What Happened to the Insidious Characters Before ‘The Red Door’?

The Big Picture

Elise Rainier is a crucial character in the Insidious franchise, using her psychic abilities to confront supernatural threats in the astral dimension known as "the Further."

The Lipstick-Face Demon, a recurring and horrifying antagonist in the series, is notorious for its chilling visage and insatiable thirst for life. Throughout the series, the Lambert family has confronted countless trials and brushes with the supernatural, ranging from possession and astral projection to fierce confrontations with malicious entities.

A ticking metronome lulls you into a state of relaxation. As you open your eyes, you find yourself in a room that appears different. It's not an entirely new space, but rather darker, with a thick fog hovering close to the ground. You might be unfamiliar with this place of shadows, or perhaps you've been here before. One thing is for certain - danger is lurking nearby, and it won't take long before it reveals itself. This is a place that the living should avoid, but movie audiences are in for a different experience. Indeed, we are about to delve into the spine-chilling world of Insidious, a franchise known for its eerie atmosphere and desaturated color grading reminiscent of Tim Burton movies.

In terms of the chronological order, the third and fourth Insidious movies serve as prequels, focusing on Elise Rainier (played by Lin Shaye) as the main character. Elise, a psychic medium, serves as the anchor in these films, radiating warmth and never underestimating the entities that reside in the astral dimension known as "the Further." Shaye's contribution to the series cannot be overlooked - she effortlessly delivers melodramatic lines that sound like genuine warnings, such as "If you call out to one of the dead, all of them can hear you."

Finally, Insidious: The Red Door brings the story to the modern day. Before its arrival on Netflix on November 4th, let's take a moment to reflect on where the previous movies left the central characters - both the benevolent and the malicious. It's time to journey Into the Further once again!

Insidious: The Red Door

The Lamberts must go deeper into The Further than ever before to put their demons to rest once and for all.

Release Date July 7, 2023Director Patrick WilsonCast Ty Simpkins, Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Andrew AstorRating PG-13Main Genre Horror

What Happens to Elise and Her Ghost Hunters in the Insidious Movies?

Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015) delves into the connection between Elise, the Spectral Sightings team of Specs (Leigh Whannell) and Tucker (Angus Sampson). As they work together to rescue a family in danger, Elise, still mourning her husband's death and facing a threat from the otherworldly realm known as the Further, realizes that she is destined to be killed by the malevolent Bride in Black entity. Despite this inevitable fate, Elise bravely faces her fears and embraces her new strength, forging a powerful alliance with Specs and Tucker.

In Insidious: The Last Key (2018), the audience gains insights into Elise's troubled past. She and her brother suffered abuse at the hands of their father, who was under the grip of a malevolent spirit. The presence of Specs and Tucker in the film helps to lighten the atmosphere, with Specs expressing his passion for rare pop culture collectibles and Tucker constantly snacking as they meet new clients. These quirks provide comic relief, proving to be funnier than a gag that overstays its welcome in the overly long fourth installment where Tucker describes Elise and Spectral Sightings as "She's psychic. We're sidekicks."

Who Is the Lipstick-Face Demon?

Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) sees the return of Specs and Tucker, the tech nerds who come back to aid the Lamberts in their continued haunting. However, without Elise, they find themselves lost. Their search for answers leads them to Carl (Steve Coulter), a nervous medium who relies on dice during his readings. Despite grieving their loss, the movie itself cannot let go of Elise. She reappears as a spirit, refusing to move on. In both life and death, Elise understands that she has more assistance to offer, delaying her reunion with her deceased husband. A young Jenna Ortega becomes part of the new family that requires Elise's expertise, and in the final moments of Chapter 2, Elise realizes that the most malevolent entity from the dark realm has returned.

Image via FilmDistrict

In Chapter 3 and The Last Key, the horrifying Lipstick-Face Demon (played by Joseph Bishara, who also composed the music for the movie) makes an appearance with a disappointing CGI face that aims for a jump scare. If this is the intended look for the Demon, it's understandable why some jokes have compared it to a wannabe Darth Maul. In the original Insidious (2011), Bishara transforms into the creature using makeup and prosthetics, resulting in a truly unsettling supernatural villain that can haunt your nightmares. The target of the Demon is Dalton (played by Ty Simpkins), one of the young sons of the Lambert family, whose body is almost completely possessed.

Out in the Further, a place of rare colors, the Lipstick-Face Demon resides. To enter its lair, one must walk through a corridor illuminated by flickering candelabras. Within a majestic mansion, adorned with ornate windows and a towering cathedral-like ceiling, a red light casts an eerie glow. In a room filled with marionette dolls, the Demon sharpens its claws while the haunting melodies of Tiny Tim play on a vintage phonograph. It is worth noting that director James Wan tarnished the innocence of Tiny Tim's falsetto vocals, which were once cherished by kids in the late '90s and early 2000s who associated them with the pilot episode of Spongebob Squarepants. Nevertheless, the Demon's insatiable desire is not for Krabby Patties, but for life itself. Despite Elise and Josh (played by Patrick Wilson) successfully saving Dalton, they have not definitively put an end to the menace of the Lipstick-Face Demon. It resurfaces in "The Red Door," unleashing its perilous presence once again, perhaps even more formidable than before.

What Happens to the Lambert Family?

Editor's P/S

As an Insidious fan, I am thrilled to see the return of the franchise with the upcoming release of "Insidious: The Red Door." The series has captivated audiences with its unique blend of horror and suspense, and I am eager to see what new scares and thrills await us in this latest installment.

One of the things I love most about the Insidious movies is the way they explore the concept of the astral plane and the dangers that lurk within it. The idea of being able to project one's consciousness into another realm is both fascinating and terrifying, and the Insidious movies do a great job of capturing the sense of wonder and dread that comes with exploring this unknown territory.