This weekend sees the release of Insidious: The Last Key, the fourth installment in the franchise that began with James Wan’s Insidious back in 2010. Despite her character being definitively killed off eight years ago, in the franchise’s very first outing, the latest installment – a sequel to Chapter 3 and prequel to both Insidious & Chapter 2 – finally puts Lin Shaye front and center, the film digging deep into the story of her Elise Rainier.

“The real star of this production is longtime horror icon Lin Shaye, and it’s a treat that feels long overdue,” Kalyn wrote in her review of The Last Key. “Although Shaye was always an undoubtedly important title character in the previous films, this is the first time that the story completely revolves around her, and the film is made better for it.”

She continued, “Clearly, Shaye was meant to carry this series all along, as The Last Key proves to be the best Insidious film since the original debuted almost a decade ago.”

Looking back, it seems crystal clear that Shaye was indeed meant to carry the Insidious franchise all along. And at 74 years old, it’s pretty remarkable that Shaye has now, at this point in her career, found herself as the leading lady – a demon-fighting superhero, no less – of a hugely successful, multi-million dollar Hollywood franchise. In a landscape mostly filled out by fresh-faced young stars, Shaye’s rise to franchise superstardom is no small feat.

Quite frankly, it’s unheard of.

The sister of New Line Cinema founder Robert Shaye, Lin Shaye had small roles in countless horror films over the years. She popped up in movies such as A Nightmare on Elm Street, Critters, Alone in the Dark, Amityville: A New Generation and Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, though her appearances were always so short-and-sweet that you may not have even noticed she was there.

In all of those movies, Shaye played nameless characters who were completely defined by their profession. The actress was often credited for these roles as simply ‘Nurse,’ ‘Teacher,’ and ‘Receptionist’; for the most part, Shaye built a career on being a recognizable face in the crowd. But that all changed when Leigh Whannell and James Wan decided to give her top billing in Insidious, reinvigorating her career and putting her on the map proper.

Presumably inspired by Poltergeist‘s Tangina, Shaye was cast as Elise Rainier in the film, a wacky parapsychologist who heads a small team of paranormal researchers – she’s flanked by bumbling buffoons Specs and Tucker. Shaye’s performance turned what easily could’ve been a bit-part into unarguably the most memorable character in the entire movie, proving that she was capable of being so much more than a nameless extra.

Elise was killed off at the end of Insidious, but that didn’t stop Whannell and Wan from bringing her back in Insidious: Chapter 2. In fact, the character’s role was only increased in the wake of her death (go figure!), given a backstory that tied her directly into the overall mythology of the series. And Shaye shined once again in the role, encouraging cheers from audiences when Elise returned to save the day from the other side.

Then came Insidious: Chapter 3, which is essentially the ‘Lin Shaye Show.’ Though the main storyline in the third installment seemed to center on a young girl and her family, the movie actually turned out to be much more of an Elise Rainier origin story, showing us what the character was up to in the years prior to the Lambert family haunting – as well as how she first met Specs and Tucker.

Insidious: Chapter 3 almost treats all other characters in the film as an afterthought, and you get the sense that if writer/director Leigh Whannell had his way, the movie would’ve been entirely about Elise – it was no surprise when this year’s sequel ended up being just that. Lin Shaye is hands down the best thing about Chapter 3, and her character’s trials and tribulations infuse the otherwise dull spook-show with a whole lot of heart as well as a surprising level of emotion.

And that brings us to Insidious: The Last Key, a Lin Shaye vehicle currently on track to pull in upwards of $20 million over the weekend. Now 74 years old, Shaye is about to reach the top of the box office charts once again, and even the critics who have thus far panned the film overall have praised her performance as being the standout highlight. Shaye is unquestionably the heart and soul of the franchise, and one has to applaud Blumhouse for realizing that and putting her at the forefront. After all, you don’t need me to tell you that female-led franchises, much less ones led by elderly actors, simply are not a thing.

Lin Shaye has long been a horror icon. But whereas she was once a recognizable face in the crowd, she’s now the most important face on the biggest screen. At a time when most actresses her age are unfortunately struggling to find work, Shaye has emerged as a franchise superstar. The leading lady of one of the most profitable horror franchises in modern history.

Shaye has always been a friend to horror fans. Now she’s one of our heroes.