Movie Review: Insidious-The Last Key

  

Critics have called it the number one most discussed movie of 2018, the number twomost shared movie of 2018, and the movie is still breaking scary box office records. This movie is Insidious: The Last Key, the sequel to Insidious: Chapter 3. No matter how many other times you’ve seen any Insidious movie, Insidious: The Last Key will have you frightened for 103 minutes. Director Adam Robitel did a phenomenal job in the Insidious franchise finale with this film.

To fully grasp this film, it is highly encouraged to watch the previous three movies in the franchise. Insidious: The Last Key explores deeper the life of Elise Rainier (Lin Shayne), who works as a paranormal investigator. The film begins in 1953 in Elise’s haunted house in a deserted area of New Mexico. Elise, who lives with her brother and parents, claims to encounter the ghosts of the nearby prisoners. Elise’s father, Gerald, works as an executioner at the nearby prison. Elise’s constant claims of encountering ghosts infuriate Gerald, thinking that she is making this up and causing commotion inside the household. After Elise is physically abused by her father, she is sent to the basement. Shortly, her mother frantically rushed to the basement to look for Elise, but suddenly, she froze—Elise had been possessed.

Decades after, Elise receives a call from a customer in New Mexico named Ted Garza. Elise quickly replies that she is unable to cooperate because she no longer works in that state, until he gives her the address. Elise realized, it wasn’t just an ordinary address he was calling about—413 Apple Tree Lane in Five Keys, N.M. That address was Elise’s childhood cursed house. Suddenly, all her tormented childhood memories stormed in her mind and she couldn’t do anything but immediately accept the challenge. Elisa briefly explains to her colleagues, Specs (Leigh Whannell) and Tucker (Angus Sampson), about her childhood traumatic experience before they embark on a road trip to New Mexico for this spine-chilling challenge.

Upon their arrival in New Mexico, they meet Mr. Garza, the current resident of the house. Elise shares with him her experience in the house as a young girl and where she had ghostly encounters, which were mainly in her room. Elise does a walk through around the house that same night with a night vision camera while her colleagues wait outside in the bus. Elise stumbles across childhood artifacts, such as the whistle her brother Christian would use to call his mother when he got scared. Suddenly, Elise gets attacked by a ghost and quickly vanishes the scene.

The crew meets Christian’s daughters the following morning at a local diner. Elise informs Melissa (Spencer Locke) about Christian’s whistle in an attempt to heal their distant relationship. That night, the crew hears the whistle numerous times in the basement. The whistle is a ghost indicating that they have trapped someone, Melissa. Elise, determined to rescue Melissa, confronts the ghost in the basement while reliving many of her childhood experiences in that area. Melissa’s spirit then returns to her body, indicating she is back to life. Christian then forgives Elise before she heads back home.

Overall, Insidious: The Last Key was a remarkable movie. This film was a great finale for the prequels, which started in 2011 when the first Insidious was released. If you are looking for a suspenseful, alarming film to have you on the edge of your seat, Insidious is a must-see. Insidious: The Last Key attached all the previous Insidious movies in an invigorating manner that will not disappoint the viewers. From the moment it starts until the moment it ends, this film will have you on your toes.