Because Elsie died in the first film, Wan and Whannell had to find clever ways to bring back the film’s most exciting character. Portions of “Chapter 2,” as a result, take place in 1986, when Josh was a young boy. Thankfully, time has no meaning in The Further, allowing Josh to travel to his own past. “Insidious: Chapter 3,” meanwhile, took place in 2007, a few years before the events of the first film, and told the story of how Elsie first began working with Specs and Tucker. “Insidious: The Last Key” ties events to the 1950s in flashbacks, but then fast-forwards to 2010, immediately before the events of the first film.
“Insidious: The Red Door,” directed by Patrick Wilson in his directorial debut, will be the first “Insidious” film since the original to take place in the modern day.
As seen in the new trailer, both Josh and Dalton are struggling with repressed, sometimes-ghostly memories. Neither recalls anything about The Further or their unusual astral projection powers. An astute viewer will likely guess that “The Red Door” will be about how, even after a decade, The Further can still worm its way back into their minds, attracting the usual retinue of ghosts and demons.
Dalton is now old enough to move away to art school (Simpkins is 21), and Renai suggests that Josh drive Dalton to college in an attempt to reconnect after a between-films alienation. It also seems that Dalton’s creative process is intense enough to unlock deep wells of ghostliness in his mind, and his etchings will resurrect some familiar faces. Remember the Lipstick-Face Demon from the first film? He’ll be back.
