Insidious: The Last Key - Doesn't Scare, But Scars You

⏩Genre :- Horror/Thriller

⏩Run-time :- 1hrs 45 mins

⏩Cast :- Lin Shaye, Leigh Whannell, Angus Sampson

⏩Director :- Adam Robitel

⏩Plot – Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) is going on to examine the current supernatural troubles happening in a house in New Mexico, a home that Rainier used to live in, which will cause her to travel deeper into both her past and The Further.

⏩Direction and Screenplay :-

Being a prequel to the 2015's hit Insidious 3, this one serves as a back story of the famous demonologist Elise (Shaye) and her experiences in The Further.

▶Unfortunately, the writing by Leigh Whannell makes this one, nothing but a ghoulish offering, indicating that the franchise is coming to a close. The story itself also does not feel detrimental to the overarching plot of the series. Couple this with some fairly lifeless ghost scares which are unintentionally funny, making this the least engaging film in the series.

I honestly had huge huge expectations as Elise was going to be the heart of this installment. Unfortunately, all the jump scares and good part were revealed in all the trailers barring a major twist (which, according to me, is the only saving grace in the whole 103 mins film whatsoever).

▶Director Adam Robitel showed some serious potential when he helmed the found footage movie – The Taking Of Deborah Logan. And even though Adam used some beautiful shots which "could've been" used to scare the audience, the script fails to shoulder it and the movie falls into a chasm of boringness right within the first 15 minutes.

⏩Editing and Cinematography :-

▶Editing by Timothy Alverson is smooth but few glitches involving 2-3 flashback scenes, makes the viewers quite uncomfortable as the seam seems (see what I did there? :P) lost in transition.

▶Cinematography by Toby Oliver is quite appealing and favors the atmosphere of the film. The dark blues and heavy smokes, make scenes set in "The Further," particularly grim. Also, there are 3 scenes towards the beginning for which Mr. Oliver deserves a round of applause. (Come-on, clap!)

⏩Music :-

▶Apart from Lin Shaye, the background score is actually what makes the film bearable. Well, I don't know about the Last Key but the key to raising the hair at the back of your head is the spine chilling music by Joseph Bishara (who incidentally was the lipstick demon in the original film, if you don't already know). The haunting and creepy soundtrack coupled with Lin Shaye's delivery makes sure you don't get up from your seat.


⏩The Highs -

▶The narrative is more focused in the character building of our hero, giving us more of a look at where this woman comes from and how her abilities have shaped her life.

▶Tucker and Specs are the highlights and act as apt comic reliefs once again. These two have so much potential, I wonder why isn't their dark comedy spin-off in works already!?

▶Javier Botet (REC, Mama, Crimson Peak,etc Why am I even... Just google him you guys!) who plays the central ghost and has now become the go to guy for playing spooky monsters thanks to his Marfan Syndrome affliction. This guy nailed it with just his hand gestures, making the key-fingered monstrosity, already my favorite creation.

▶Whannell’s screenplay is based on the idea that humanity is at times as monstrous as the creatures that roam in the night but the very idea succumbs because of the pressure of justifying the genre, leaving your satisfaction somewhere in between.

⏩The Lows -

▶Failure in creating a scary atmosphere. There’s rarely a sense of true and absolute danger to the main characters let alone the audience.

▶Way too many loose ends. The storyline is so messy, that one particular scene was so out of character for Elise, it ruined her development over the last 3 parts. Sore!

▶A good horror movie is like the process of good sex, it makes you scream! And as a horror flick, Insidious is so immature, you’ll want to leave way before the climax

▶In one particular scene, Elise' niece is pinned down on the ground by KeyFace (This is they've used in the credits. I am not even kidding) and he is progressing towards her... (wait for it) What was supposed to be scary and intense gets hilariously stupid as the lady keeps on making moaning sounds constantly for about a minute, till the Key Monster reaches her! I know, right?
The whole theater broke into laughter because... Hey! What else are you expecting when your camera is shamelessly focused on the movement of the subject's assets as she is hyperventilating while producing moaning sounds. *Scoffs*



⏩ Performances :-

▶Taking a moment here to appreciate the fact that this generally successful horror franchise installment has a woman in her 70s as the lead character who is a well-reasoned badass who displays equal measure of compassion and badassery.
Lin Shaye is just what this film needed.

▶Leigh Whannell and Angus Sampson as nerdy ghostbusters are fun for most of the part but go over the board sometimes as they awkwardly creep on starlets half their age.

Also, the line -
"She is the psychic and we are sidekicks," made me cringe over and over. (*Mouths* No, seriously! Who says that?🙄)

⏩Watch o Not ?
Uh... Skip? Maybe.
The demonic creature itself in this film does not have much time to shine and while the finger gag is unique and intriguing, its overall design is lackluster compared to past antagonists like the Lipstick-Face Demon from the first film.

Also, where the fuck did the alien-esque monster go? 😭

⏩Verdict :
The fourth film in the “Insidious” tetralogy is only worth your time if you are an avid horror enthusiast or a fan of the Insidious concept. For the vast majority of the general public, the film will fail to attract any new fans. While the past films featured well-crafted sequences of spookiness (which “The Last Key” contains in fleeting glimpses), this film really should be the last “Insidious” sequel.
But this chapter gives Lin Shaye, a new relative who’s also a poltergeist whisperer. So more installments can be expected. 🙄

⏩ Ratings -  2/5