How to Watch the Insidious Movies In Order: A Guide to the Terrifying Journeys into the Further

Insidious has been bringing spine-chilling nightmares to the screen for nearly two decades.

Created by horror veterans Leigh Whannell and James Wan, the duo behind Saw, the long-running franchise follows the Lambert family and a paranormal investigator as they confront terrifying spirits and venture into a limbo realm known as the Further. The first film was released in 2010, and it starred Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne as Josh and Renai Lambert, a young couple who find themselves haunted by demons after their son mysteriously slips into a coma.

Since then, the franchise has grossed more than $730 million globally and expanded to include five films, with even more on the way.

In May 2024, Deadline confirmed that an untitled sixth film is currently in the works and is set to premiere in August 2025. Additionally, a spin-off film, titled Thread: An Insidious Tale, is coming soon and will star Mandy Moore and Kumail Nanjiani. The offshoot marks writer and producer Jeremy Slater’s directorial debut, and it centers on a husband and wife who enlist the help of a spell to travel back in time and prevent the death of their daughter.

With new releases on the horizon, now is the perfect time to revisit the Insidious franchise or start from scratch if you’re new to the world of the Further. However, like many hit franchises, the Insidious universe features sequels, prequels, and everything in between, making the viewing order a bit confusing, to say the least.

Keeping that in mind, here’s how to watch the Insidious movies in both release and chronological order.

How to watch the Insidious movies in release order

• Insidious (2010)
• Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)
• Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015)
• Insidious: The Last Key (2018)
• Insidious: The Red Door (2023)

How to watch the Insidious movies in chronological order

Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015)

Set three years before the Lambert haunting, this prequel focuses on paranormal investigator Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) as she reluctantly agrees to help a teenager named Quinn Brenner (Stefanie Scott), who is bed bound and being tormented by a dark supernatural entity after attempting to contact her deceased mother.

It also marks the beginning of Elise’s partnership with Specs (played by Whannell) and Tucker (Angus Sampson), her two loyal assistants who viewers have come to know and love through the first two films.

Insidious: The Last Key (2018)

Insidious: The Last Key, another prequel, gives even more backstory to Elise, jumping between 1953 and the present day of 2010 to explore her traumatic childhood in a haunted home and its impact on her life and career.

Towards the end of the film, Elise receives a call from Lorraine Lambert (Barbara Hershey), the mother of Josh (Wilson) now needs her help to confront the dark forces haunting her grandson, thus connecting the events of the prequels to the original film.

Insidious (2010)

Insidious, the 2010 movie that started it all, introduces viewers to the Lambert family, who unknowingly become entangled in the Further when one of their sons, Dalton (Ty Simpkins), falls into a mysterious coma.

As it turns out, both Josh and Dalton can astral project their consciousness, but Dalton becomes trapped in the Further, unable to find his way back to his body. What follows is a terrifying journey as the Lamberts, with the help of Elise and her crew, come up against malevolent spirits, uncover dark family secrets, and race against time to rescue Dalton.

The film ends with a shocking twist, making it an easy decision for Whannell and Wan to develop a sequel.

Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)

Insidious: Chapter 2 picks up right where the first film left off, with the Lamberts struggling to return to normalcy after the traumatic events they endured.

They quickly learn that the Further is not finished with them just yet, and this time, an entity known as The Bride in Black, who has been tormenting Josh since childhood, possesses his body and becomes determined to kill his family.

Like with the other Insidious movies, Chapter 2 ends on a major cliffhanger; however, it was never resolved as the next movie that was released served as a prequel. Perhaps the upcoming sixth film will circle back to this storyline and provide the answers fans have been waiting for.

Insidious: The Red Door (2023)

After 10 years away from the franchise, Wilson, Byrne, and Simpkins returned to reprise their respective roles as Josh, Renai, and Dalton Lambert in 2023’s Insidious: The Red Door, which also served as Wilson’s directorial debut.

The film takes place in 2019, nine years after Josh’s harrowing possession, and a lot has changed for the family. Josh and Renai are divorced, Lorraine has recently passed away, and Dalton is all grown up and attending college, though he and Josh now have a strained relationship. Additionally, Josh and Dalton’s memories of the Further have been repressed, leaving them vulnerable to the darkness that begins to resurface.

While the ending to the movie felt pretty final, a post-credits scene suggested that the door to the Further may not be permanently closed, and knowing that a sixth film is on the way, fans are left wondering what new horrors await the Lambert family.

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