For over sixteen years now, the Insidious film series has remained one of the most consistent franchises in all of horror. While some fans prefer the Lin Shaye-centric entries and others prefer to keep tabs on the spooky struggles of the Lambert family, I’d argue that every single one of these scary movies has at least one creative element that makes them worth watching no matter what kind of horror fan you are.
Of course, some of these movies are better than others, and with the release of Jacob Chase’s sequel, Insidious: Out of the Further, it’s time to finally organize this supernatural horror saga in a definitive ranking. For the purposes of this list, I’ll be ordering each entry according to story, characters, and their overall scare factor – though keep in mind that this is all based on personal opinion.
That’s why I’d like to invite readers to comment below with your own rankings if you have a different opinion on the long-running franchise.
With that out of the way, onto the list!
6. Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015)
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: there are no truly bad Insidious movies. It’s just not possible for so many studio releases to keep up the same level of quality first established by James Wan back in 2011. Leigh Whannell’s Chapter 3 was the first real example of this, with the prequel becoming the first real disappointment of the franchise and feeling more like a direct-to-video spin-off.
Don’t get me wrong, I actually enjoy the digital-grunge aesthetic that comes with the guerrilla-style cinematography, and Elise’s badass return to ghost-busting form is a highlight of the experience, but Chapter 3 remains the lowest point in the series by a wide margin.
5. Insidious: Out of the Further (2026)
Out of the Further isn’t as bad as some reviews would have you believe. In fact, I appreciate how Jacob Chase chose to expand the series mythology with this latest sequel instead of relying on the same familiar formula, though the returning villains were also a fun way of tying the flick back to its predecessors.
Unfortunately, the lack of both the Lambert family and an in-depth story arc for Lin Shaye, with Elise only really affecting the plot towards the end of the film, makes Out of the Further feel like an Insidious movie in name only – which may be a sign that it’s time to give the series a much-deserved rest.
4. Insidious: The Red Door (2023)
As a huge fan of Patrick Wilson, I’m a little biased when it comes to discussing The Red Door. However, even after rewatching this admittedly melodramatic sequel from a more objective point of view, I can’t help but connect with its earnest attempts at exploring the aftermath of a supernatural family trauma.
In typical actor-turned-director fashion, Wilson discards plot in favor of extracting telenovela-levels of drama from our main characters, with the whole thing only working because both he and Ty Simpkins, who’s even more talented now than he was as a child, react to everything so naturally.
This may be the least scary entry in the franchise, but I think there’s more than enough heart here to make up for that.
3. Insidious: The Last Key (2018)
The Insidious franchise has been dealing with the consequences of foolishly killing off one of its most compelling characters since the very first sequel. While this questionable decision may have led to an unnecessarily confusing timeline, we at least got to see one Elise Rainier-focused prequel that truly fulfilled the promise of exploring the iconic medium’s backstory.
A surprisingly poignant character study that manages to present Elise as both a vulnerable human being and a tragic hero, The Last Key also benefits from a rare villain that feels almost as menacing as the iconic Lipstick-Face entity from earlier entries.
2. Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)
If the first film was a darker take on the Poltergeist storyline, Insidious: Chapter 2 feels like a post-modern re-imagining of The Shining. While I personally think that both films are two equally necessary (and entertaining) halves of the same coin, the messier nature of 2’s time-bending plot makes it slightly less iconic than the original.
That being said, murderous Patrick Wilson is a sight to behold, and The Further feels even more menacing and otherworldly this time around, even if The Bride isn’t quite as intimidating as the series’ demonic mascot.
1. Insidious (2011)
It may be a little clichéd to put the original film in the first-place spot of a franchise ranking, but can anyone really argue against the movie that made haunted house thrillers scary again? From its deconstruction of genre tropes to its meticulously crafted jump scares, Insidious remains the best entry in the series and one of the most influential horror films of the 2010s.
The cliffhanger ending means that I still think it’s better to revisit this one as a double-feature with its 2013 follow-up, but there’s a reason why this movie spawned a franchise that’s still going strong over sixteen years later.
