‘Insidious: Out of the Further’ Rotten Tomatoes Score Puts the Horror Franchise Near the Top of Its Own Chart
Horror franchises rarely make it past a fourth or fifth chapter without critics writing them off entirely, yet the ‘Insidious’ universe keeps finding ways to survive. The franchise has managed to keep finding fresh angles more than a decade after James Wan and Leigh Whannell first cracked open the door to The Further, and that staying power is once again being tested with a brand new chapter hitting theaters this week.
That new chapter, ‘Insidious: Out of the Further,’ marks the sixth installment in the series and moves the story away from the Lambert family that anchored the first five films. The film follows Gemma, played by Amelia Eve, a young mother raising her daughter in the same house she grew up in, who discovers she can travel into The Further before realizing she can also pull whatever lurks there back into the real world with her.
Now the numbers are in, and according to Pop Base, ‘Insidious: Out of the Further’ has debuted with a 67 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, which the account is calling the second highest score in franchise history. That figure is based on 36 reviews, giving it a Rotten rating on the aggregator while still making it the best reviewed installment in the horror franchise.
For context, 2010’s original ‘Insidious’ has long been considered the series’ critical high point. That first film sits at 66 percent, followed by ‘Insidious: Chapter Three’ at 56 percent, ‘Insidious: The Red Door’ at 39 percent, ‘Insidious: Chapter 2’ at 38 percent, and ‘Insidious: The Last Key’ at 35 percent. The new film’s debut also breaks the franchise’s thirteen year streak of landing on the Rotten side of the scale.
Critics themselves are split on whether the sequel earns its improved standing. IGN called it a better soft reboot than a sixth franchise entry has any right to be, praising it for delivering a popcorn rattling ride full of fun, creative scares, while other outlets have been far less charitable. Jonathan Sim of ComingSoon.net offered a more measured take, writing that “Insidious: Out of the Further demonstrates that there is still gas in the tank for this franchise,” a sentiment shared by several reviewers even as others found the plot predictable.
Behind the camera, ‘Insidious: Out of the Further’ comes from writer director Jacob Chase, best known for 2020’s ‘Come Play.’ Chase based the story on an idea he developed with ‘The Conjuring 2’ writer David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, and the film introduces an entirely new family to torment while keeping series mainstay Lin Shaye anchored at its center as Elise Rainier. The cast also includes Brandon Perea and Maisie Richardson-Sellers, with production handled by Jason Blum, Oren Peli, James Wan, and Leigh Whannell.
‘Insidious: Out of the Further’ opens in theaters nationwide on August 21. With a stronger than expected critical reception behind it, the film now carries the pressure of proving whether horror fans will show up in the same numbers the reviews suggest they should. Does a near record Rotten Tomatoes score make you more likely to catch Gemma’s trip into The Further on opening weekend?
