Insidious: The Red Door's Most Stomach Churning Moments, Ranked
The following post contains spoilers for "Insidious: The Red Door."
In 2010, "Insidious," written by Leigh Whannell and directed by James Wan, broke through in a major way at the box office, earning over $100 million on a meager $1.5 million budget. The paranormal horror focuses on a family that discovers a dimension of demonic spirits known as The Further.
Thanks to the phenomenal success of James Wan's film, "Insidious" has spawned a franchise of its own, and its fifth installment, "Insidious: The Red Door," is finally here. Set nearly a decade after the end of the second film (the two previous entries having been prequels), the film catches up with the now-divorced Josh (Patrick Wilson) and his son Dalton (Ty Simpkins), who's heading off to college just as their past catches up with them in devastating ways.
Directed by Patrick Wilson — making his directorial debut — "Insidious: The Red Door" is a reliable and satisfying conclusion to the Lambert family's story. It's also chock-full of terrifying moments. Here are the most stomach-churning scares, ranked.
14. Forgetting The Further
One of the great parts of loving a long-running franchise is seeing the way later films call back to previous installments. The lineage of the "Insidious" franchise is a bit complicated for newcomers — while "The Red Door" is actually the fifth film in the series, it's the first direct sequel to "Insidious: Chapter 2" (the third and fourth films tell the story of an entirely different family).
"Insidious: The Red Door" opens with a scene that will feel immediately familiar to "Insidious" fans. Ripped straight from the end of "Insidious: Chapter 2," we see a young Dalton sitting with his father Josh and mother Renai (Rose Byrne) on the couch. A demonologist hypnotizes Dalton and Josh to have them forget that their encounter with The Further ever happened.
The scene is deeply disturbing as it not only reminds audiences of all the horrors of the previous film, but the intense, molasses-slow zoom on Josh's face creates a queasy feeling that simply forgetting The Further and moving on will be practically impossible. There's plenty more terror to come.
13. What's the Weirdest Thing About You?
It all starts innocuously enough — Dalton and his new friend Chris (Sinclair Daniel) are hanging out in his dorm room. As a way to break the ice, Chris asks Dalton, "What's the weirdest thing about you?" Dalton's taken aback at first by the unexpected inquiry, but Chris reveals something strange about herself — on Sundays, she wears a monocle and orders takeout in a British accent.
Bemused, Dalton explains how sometimes he likes to eat oatmeal without any milk, enjoying the unexpected satisfaction of the dry texture. Chris is unimpressed — it's really not that weird, she says — but something about Chris' nature allows Dalton to open up. He reveals something genuinely very weird about him: he has absolutely no memory of his life when he was 10 years old. Dalton has forgotten what happened to him as a child (in the first two "Insidious" films), and as far as he knows, he was in a coma.
This moment in "The Red Door" is one of the few scenes that doesn't have any intention of freaking the audience out. In a film about coming to terms with your past, Dalton's realization that his childhood was nothing short of awful is heartbreaking. The moment has a deceptive way of getting under your skin, and the unexpectedly stomach-churning aspects of it creep on you. The reality of Dalton's devastating childhood holds just as much weight as a shocking jump scare.
12. Lights Out
Dalton is pretty cagey for much of "Insidious: The Red Door." That can feel frustrating as we don't know much about him, beyond what we've seen from his childhood in the first two "Insidious" films. One thing he makes very clear to Chris is that he's terrified of the dark, even bringing a nightlight with him to college. Of course, since we're watching a horror film, you better believe Dalton's going to have some pretty upsetting experiences in the dark.
One of the most chilling occurs when Dalton's alone in his room. He hangs his painting of the red door on the wall, and as if by magic, the lights go out — even his nightlight blows out. As someone petrified of the dark, Dalton has another backup. But when he turns on his lamp, it emits a sinister red light that drenches everything in the room. Baffled, Dalton inspects the lightbulb, stunned to discover it's covered in blood.
That's not the only thing covered in blood — the other bed in the room is adorned with a bloody handprint that matches his own hand. Dalton tries to get the bloodstain out of the sheets for quite some time, lulling us into a (vague) sense of comfort — at least he's not being attacked! Of course, that's exactly what the film wants, as the moment he turns around he's leapt on by a giant entity obscured by a bedsheet. Legitimately blood-curdling stuff.
11. Memory Game
After an awful MRI experience, Josh is advised by his doctor to partake in some memory games to try and boost his brain activity, despite the scan not revealing any issues (suggesting the nightmarish occurrence happened in Josh's mind).
That's advice Josh will gladly take. We find him at home doing exactly that, putting his memory to the test by placing a series of images on the window facing outward. Josh is struggling to remember the images, which is frustrating. But what's absolutely infuriating (albeit ultimately very satisfying) is the way the scene messes with the audience. When Josh lifts one of the pictures, we see a figure standing at the end of his driveway — something Josh himself is blissfully unaware of. It's torturous to watch the figure get closer and closer while our protagonist doesn't have the slightest clue.
The scene plays upon the texting scene earlier in the movie, but this time, instead of the figure disappearing, it smashes through the window and attacks Josh. It's an unexpected diversion as "The Red Door" has trained us to think the man will just go away, and subverting those expectations results in genuine fright. What makes the whole scene especially creepy is the aftermath of the attack, in which Josh realizes the spirit of the man attacking him is none other than Ben Burton (David Call) — his deceased father.
10. Back to the Frat
As if one run-in with a vomit ghost wasn't enough, Dalton and Chris return to the frat with the precise aim of getting in touch with the ghost again. This time, though, they have a purpose: after astral projecting, Dalton has come to believe that the ghosts' cries of "close the door" were actually referencing the red door to The Further, so they've returned in search of answers. Easier said than done, of course.
Once the pair sneak back into the frat house, Chris helps Dalton induce astral projection so he can find the ghost. To the surprise of nobody, this doesn't go especially well. Chris counts Dalton down into slumber, allowing him to reach the other realm. The rooms fill with an ominous smoke as Dalton makes his way through the frat. Something's gone wrong — the demons from The Further are beginning to break through to Dalton's world, which means Chris is very much in danger. When he realizes this, it's almost too late; he's assaulted by an arm tearing through the wall, and Chris is being strangled to death by a stomach-churning gory monster. She gets resuscitated, but the interaction is almost lethal.
Up to this point, most of the threats we've seen have existed purely within Dalton or Josh's mind, so to see the actual reality of these monsters in the real world is hugely disturbing. Chris is easily the most charming, likable character in the movie, so seeing her life at risk is very scary indeed.
9. Into the Further
The relationship between Josh and Dalton has been tumultuous, to put it gently, in "Insidious: The Red Door." But when both father and son are in The Further, fighting for their lives, they're forced to work together and really test the strength of their relationship.
While their attempts to get out of The Further and avoid the aggressive pursuit of demon known as The Man with the Fire in his Face (aka the Lipstick-Face Demon) is frightening, what's really horrifying is what's happening in the real world. While Dalton is under astral projection, Chris tries to wake him up as what feels like an unlimited number of demons invade Dalton's bedroom. Their movements are erratic and skin-crawlingly creepy, as they jerk and slither around like the very things that inhabit your worst nightmares.
The gross-out qualities of the slithering demons are amplified by the intense emotions of the goings-on in The Further. Josh seeks to just run away from The Further and forget about it, but Dalton knows they need to face it and close the door for good. "Forgetting it doesn't work. We need to remember, even the things that hurt." Josh acquiesces, and the pair manage to close the door, causing the demons to vanish from the dorm, hopefully out of their lives forever.
8. Texting Dalton
Honestly, what's more stomach-churning than texting your distant, moody, possibly demonic teenager? That's what Josh finds himself doing after his mother's funeral. Alone in his car, Josh texts Dalton slowly and methodically — a nice touch given how unrealistically speedy texting often is in film. The camera remains totally still as Josh sits waiting for a response. I know what you're thinking — this doesn't sound scary!
While Josh waits for a reply from Dalton, there's something behind the car's rear window. It doesn't look like much at first — a blur that one could easily construe as a lens flare. But slowly — oh so gradually — director Patrick Wilson's camera sharpens the focus on the mysterious object. It's no mere passerby or a misplaced smudge. Instead, it's a man, menacingly but leisurely making his way toward Josh's car, and there's no doubt he's coming straight for him.
What makes the scene more uncomfortable is after Josh hears back from Dalton, he watches a video of Dalton as a baby. Mixing such a sweet, affectionate moment of Dalton's baby video with a mysterious man approaching Josh's car is downright queasy. Before the man makes contact, Josh leans over to the passenger seat to grab something, entirely obscuring our view of the lurking figure. Panic sets in as some sort of collision is anticipated, but when he returns to the driver's seat, the man has vanished. It's a great example of the sustained dread the "Insidious" franchise, and indeed "Insidious: The Red Door," is capable of.
7. The Man in the Painting
In "Insidious: The Red Door," Dalton finds himself trying to understand his past, which will, in turn, help him figure out who he really is. He returns to his painting of the red door throughout the film, each time adding more detail. One thing has been growing each time he paints — the image of some sort of creature in front of the door.
On a fateful phone call with his younger brother Foster (Andrew Astor), Dalton asks about when they were younger. Foster reveals that he has a distinct memory of them all hiding in the basement, terrified for their lives — something his mother Renai (Rose Byrne) has told him is just a dream. But Dalton starts to remember it too, and it's far more than a dream — it really happened to both of them.
Again, Dalton's body takes over his mind and continues painting the image of the red door. Finally, the monster guarding the door is revealed: in a shocking twist, that monster is none other than Dalton's own father, Josh. Reasonably horrified, tears stream down an astonished Dalton's face as he tries to reconcile the fact that the thing that scares him most is none other than his own father. While not a stomach-churning scene in the same way as a startling jump scare, this pivotal moment is the kind that burrows deep under your skin.
6. Reliving the Nightmare
Immediately after the discovery of Josh playing a prominent role in the painting, Dalton finds himself transported back in time to when he was just 10 years old, back in the basement. In one of the few terrifying moments to happen under bright lights, a college-aged Dalton watches his younger self, alongside his mother and brother as they cower in abject terror in the basement. He's not quite sure what his younger self is hiding from, but he soon comes to the realization that they're hiding from Josh, who's been possessed and coming to kill his family.
It's disturbing and highly stressful to watch Dalton relive such a traumatic childhood memory — so traumatic, in fact, that it's been locked away deep in the recesses of his mind. It's one of the most challenging moments in "The Red Door" to sit through, as seeing the horror in young children's eyes is bound to be deeply upsetting, and the fact that it's shot so well makes it exceptionally creepy. Good luck getting the image of Josh almost murdering his child with a hammer out of your mind.
5. Into The Further
After bucketloads of nightmares and emotional turmoil, Dalton finds himself deep inside The Further — specifically, into the lair of the red-faced demon that's been tormenting his family from the beginning. The demon's hideaway is a veritable cornucopia of scary movie tropes; sinister red lighting, menacing creatures soaked in blood, and mannequins resembling the Lambert family. Heck, there are even flashbacks to Dalton's childhood in the hospital, all set to haunting old-timey music.
Like the film's opening, it's a deliberate homage to a scene from the original "Insidious" movie, right down to the spine-tingling use of the song "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" by Tiny Tim. But the creep factor is cranked up to the max here: while the opening gave you the queasy feeling that something is coming, the lair is very much that something come to fruition. The editing ratchets up to a fever pitch, creating a sickening feeling in the pit of your stomach as Dalton tries to fight for his life in a place of unrelenting terror.
4. The Countdown
Hoping to get a fresh start at college, Dalton is particularly excited to start his promising art career. He's hugely inspired by the work of Professor Armagan (Hiam Abbass), who pushes Dalton and his fellow students to create truly memorable, lasting artwork. In an exercise on their first day of class, Armagan encourages everyone to create a new piece of work — "Draw whatever your soul brings forth," she says.
This, of course, has very different implications for Dalton, whose experiences with The Further — even if he's not aware of them — means his soul is a little more convoluted than the average person. Encouraged to bring out his ugliest, innermost thoughts, Armagan initiates a countdown from 10, which has a hypnotic effect on Dalton, who is capable of astral projection. When the countdown reaches zero, Dalton's body takes over, and he begins to furiously work with charcoal. The score is unbearably intense, overwhelming the senses while Dalton paints in all black, making it impossible to see what he's creating.
Suddenly, the charcoal snaps, causing Dalton to bleed — and when that happens, "The Red Door" unveils a wicked jump scare, cutting to Josh, waking from a nightmare. As a director, Patrick Wilson does such a great job immersing us in Dalton's painting that the scare is completely unexpected and absolutely terrifying as a result. But the charcoal breaking also causes Dalton to bleed, resulting in two red streaks of blood pouring down the painting — revealing that he's drawn none other than the red door.
3. A Simple MRI
Nobody wants to get an MRI. Sure, magnetic resonance imaging is an incredible scientific advancement that's proven vital for detecting a myriad of health problems. But the process of getting an MRI done is rather excruciating, requiring incredible stillness for long periods of time while you're essentially placed inside a rather claustrophobic tube. An MRI is exactly what Josh ends up getting to try to get to the bottom of the brain fog that's been plaguing him for what feels like years.
With the camera pressed tightly against Josh's face, we can practically feel how claustrophobic and uncomfortable Josh is feeling in the moment. MRI machines are also incredibly loud and the film leans into that with an almost overpowering effect. Suddenly, an uncomfortable situation turns into a bona fide nightmare when the power is cut, and Josh finds himself stuck in the machine. An eerie voice comes through, asking Josh, "Is someone in there with you?" and telling him, "The door is open." Josh can't make sense of it, but terror sets in when a hand crawls slowly into the frame, appearing millimeters from Josh's face. If that wasn't enough, complete horror ensues when a balding undead woman comes hurtling towards him in this incredibly compact space. Talk about a procedure from hell.
As if MRIs weren't agonizing enough, director Patrick Wilson takes them to a nauseating new level. I wouldn't be surprised if the film causes a downtick in MRI appointments for the foreseeable future.
2. A Man Possessed
"Insidious: The Red Door" has a lot of fun messing with its audience, especially in the dark. Indeed, that's a trope of the entire franchise, but it's implemented with incredible, nerve-shredding skill here. With all the lights out in the dormitory, Chris arrives at Dalton's room with a solution: a makeshift nightlight. She places it on the table and turns it on, illuminating Dalton's face. He has a blank expression, but Chris is too busy focusing on the light to see him.
But the nightlight goes out, and thanks to some deliciously atmospheric lighting, Dalton's face is completely obscured by pitch-black darkness, while we can still see Chris fiddling with the light. From what we've seen in The Further, we know it's a matter of time before Dalton becomes completely possessed, so these seemingly endless stretches of time his face is obscured are the very definition of stomach-churning. Over and over, the light goes on and off, not following any particular rhythm and putting the audience's heart rates into overdrive. Eventually, the reveal comes: Dalton is possessed.
As a director, Patrick Wilson has clearly learned a lot from starring in two previous "Insidious" films, and his affinity for classic horror shines through. His ability to draw out agony from his audience is extremely impressive — especially for his debut — and it never feels more excruciating (and for horror fans, more wonderful) than it does in this brutal, subtle sequence.
1. Alone in a Frat Room
Chris and Dalton's plan to amuse themselves by going to a frat party for the sole purpose of making fun of it seems to be going smoothly until Chris leaves Dalton alone in a bedroom to go off on some antics of her own. All Dalton has to do is wait quietly — something easier said than done when The Further is calling you.
A brief peaceful silence is interrupted by a most unpleasant sound, as somebody is throwing up in the bathroom. Dalton checks to see who needs help, only to find a young man keeled over the toilet. He begs Dalton to make it stop before telling him to close the door over and over. When he gets up and faces Dalton, he reveals himself to be some sort of vomit-caked demon ghost (which frankly is underselling how gross this guy is). Dalton obliges the creature's wishes, slamming the door in his face, and runs to hide under the bed.
This is all plenty frightening enough, but it becomes exponentially scarier — and more disgusting — with what happens next. Peering out from under the bed, Dalton sees the creature has emerged from the bathroom. Dalton attempts to escape, but is unsuccessful, emerging from under the bed to find the monster peering over him. It's already very scary but made utterly unbearable by the fact that it projectile vomits all over Dalton. Taking stomach-churning to the most literal extreme, there's is no moment more shocking — or disgusting — in "Insidious: The Red Door."