Is Darth Maul in ‘Insidious’? & Why Does He Look Like the Demon?

Darth Maul is one of the most iconic villains in terms of his design because his aesthetics make him look a lot more menacing than the other Sith Lords we’ve seen in Star Wars. Of course, Maul has both the power and skills that allow him to become a fearsome villain that fans love. But while Maul has only canonically appeared in Star Wars as a character, some fans believe that he may be the same demon they saw during the events of the Insidious horror movie. So, is Darth Maul in Insidious?

Darth Maul is not in Insidious because the Insidious franchise is totally different from the Star Wars franchise. Instead, the demon seen in Insidious is called the Lipstick-Face Demon. Fans only believe this demon was Darth Maul because they share the same black and red color scheme.

The fact that Maul looks like the very same demon that appeared in Insidious is proof of his impact on popular culture, as there has never been a character with the same fearsome demonic look that he comes with. Then again, while we can’t say for sure unless it is confirmed, it appears that Maul’s haunting and menacing look inspired the Lipstick-Face demon. Now, let’s look into this topic in greater detail.

The Lipstick-Face Demon Explained

One of the characters that have been very prominent in the world of Star Wars is Darth Maul. Of course, the reason why Maul is as popular as he is can be attributed to his fearsome look and his menacing aura. There’s also the fact that he belongs to one of the most popular movie franchises of all time. And while Star Wars is on an entirely different level in terms of its popularity, other movie franchises are rising in terms of their popularity.

Insidious is one of the most popular movie franchises in the horror genre because it revolutionized the jump-scare tactic that has forced fans to scream their lungs out in movie theaters. One of the earliest scary moments in Insidious took place in the 2011 Insidious movie when a red-faced figure appeared behind Patrick Wilson’s Josh Lambert character. And some fans quickly said there are similarities between this figure and the ever-popular Darth Maul.

Of course, it goes without saying that Darth Maul isn’t in the Insidious movie because he is a different character from a totally different franchise with no relation to it. Instead, this figure suddenly appearing out of nowhere is often called the Lipstick-Face Demon.

In the first Insidious movie, the Demon targeted Dalton Lambert because of the child’s supernatural ability of astral projection. His spiritual energy and innocence made him an easy target to lure into the Further so that the Lipstick-Face Demon could capture him and use him for his nefarious purposes. 

The Demon successfully captured and chained him to the floor, where he was presumably tortured while in the Further. Luckily for Dalton, his father was able to make his way into the lair of the Demon, as Josh was able to reunite with his son to unchain him from the floor. But the Lipstick-Face Demon, in the opposite room sharpening his claws, attacks the two. The father and son duo tried to escape while the Demon pursued him.

Dalton hid in his parents’ bedroom but was caught by the Demon. However, he ended up escaping from the Lipstick-Face Demon despite how fiercely the menacing creature chased him and his father throughout the climax portion of the movie.

While he was never a very important character again, the Lipstick-Face Demon made another appearance at the end of Insidious: Chapter 2. This happened at the end of the movie when he took control of a little girl to scare Elise, as it was clear that his shadow was looming over the girl.

Meanwhile, the Lipstick-Face Demon reappeared at the end of Insidious: Chapter 3 in another cameo appearance. This happened when Elise returned home to prepare for bed. However, she noticed that the dog was barking in the darkness. And as Elise looked at the spot where the dog was barking, the Lipstick-Face Demon suddenly appeared behind her.

In that regard, the Lipstick-Face Demon is one of the antagonists of the entire Insidious franchise but served as a secondary antagonist in the subsequent movies. His popularity as a jump-scare character made him the best demon to use to add to the scare factor of the movies.

Why Does Darth Maul Look Like the Lipstick-Face Demon?

As mentioned, the demon in the Insidious franchise isn’t Darth Maul but is just a creature resembling him. After all, both Maul and the Lipstick-Face Demon belong to different universes and are entirely different in terms of their characters and their storylines. But why do they look alike?

Well, for starters, both Darth Maul and the Lipstick-Face Demon come with the same color scheme in that they are covered in black and red patterns all over their body. This allowed fans to immediately think that the demon in the Insidious movie is the Dathomiran Star Wars character that appeared in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. 

Of course, we never read anything about James Wan (the director of the Insidious movie) saying anything regarding the similarities between Darth Maul and the Lipstick-Face Demon. That means that we cannot conclude that he was inspired by Maul’s design. But we can say that Maul’s menacing look is so popular and iconic that people immediately remember him whenever they see a similarly menacing demonic character with a red-and-black color scheme.