fans of the franchise who dig the jolts, the grim intensity, the undead menagerie and the return trips into a spooky realm beyond our own.
But these ghouls seem like they’re running out of gas. Not only have we seen many of them before, but the premise itself is getting a little dusty and musty. Horror-flick scream queen Lynn Shae (A Nightmare on Elm Street, Maniacs, Ouija, The Grudge) keeps her track record—of appearing in every Insidious movie—intact, returning (from the dead!) once more as Elise, a helpful spiritual guide from beyond now trying to close the “red door,” the gateway, before the undead start pouring through like a horde of Black Friday shoppers into Wal-Mart.
Oh, there’s a new undead ringleader, Cyrus (Sam Spuell), who looks like a dead ringer for rocker Marilyn Manson. And there’s a new subplot about mothers and daughters, memories, childhood trauma, the terrors of aging, things you inherit—including some things you don’t necessarily want—and an unsettling reminder about how a trip to the dentist can a real nightmare.
This may be the first movie, in fact, to really drill down (sorry) into the terrors of dentistry. There are recurring appearances by a “tooth” plushy, Gemma works in a dental office, and she finds something highly unsettling in one particularly nasty mouth. Another undead character, who’s wearing a dental cheek-retractor device, crawls around as a torso, missing his lower body, smoldering below the waist. And most of the other undead are constantly grinning. It’s meant to be unsettling, but more often comes off as horror-cliché goofy. Maybe they’re just showing off their gleaming white choppers after a trip to the Further’s dental clinic. Look ma, no cavities!
The plot gets a bit confusing, especially for anyone who’s late to the Insidious game. So much so that a crucial plan unfolds using grapefruits to represent various characters, what they’re supposed to do and where they’re supposed to go. Yes, seriously. Or should I say, citrus-ly.
Young Island Austin (yes, that’s her name) does a commendable job in the role of Gemma’s daughter, menaced alongside her mother. Teen actress Charli Penton plays little Gemma in flashbacks. Brandon Perea is Gemma’s squeeze, a local cop who never learned about battling the undead in police academy. Maisie Richardson-Sellers is an entrancing tattoo artist.
But the scares aren’t very scarifying, the terror isn’t really terrifying, the goblins not so horrifying. Maybe, after 17 years and half a dozen movies, it’s finally time to say a fright-night farewell to this beyond-the-grave saga.
Thanks for the monstrous memories, and don’t forget to get your teeth cleaned.
—Neil Pond