Fans of the Insidious franchise may not be waiting for a sequel or prequel, because the best of Insidious got over after Chapter 2 released. Yet there came Chapter 3 which was weak on the plot but strong on the horror shots, and here comes Chapter 4 (The Last Key), ambling on similar lines. But what The Last Key does best is establish a strong foundation in terms of Elise’s childhood, and play around that throughout the plot.
Insidious: The Last Key is about the horrifying past of Elise, and how she returns to face the evils that still haunt her house. The movie starts slow, taking its time to get to the point. The slow pace does not make you restless though because it cuts to the chase, terrifies you and shoots back to the story.
Somewhere at the end of the movie, when a reasonable justification is provided for the occurrence of the events, Insidious-geeks will realise how the concept is disturbingly similar to Chapter 2.
Visual and special effects are few and far between, but chilling and hair-raising nonetheless. The dark alleys, lengthy corridors with prisons on either end, smoke rising from the passages of The Further and the red door separating real world from the astral dimension are quite simple, yet impactful visuals, thanks to studios Rez-Illusion, Point 360 and Wolverine VFX. Apart from that, there is the ghost with the index finger in the form of a key, and a handful of horrible looking people. Jamison Scott Goei has worked as a visual effects supervisor.
The Last Key stays true to its legacy however in terms of the lighting, sounds and cinematography. These three elements combine powerfully and serve a great deal (more than the plot and amount of horror) in keeping you hooked to the flick.
Tucker (Angus Sampson) and Specs (Leigh Whannell) add light humour throughout and the new characters introduced blend pleasantly and seamlessly into the plot. Lin Shaye (Elise Rainier) does a commendable job in terms of acting, like always, keeping the otherwise inconsistent storyline together.
Verdict: Insidious: The Last Key does not have as much to offer as its predecessors Chapter 1 and Chapter 2. It also cannot be said to come at par with Chapter 3. However, if you are an Insidious buff, go to get your share of the Insidious bite in the horror-genre platter. If you are someone who does not follow the franchise, The Last Key will be a good start since it revolves around Elise’s past, helping you establish a base. Lastly, for those who are looking at only the horror content, don’t go.
Directed by Adam Robitel, produced by Jason Blum, Oren Peli, James Wan, Leigh Whannell and written by Leigh Whannell, Insidious: The Last Key is distributed by Universal Pictures and Sony Pictures and releases on 5 January, 2018.
