The good news about Insidious: The Last Key is that it’s slowly gravitating towards being the franchise of 74-year-old Lin Shaye, who plays a psychic who can liberates ghosts and the people who are haunted by them. The bad news is that the franchise has hit a fatigue point, in an already time-worn genre that is struggling with originality.
- Director: Adam Robitel
- Cast: Lin Shaye, Ava Kolker, Hana Hayes, Angus Sampson, Leigh Whannell, Josh Stewart, Caitlin Gerard, Spencer Locke
- Story line: A psychic goes back to her childhood home to stop evil
Lin Shaye’s character Elise was killed off in the first film of the series, but the franchise thankfully recognised her relevance. The second chapter brought her back as a ghost, the third was a prequel to the first and the third edition is a sequel to the prequel, all to ensure Elise is still alive. The series ushers its followers into Shaye’s childhood and early years to discover the roots and repercussions of her paranormal gift. It’s an opportunity Shaye clearly values and delivers a captivating performance, where she lets both her fears and vulnerabilities emerge and impress. How often do we see a 74-year-old woman in a popular cinematic series save the day and emerge nothing short of a superhero?
That said, even Shaye’s dominance on-screen is not enough to save a film which plays within the ambit of previously worked horror tropes. From old abandoned houses to possessed children to long mangled fingers tearing through walls; we’ve been spooked by them all. Despite being hackneyed, some scares are successfully executed and even intensified, but that’s enjoyable only if you’re a fan of the genre.
It may be a supernatural film but The Last Key is most impactful while dealing with human traumas of childhood and loss. Elise’s father was abusive, who physically assaulted her to contain her superhuman ability to see ghosts. There are moments in the film when humans are probably more frightening than poltergeists, which is perhaps a testimony to why ghosts of childhood can be more terrorising than the ones we see on-screen.
