Film Review | Insidious: The Last Key

Insidious: The Last Key is directed by Adam Robitel and stars Lin Shaye.

Horror/Mystery/Thriller. Released 2018.

Before seeing this film, I didn't really have any expectations. They weren't high, nor were they low. Although I enjoy the previous entries in the Insidious franchise, I wasn't hugely concerned about whether this fourth entry was bad or good.

And it's alright. There isn't enough genuine substance and story to applaud it, however there is enough redeemable quality such as the lead performance and some inventive scares that prevent it from being bad. 

The prime reason I was engaged throughout The Last Key was because of the performance given by Lin Shaye, who is put at the epicentre of the story. Everything surrounds her, which is a very smart move and pretty much saves the film. Her performance is nuanced and intriguing from the get-go, allowing audiences to - at least - be interested in the character of Elise and her past.

The stories about her past are engaging, and I never lost all interest, however the ins-and-outs of Elise's past experiences are quite forgettable, and audiences will likely struggle to recall them only a few days after watching. Several story elements combined with Robitel's directing in the first act are adequate, and for a hot second I was enjoying The Last Key. However, as it progresses, there is no feeling of structure to the last two acts, and this lack of decisive structure is likely the reason as to why the events that occur are forgettable, because they all blur together and the film resultedly becomes slightly messy in regards to the story.

However, this is a horror film, and the central expectation of a horror film is for the scares to deliver, and Insidious: The Last Key met that expectation. Jump scares, lingering scares and even psychological, mundane scares were all effective and therefore Robitel is successful in this area, with the scary elements of The Last Key being the reason I remained engaged until the end. 

With effective scares and a strong lead,
The Last Key does the job but isn't much to remember.

If you love the Insidious franchise, this isn't so bad that it will disappoint you, but if you are new to the series, this isn't good enough to get you invested.