Insidious: Out of the Further

“Insidious: Out of the Further” opens with a young girl living in a troubled home. Her mother appears to be dealing with addiction, depression, or some other serious issue. We see the girl attempting to do her homework while her mother enters a state where she seems almost completely unaware of her surroundings or her daughter’s well-being.

Things quickly become darker, and then we jump forward 20 years. The little girl is now an adult working as a dental hygienist, and this becomes the setup for what is supposed to be the next chapter in the Insidious franchise.

Let’s start with the acting; it is okay. Honestly, it was difficult to focus much on the performances because everything surrounding them felt so unfamiliar for an Insidious movie. I actually love that they chose largely unknown actors. That can make a horror movie more intriguing because you aren’t distracted by recognizable celebrities. The problem here is that, combined with the new characters, new mythology, and new setting, there is very little anchoring me to the franchise.

Now to the plot

Here is the best analogy I can give:

This movie feeks like LaCroix with Insidious flavor. There are strong hints of Insidious in there, but the flavor is lacking.

The movie introduces so much new lore that the connection to the original franchise gets lost in translation. Familiar concepts and words occasionally pop up, including The Further and Travelers, but then we suddenly have new terminology, new rules, acolytes, a cult, and additional mythology that seems to come out of nowhere. If was a rubber band, this chapter stretches it so far it loses shape.

Even Elise’s connection to the story comes through a strange conduit-type form rather than giving us something that feels genuinely connected to the character and mythology we already know.

Now to objectionable content. From a Christian perspective, there is plenty. The film deals heavily with demons, possession, supernatural darkness, evil entities, and communication involving the dead. There is also some swearing and blood, although nothing is shown in an especially graphic or excessive way. Also, the plot implies self harm behaviors.

The much larger concern for Christian viewers is the spiritual content itself. As Christians, we have to recognize that the spiritual premise behind Insidious is not biblical. The idea of traveling into a spiritual realm, interacting with deceased loved ones, communicating with spirits, and navigating demons through these supernatural rules strongly contradicts a biblical understanding of the spiritual world.

That doesn’t mean Christians cannot recognize that something is fictional. It does mean we should be discerning about what a movie presents or implies as spiritual truth.

Scripture warns us against seeking communication with the dead, engaging with spirits, or dabbling in practices outside of God. Our response to evil is not to explore it, negotiate with it, or learn how to travel through its world. We reject it, rebuke it, and trust in God and His Word.

As for recommendation Biblically-speaking, I cannot recommend “Insidious: Out of the Further.” Its entire supernatural framework revolves around ideas that are contrary to Scripture, and Christian viewers should approach that content with discernment.

As a longtime fan of the Insidious franchise, I was disappointed for additional reasons. This movie takes an interesting established world and warps it into something almost entirely different for the sake of continuing the franchise. Skip it.

• Occult: Extreme
• Violence: Very Heavy —much blood, tortures, gore, murders, demonic attacks, numerous disturbing scenes of violence, including suicide by head bashing and bloody, agonizing dental torture
• Language: F-words (3), frickin, G*d, G*d d*mn, H*ly sh*t (2), a**, b*tch, s-words, and more
• Wokeism: Moderate
• Nudity: Moderate
• Sex: Mild
• Drugs/Alcohol: Mild

Be wise, every follower of Christ should avoid spiritual darkness and seek spiritual light

Learn about DISCERNMENT, wisdom in making personal entertainment decisions

Every time you buy a movie ticket or buy or rent a video you are in effect casting a vote telling Hollywood, “I’ll pay for that. That’s what I want.” Read our article

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.