Insidious is a series of American horror films created by James Wan and Leigh Whannell. There are four films in the franchise-–Insidious, ', ', and --which have grossed a total of $539million worldwide on a combined budget of $26.5million. The first two films were directed by Wan, the third by Whannell, who also served as the screenwriter for all four films. Adam Robitel directed the fourth installment. FilmDistrict released the first and second films, while Focus Features and Universal Pictures handled the third and fourth, respectively. The first two films center on a couple who, after their son mysteriously enters a comatose state and becomes a vessel for ghosts in an astral plane, are continuously haunted by demons of a hellish realm known as the Further until they take from the family what they want most: life. The third film, a prequel, focuses on the same psychic who helped the family; this time she comes to the aid of a young girl who calls out to the dead, and the fourth follows her when her own family becomes haunted. All plots are depicted as case files of demonologists.
Films
''Insidious'' (2010)
Insidious was directed by Wan, written by Whannell, and starred Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne and Barbara Hershey. The story centers on a couple whose son inexplicably enters a comatose state and becomes a vessel for ghosts in an astral dimension. The film was released in theaters on April 1, 2011, and is FilmDistrict's first theatrical release. A sequel, , was released on September 13, 2013, with Wan returning as director and Whannell returning as screenwriter. The film's success led to it being used as inspiration for a maze in Universal's 2013 Halloween Horror Nights.
''Insidious: Chapter 2'' (2013)
Insidious: Chapter 2 was also directed by Wan and written by Whannell. The film stars Wilson and Byrne reprising their roles as Josh and Renai Lambert, a husband and wife who seek to uncover the secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world. The film was released on September 13, 2013. It was a box-office success, grossing over $160million worldwide, but received mixed reviews.
''Insidious: Chapter 3'' (2015)
Insidious: Chapter 3 is the third film in the series, written and directed by Whannell. The film is a prequel to the haunting of the Lambert family in the first two films, and stars Stefanie Scott, Dermot Mulroney, Lin Shaye, and Whannell. It's about a girl—Quinn—who is haunted by a demon after trying to call out to her mother Lillith, who died. It was released on June 5, 2015.
''Insidious: The Last Key'' (2018)
Prior to the release of Insidious: Chapter 3, Whannell was asked, "If there is a Insidious: Chapter 4, would that be a sequel to Chapter 3, another prequel to the original or will it continue in this timeline or go to a whole new timeline?" Whannell replied: On May 16, 2016, it was announced that Chapter 4 would have an October 20, 2017 release date with Whannell writing, Jason Blum, Oren Peli and Wan producing, Adam Robitel directing, and Shaye returning to reprise her role as Elise Rainier. On October 11, 2016, the film was given a new release date of January 2018.
Prior to the release of Insidious: The Last Key, Jason Blum stated that a crossover film between Insidious and Sinister had previously been in development, tentatively entitled Insinister, and that he personally believed it had potential for re-entering it, stating that "we're going to cross our worlds at some point".
Recurring cast and characters
Key
A indicates the actor portrayed the role in a flashback scene as a younger person.
A indicates the actor portrayed the role in a flashback scene as a child or teen.
