Insidious: Out of the Further First Reviews: Plenty of Jump Scares, a Few Surprising Laughs, and a Serviceable Story
Critics say the new chapter puts an intriguing spin on the franchise formula and does a solid job building tension, even if it loses steam and ultimately feels a bit predictable.
The supernatural horror movie Insidious: Out of the Further opens this weekend, and the first reviews are now online. This sixth entry in the Insidious franchise serves as a prequel to the previous installment, Insidious: The Red Door, which was a direct sequel to Insidious: Chapter 2, and it features Lin Shaye continuing her role as the medium Elise Rainier. While it’s not going to have the lowest Tomatometer score of the series, thanks to its general consistency for the fanbase and one noteworthy sequence, Out of the Further doesn’t seem to stand out in a year of more original horror releases.
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Here’s what critics are saying about Insidious: Out of the Further:
Is it a worthwhile addition to the franchise?
You’ll still squirm, yelp, and sense an elevated heart rate like in every Insidious prior.
– Matt Donato, Daily Dead
There are still tricks up its clammy, spume-flecked sleeve.
– Rocco T. Thompson, Slant Magazine
It’s one of 2026’s best surprises.
– Daniel Kurland, Dread Central
Chase and co have carefully crafted a solid sequel.
– Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction
Insidious: Out of the Further is not terrible. It is not exactly good either. It is a serviceable horror sequel.
– Nagier Chambers, Big Gold Belt Media
It manages to capture an engaging atmosphere before succumbing to tedious storytelling choices by the end.
– Josh Parham, Next Best Picture
The fun has almost completely evaporated.
– Scott Tobias, Guardian
Will devoted Insidious fans be happy with it?
Fans of the franchise won’t want to miss this one!
– Casey Chong, Fortress of Solitude
Insidious fans are getting a movie that reliably embodies the essence of the series down to its ghoulish core.
– Trace Sauveur, AwardsWatch
Insidious: Out of the Further retains enough of the franchise’s signature chills to fulfill expectations.
– Matt Donato, Daily Dead
Most fans will probably enjoy this entry as much as the previous movies.
– Allison Rose, FlickDirect
If one has already been invested in this franchise, then perhaps there is enough within Insidious: Out of the Further to warrant its inclusion.
– Josh Parham, Next Best Picture
It exhibits an admirable disinterest in converting newcomers, offering instead plenty of fan service while also finding a few dark corners and alleyways to explore in the Insidious mythos. And it does it with gusto.
– Rocco T. Thompson, Slant Magazine
Longtime fans will find plenty of callbacks here… But fan service can only carry so much weight.
– Nagier Chambers, Big Gold Belt Media
What if we’ve never seen an Insidious movie?
The best thing I can say for Jacob Chase’s crack at Blumhouse-Atomic Monster lore… is that it doesn’t require you to do any homework.
– Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire
Insidious: Out of the Further is a solid entry point for newbies.
– Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction
How does it compare to previous installments?
Insidious: Out of the Further emerges as one of the franchise’s best entries.
– Daniel Kurland, Dread Central
Out of the Further is a nice return to form.
– Amelia Emberwing, TheWrap
These are the instances that show some impressive filmmaking, a far cry from the very cheap production that was apparent in the first film.
– Josh Parham, Next Best Picture
Unlike the disarmingly low-key and emotionally resonant Insidious: The Red Door, Chase’s film has the more-is-more quality of earlier entries, building upon the franchise lore and upping the ante to apocalyptic levels, emotions be damned.
– Rocco T. Thompson, Slant Magazine
Insidious: Out of The Further isn’t the franchise’s best or brightest entry, but it sustains a growing legacy that’s rarely dipped below acceptable quality thresholds.
– Matt Donato, Daily Dead
Is it reminiscent of any other movies?
It’s reminiscent of the outsized zaniness of movies like A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, its focus on spooky monsters and surreal dream logic cranked up a notch.
– Trace Sauveur, AwardsWatch
Gemma’s ability to pull entities out from The Further is a borrowed trick from the Freddy Krueger movies.
– Josh Parham, Next Best Picture
To say that Out of the Further… has the aura of one of the less popular A Nightmare on Elm Street and Poltergeist sequels may sound like a backhanded compliment.
– Rocco T. Thompson, Slant Magazine
There are so many moments where Out of the Further looks and feels just like Silent Hill and even Skinamarink.
– Daniel Kurland, Dread Central
Several shots… pay homage to the horror greats, but in a film that’s so full of (well-used) jump scares, it’s the callout to the quietness of Bryan Bertino’s The Strangers that stood out the most.
– Amelia Emberwing, TheWrap
Does it have a sense of humor?
The film captures a deliciously jovial tone in some set pieces that verge on the comical. Some of that feels intentional.
– Josh Parham, Next Best Picture
Some moments are clearly meant to scare you but land closer to unintentional comedy.
– Nagier Chambers, Big Gold Belt Media
There are more than a few moments that are outright comical. The flashes of humor aren’t distracting, but not since Specs and Tucker has the Insidious franchise been this funny.
– Amelia Emberwing, TheWrap
There’s also a goofiness to Insidious: Out of the Further that I wasn’t expecting… Don’t expect a horror-comedy. But don’t be surprised if you chuckle more than you predicted, either.
– Matt Donato, Daily Dead
Is it scary?
It’s the scariest Insidious sequel yet.
– Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction
Some of 2026’s most innovative and satisfying scares are hiding in Insidious: Out of the Further.
– Daniel Kurland, Dread Central
Out of the Further wastes no time when it comes to delivering scares.
– Amelia Emberwing, TheWrap
Jump scares are abundant throughout Out of the Further.
– Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire
The jump scares are familiar, but a few still land because the film knows how to delay the payoff long enough to make you tense. There are also some surprisingly gross practical moments help give the horror a nastier texture when the movie needs it.
– Nagier Chambers, Big Gold Belt Media
There’s ferocity to Chase’s frights when he lands a loaded punch, and an overall ick factor well within PG-13 guidelines… It might not be the most terrifying Insidious, but it’s no slouch, either.
– Matt Donato, Daily Dead
Sometimes you’re in the moment facing the fear along with the characters; other times it feels like you’ve been transported to a live stage show, performed by enthused theater actors at Halloween Horror Nights.
– Trace Sauveur, AwardsWatch
The scares become far less impactful when the antagonist’s plan just doesn’t seem particularly engaging.
– Josh Parham, Next Best Picture
Was Jacob Chase the right director to handle this installment?
There’s something admirable in a filmmaker who can step in and attune himself to the assignment the way Chase does here.
– Trace Sauveur, AwardsWatch
He does manage to demonstrate a capable understanding of building tension within the film’s first act.
– Josh Parham, Next Best Picture
Chase handles suspense adeptly with an assured visual dexterity that’s strikingly similar to his debut feature Come Play, making him the ideal candidate to impose his strong sensibilities on this entry.
– Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction
Chase does a solid job creating those “did I just see that?” moments.
– Nagier Chambers, Big Gold Belt Media
He may have lacked James Wan’s timing and technical precision seen in the first two movies, but Chase still deserves credit in this movie.
– Casey Chong, Fortress of Solitude
Chase takes all of this hokum too seriously, and the film eventually dips into a harried spectacle of dodgy effects and ghost-foiling tactics that seem to be improvised on the fly.
– Scott Tobias, Guardian
How is the script?
Johnson-McGoldrick and Chase’s screenplay is about as predictable as they come… thanks to relatively weak writing. Still, the middling script is only actively annoying when it treats its reveals as some sort of surprise rather than a foregone conclusion.
– Amelia Emberwing, TheWrap
Chase’s screenplay immediately feels the need to elevate the material… It’s not a particularly engrossing thematic commentary, but at least it is some sort of foundation.
– Josh Parham, Next Best Picture
Chase’s cloyingly sentimental screenplay lays a generic foundation.
– Matt Donato, Daily Dead
Are there any performances worth mentioning?
Amelia Eve absolutely sells Gemma’s pain, fear, and the psychic scars that she carries… It’s a fantastic performance that still manages to stand out and leave an impression in a year that’s been full of strong horror performances.
– Daniel Kurland, Dread Central
Amelia Eve brings a competent emotional depth to her trauma-ridden role as the new protagonist.
– Casey Chong, Fortress of Solitude
It’s [Island Austin] who stands out in a powerhouse performance in the latter half of the picture. She elevates a would-be thankless role, delivering grounding, humanistic work.
– Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction
Does the movie have any major highlights?
Admittedly, the filmmaking includes impressive sequences that demonstrate a clear understanding of how to build dread creatively.
– Josh Parham, Next Best Picture
Out of the Further features some of the more unique set pieces in the often unadventurously consistent series.
– Rocco T. Thompson, Slant Magazine
There’s a brilliant pillow fort sequence that’s not just a standout in Out of the Further, but one of the best set pieces from the entire Insidious franchise.
– Daniel Kurland, Dread Central
Chase pulls off a white-knuckle sequence where Gemma crawls into her daughter’s couch fort and the cushions expand into thin, beige corridors, like a cross between Alice in Wonderland and the banal, featureless liminal spaces in Backrooms.
– Scott Tobias, Guardian
One nifty sequence in a movie almost perversely lacking in them: Gemma crawls into one of Maya’s world-famous pillow forts, only to end up contorting herself through a liminal space of endless couch cushions to evade a Further-sent elderly demon.
– Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire
The finale is satisfying in the way franchise horror sometimes can be: messy, familiar, but just clever enough to leave you less annoyed than you were 20 minutes earlier. It sticks the landing better than the build-up deserves.
– Nagier Chambers, Big Gold Belt Media
What are its biggest problems?
It still features its share of dumb moments and contrivances.
– Daniel Kurland, Dread Central
The film often feels less exciting than its premise.
– Nagier Chambers, Big Gold Belt Media
The biggest problem lies in the movie’s limited geography and action, sticking to the same old haunted-house setting, resulting in the chilling what-if scenario of The Further extending beyond its purgatorial dimension ending up as a disappointingly scaled-down climax.
– Casey Chong, Fortress of Solitude
Not every risk Chase takes pays off — that third act gets murky.
– Matt Donato, Daily Dead
The ending leaves a little bit to be desired.
– Allison Rose, FlickDirect
Is there still room for Insidious movies these days?
In a year of horror directors making their mark… [Chase] proves the machine still runs, and for a franchise this many entries deep, that can be seen as its own kind of achievement.
– Trace Sauveur, AwardsWatch
For many devoted fright seekers, there’s joy to be found in an established series still experimenting with new ways to iterate on its foundational ideas.
– Rocco T. Thompson, Slant Magazine
You almost have to respect horror franchises that have managed to survive for so long… Diminishing returns are inevitable, but longevity and perseverance are commendable qualities as well.
– Josh Parham, Next Best Picture
[This is] an encouraging turning point for the horror franchise that, in some ways, feels like it’s just getting started.
– Daniel Kurland, Dread Central
At a certain point, the audience might start to feel as evidently bored as the filmmakers.
– Scott Tobias, Guardian
Insidious: Out of the Further is in theaters on August 21, 2026. Buy tickets on Fandango.
