In the horror film franchises of Blumhouse Pictures, the Insidious movies are quite popular. There have been four films thus far, with a fifth film coming your way soon. The previous four films all cost a total of $26 million combined, but have grossed almost $600 million total at the box office. There's no sign of these movies stopping any time soon. Insidious: The Last Key is the most recent installment in the franchise and it's business as usual.
Blumhouse Pictures has found a tight and workable formula that is successful. There's no need to tweak it at all, however, we keep getting the same story over and over, and nothing is different with Insidious: The Last Key. If you've been paying attention to the previous films, you'd know there are sequels and prequels with The Last Key being a sequel to the original prequel here, which has Elise Reiner (Lin Shaye) back again and alive, doing her work in the ghost-world. Like the movies before it, some people experience some nasty hauntings and Elise shows up with her comic-relief sidekicks and she goes back into the ghost-world to save the people from the hauntings.
There is an actual key in the movie, hence the title, but it's such a story side note that I don't see why the named the movie after it. Also, just like the previous films, we all get to find out the origin of the haunting in a very Scooby-Doo like way, which always makes me laugh. Still, the performances, direction, and atmosphere are all top notch. There are some genuine scares throughout, but in the latter half of the film, the pacing can be a bit slow.
Lin Shaye still brings the gold every time she is on screen with her delivery and commitment to the character. The production design is very creepy and provides some scares in the early half of the film. Insidious: The Last Key doesn't change the game at all, but consistently satisfies fans of the franchise.
The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats
Insidious: The Last Key comes with a 50GB Blu-ray Disc from Sony. There is also a digital copy of the film here as well, both of which are encased in the blue plastic case with a cardboard sleeve.
Insidious: The Last Key comes with a 1080p HD transfer and is presented in a 2.39:1 aspect ratio. The film was shot digitally and showcases a good amount of detail. Facial features such as wrinkles, wounds, makeup effects, and individual hairs show up nicely, even in darker sequences. Decaying house walls, floors and doors all showcase their weathered look. Wider shots never go soft, bringing a polished look to this horror film. Colors are a bit vague, but this is the style of this darkly lit horror movie.
Exterior shots in the bright sun feature standout primaries -- green trees, blue skies, and brownish red brick houses. When going through dark hallways or into the ghost-world, the image displays blue and silver filters, where objects and people are mostly void of all bright primary colors. Black levels are mostly deep and inky save for a couple of long-lasting lower-lit scenes. Skin tones are natural when they need to be. Darker scenes also exhibit some minor banding and video noise, but it's not a major issue, leaving this video presentation with very good marks.
This release comes with a lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix that sounds just fine for a low-budget horror movie. Sound effects are enhanced for scary moments. Doors creaking open, floors knotting up, and ghastly sounds from the surround speakers all sound excellent. The musical cues that burst with volume at the appropriate moments are intense and startling as well.
Other atmospheric sounds are robust and loud too around every dark corner. The low-end really comes to the forefront during the end of the movie with big bursts of bass that never cross into rocky territory, which is quite nice. Dialogue is always clear and easy to follow along with and free of any pops, cracks, hiss, and shrills, leaving this audio presentation with good marks.
Dive Into the Insidious Universe (HD, 5 Mins.) - A promo piece that discusses the main key plot points and characters of the entire film franchise. WARNING: there are quite a bit of spoilers here, so don't watch this unless you've watch all of the films.
Chilling Deleted Scenes (HD, 19 Mins.) - There are 8 deleted scenes in total, all of which are worth your time with some decent horror elements.
Alternate Ending: Further Prison (HD, 3 Mins.) - Here is the other ending of the film that was left on the cutting room floor. I enjoyed the theatrical ending better though.
Unlocking the Keys (HD, 3 Mins.) - Another all too short promo piece that discusses the film's story, characters, production, and makeup effects.
Going Into the Further (HD, 4 Mins.) - The cast and crew talk about the ghost-world that was created in this franchise here.
Becoming Elise (HD, 6 Mins.) - This is all about Lin Shaye and her work on the character she's played in the films. This is a fun extra as her character is explored.
Insidious: The Last Key is a good sequel to the prequel with some good scares. Nothing has changed as far as setup, story, or characters -- it's business as normal -- although there is a new haunting. The Blu-ray's video and audio presentations are both decent and there are some good, yet short, extras if you want to know about the making of the movie. Recommended for the franchise fans; if you haven't seen any of the previous installments, you'll most likely be lost.
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