MOVIE REVIEW: INSIDIOUS: THE RED DOOR

 

Josh Lambert heads east to drop his son, Dalton, off at school. However, Dalton's college dream soon becomes a living nightmare when the repressed demons of his past suddenly return to haunt them both.

Director: Patrick Wilson

Cast: Patrick Wilson, Ty Simpkins, Andrew Astor, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, Hiam Abbass, Sinclair Daniel

Release Date: July 7, 2023

Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for violence, terror, frightening images, strong language and suggestive references

Runtime: 1h 47m

Insidious: The Red Door is a solid, if predictable, series closer for the long running horror series.  Patrick Wilson stars and directs the film with a confident steady, hand as he sets up a series of traditional scares where something is always lurking in the background.  Wilson's director debut leans on old school horror set ups by building tension before delivering a quick shock.  He proves more than capable of setting up these sequences even though you get a sense that he's using a rinse and repeat method that dulls the overall effect.   On screen, Ty Simpkins carries the lions share of the screen time with Wilson's character playing more of a supporting role in this entry along with Rose Byrne whose appearance is more of an extended cameo.  Simpkins, who grew up in the role, is solid throughout even if the trauma slant feels rather quaint by this point after a series of other horror films have covered the same territory.  Sinclair Daniel's turn as his roommates brings some fun to the proceedings even though her character's interest in helping him even if it puts her in harms way never really makes much sense.  Still, the pair are fun together especially a couple of sequences in a frat house.  The rest of the film does serve as wrap up for the overall story set up over the last four films.  As such, Insidious: The Red Door isn't the best entry point for newcomers since you'll need some knowledge of the previous films and mythology in order to understand why everything is happening. 

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: HELLRAISER

 

A young woman must confront the sadistic, supernatural forces behind an enigmatic puzzle box responsible for her brother's disappearance.

Director: David Bruckner

Cast: Odessa A'zion, Jamie Clayton, Brandon Flynn, Goran Višnjić, Drew Starkey, Adam Faison, Aoife Hinds, Selina Lo, Hiam Abbass

Release Date: September 28, 2022

Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Rated R for strong bloody horror violence and gore, language throughout, some sexual content and brief graphic nudity.

Runtime: 2h 1m

Review:

David Bruckner's, who directed the underseen 2020 horror gem The Night House, attempt at resurrecting the Hellraiser franchise is competent it’s not quite the home run long suffering fans were hoping for.  Bruckner captures a lot of the mood and looks of the first two film's albeit in a glossier veneer.  He's clearly a fan of the series and he delivers plenty of horrific skin tearing gore and visions that nails this very specific aesthetic.  The new Cenobites designs are familiar enough to keep fans happy along with some interesting new variations for some variety.  Unfortunately, they decided to drop the S&M black patent leather in favor of white which doesn't do the costuming any favors, leaving some close ups looking more like molded latex than the flayed flesh they are supposed to be which kills some of the effect.  Jamie Clayton does a solid job taking over Doug Bradley’s iconic Pinhead by giving a distinct but familiar performance.  She nails the creepiness but doesn't quite nail the subtle but ever present menace behind Bradley's delivery.  The script doesn't give her much help by making the primary human characters, lead by Odessa A'zion, utterly uninteresting and downright stupid in large portions of the film.  Goran Višnjić's Roland Voight is far more interesting for a variety of reasons, but the film decides to only use the character in the opening and final acts which seems like a waste.  As is, this reboot of the Hellraiser franchise checks enough boxes to make it passable but doesn't do anything special enough to make it memorable.

C