‘Insidious: The Last Key’: 4th 'Insidious' movie demeans the series

Help! I'm being menaced by a key-fingered demon! No wonder the producers hired me right after I told them my name - Spencer Locke. Photo: Sony Pictures

After a blood-chilling debut, the Insidious franchise has tried to stay vital by getting viewers thoroughly invested in the struggles of its fan-favourite protagonist Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) – a challenge, considering that the demonologist/psychic was killed off in the first movie.

Series writer Leigh Whannell, who also appears in the films as the paranormal investigator Specs, kept her “alive” as a spirit in the sequel, and then simply made the next two films prequels.