Who is Lin Shaye to say that the supernatural doesn’t exist? The 74-year-old actor and star of the upcoming Insidious film admits she’s not fearful of another world. These beliefs aren’t simply a result of being a veteran scream queen of Hollywood. She’s acted in films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984); Amityville: A New Generation (1993); and Snakes on a Plane.
A few years ago, her Guatemalan handyman’s 25-year-old daughter passed away of cancer. The next day he came over to Shaye’s house do some work. “He was a very religious man and I felt so sad for him,” she recounts. “He left and I was going to take my doggie out in the backyard and I noticed something bright blue. I didn’t know what it was and it wasn’t there in the morning earlier.”
The mysterious object turned out to be a balloon with a picture of a cross and Bible in it with Spanish words saying, first baptism. “I just got chills and I thought oh my god this is his daughter visiting,” says Shaye who gave the balloon to her handyman when he returned. “I’ve never seen anything like that in my yard before since. It was too much to simply be a coincidence. It really made me think twice about the spirit world.” Today, the object is very much cherished by Shaye’s employee who safely stores it between the pages of his Bible at home.
Shaye’s reminiscing the eerie incident while talking to The Hindu about her upcoming release, the fourth instalment of James Wan’s Insidious series, The Last Key . In the film, she plays demonologist Elise Rainier who’s murdered by an evil spirit in the first film. But the series continues to explore the character through prequels: Chapter 2 , Chapter 3 and now The Last Key. “Elise is a very good listener and a seer,” says the actor. “She’s not lost in herself and being a good listener is the first ingredient to being a paranormal hunter.” Shaye extends her role’s principles to her own life. “I think energy is real and we have all intuition,” she says. “I think there are inexplicable things that we cannot control and that we need to be aware of and when we get instincts about things, it’s important to listen.”
But the series has acted as a catalyst to help Shaye hone her own skills to be more open and accepting of the universe. I try to be non-judgemental and not manipulate things that come into my path,” she says. “I try and just see them for what they are and playing [Rainier] is wonderful and I get to be very generous of spirit.”
The upcoming film, while continuing to frighten audiences with Wan’s signature brand of horror, will also reveal a new layer to the franchise. Wan takes The Last Key a step further by delving deeper into Shay’s character, Rainier’s consciousness. So while we can expect chilling music accompanied by gruesome demons and plenty of possession by evil spirits, there more to look forward to. “There are other scares about the reality of her earlier life,” says the actor adding that the film will inspire viewers to reflect on their own past. “You realise that even if you have a bad beginning, it’s possible to come out of it and be a good person,” says Shaye.
“You don’t have to give in to the sadness or badness, you grow up — and I think that’s a wonderful message for people to take.” It may be subliminal, but the actor certainly hopes, as she puts it, take our coal and turn it all into diamonds.
