Hey friends! Barbarella here. Sometimes when a horror franchise goes on for ages, the stories tend to disintegrate. Since I generally require something with a good story, I have very low expectations going into INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER. However, the movie surprises me in how entertaining I find it. Starring Amelia Eve, Brandon Perea, and Lin Shaye, the movie hits theaters on Friday, August 21.
Amelia Eve plays Gemma a young mother and dental hygienist who realizes she has an ability to travel into the Further, a realm where lost souls wander through a type of purgatory. Mind you, she’s not opting to go in; it just kind of happens to her. She also possesses a specific gift that makes her a target. The story makes full use of her occupation to ensure audiences get an eyeful of decayed teeth and other cringe-worthy dental-related visuals, all of which make me squirm in my seat and giggle internally at my squeamishness.
While Lin Shaye returns as Elise Rainier, no one needs to watch any of the other films in the franchise. OUT OF THE FURTHER works effectively as a stand-alone movie. It explains everything one needs to know to easily follow the story, while it employs all those standard horror trappings to get audiences to jump, cringe, tense up, or otherwise react to what’s onscreen.
There’s even a bizarre use of grapefruit that proves completely absurd. Would the characters in the situation in which they find themselves take the time to put together the props and prep the grapefruit to use in the manner in which they use them? I wouldn’t think so, but the character is an artist, and artists love creating stuff, so maybe it’s not so crazy. Still, I find myself laughing at how ridiculous and unrealistic I find that scene. I can’t help but wonder if there’s some sort of grapefruit sponsorship going on. I just find it weird, and yet it brings some whimsy to the scene, so I appreciate that it balances the grotesque portions of the film with something silly.
I also appreciate how engaged I feel while watching this latest addition to the franchise. It starts strongly, both setting the tone and providing Gemma’s backstory to explain her mindset as an adult. Still, it’s not without its flaws, and I’m sure some may pick those apart, but I don’t feel the need to do that. Suffice it to say, there are elements for which I don’t particularly care or things I wish had been done differently, but those are rather minor criticisms of an otherwise entertaining outing to the theater.
Overall, INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER does not offer just a bare-bones plot as a canvas on which to splatter blood. Instead, it sets up a solid story, makes good use of what people find scary, gross, or disturbing, and doesn’t require knowledge of its predecessors. Also, it has grapefruit, and how many horror films can say that? Exclusively in theaters on Friday, August 21.
Here's the trailer, but I warn you, it has lots of spoilers. I recommend going in blind.
Barbarella out!
