Insidious is not based on a true story, so you don't have to worry about real-life hauntings like in The Conjuring series. The inspiration for Insidious came from Wan and Whannell's desire to make a horror film about astral projection.
It is the first installment in the Insidious franchise and the third in terms of the series' in-story chronology. The story centers on a married couple whose boy inexplicably enters a comatose state and becomes a vessel for a variety of demonic entities in an astral plane.
Are any of the Insidious movies based on a true story?
No, the five Insidious movies are not based on a true story. The Lambert family endures a lot of demonic terror, and luckily, their story was not borrowed, and no Insidious real family exists. However, the makers of these disturbing movies borrowed some aspects from real-life stories.
It's a common question, but the answer is no, The Conjuring and Insidious franchises are not linked to each other. The only 'link' is James Wan, who directed both the first two Conjuring movies and the Insidious movies. Fun fact: Patrick Wilson starred in both the first two Insidious movies and The Conjuring movies.
However, the more reasonable chronological watch order would likely be to start with “Chapter 3” in 2007, then move on to “The Last Key” in 2010, followed by “Insidious” in 2011 and “Chapter 2” following directly after. Next up would come “The Red Door” to close out the story of the Lambert family…
7 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Insidious
What kind of demon is in Insidious?
The Lipstick-Face Demon, also known as the Man With Fire on his Face, the Red-Faced Demon, Sixtass, or simply the Demon, is the main antagonist of the Insidious franchise. It is a demonic resident of The Further that seeks to bring pain and chaos to the world of the living by possessing a human body.
The Conjuring may have had a higher creative peak, but the Insidious franchise has been more consistently compelling over the course of its various installments. Every entry is compelling for one reason or another, and they all tie together much more cleanly than the much more sprawling Conjuring universe.
Insidious is full of some of the best jump scares in horror history, none of which are predictable. Part of what makes Insidious' jump scares so horrifying is that they are not just visual jump scares. They're supported by loud sound effects and enough flashing lights to unnerve the most stolid constitutions.
Insidious comes from a Latin word for “ambush” (insidiae), which is fitting, as this word often carries the meanings “deceitful,” “stealthy,” or “harmful in an imperceptible fashion.” The first two meanings may be applied to people or things (“an insidious enemy,” “an insidious plot”), while the last is usually applied ...
The Lipstick-Face Demon is a mysterious and powerful villain in the Insidious movies, serving as the main antagonist throughout the franchise. With origins unknown, the demon was seemingly created as an angel but was punished and sent to The Further, a dark dimension between Earth, Hell, and Heaven.
Built into a large-scale advertisement for INSIDIOUS: THE RED DOOR, we hid a real-life red door that's more than meets the eye. Lurking behind the door was the film franchise's infamous Lipstick-Face Demon, ready to claim his next victim.
Elise is killed at the end of the first movie by the Bride in Black, who has successfully possessed Josh. She reappears in the second movie as a spirit in the Further, where she helps Josh get back to his physical body and stop Parker from killing his family.
In Insidious 2 it's revealed that Josh had the ability to astral project at a very young age. His travels led him to pick up a dangerous parasite that followed him around for years until his mom Lorraine (played by Barbara Hershey) called in Elise to help him forget his power.
As a demon, the Red Face Demon seems to be much more powerful than other human souls trapped in the Further. The fact that he came closer than other Further entities to possessing Dalton's body is a testament to his superior power.
Darth Maul, also known as The Lipstick-Face Demon, The Man With Fire In His Face, or simply Maul, is the main antagonist of the 2010 film Insidious. He was once a sith apprentice who became a sith lord and a dark ruler.
While most of the movie takes place in 2010, several times the narrative jumps back to plug in gaps in Elise's story. During one sequence we learn about her fledgling years as a medium, an unwelcome gift in the eyes of her abusive father who leaves her no choice but to leave home.
The movie has a few really good scares of course but overall the first movie was a lot creepier and more disturbing. In fact, you happen to know what is going on if you have seen the first movie and that's why you aren't that shocked or surprised anymore.
Whannell's script and Wan's direction aim to scare audiences through the atmosphere and ghostly visions rather than the shock value of gore, as seen in the Saw franchise. However, the scares reportedly transcended the final product for audiences as the Insidious set was allegedly cursed.
However, it shouldn't be surprising that Insidious is doing well as the franchise is known for being a huge box office draw. When the original Insidious scared its way onto the scene in 2011 it made $100.1 million worldwide which opened The Further to more frighteningly good sequels.
Insidious: The Red Door Is Less Scary Than Other Insidious Movies. As the Insidious: The Red Door story follows teenage Dalton again being tormented by the spirits from The Further, the fifth movie has been criticized as a retread of the first movie, and it's hard to be scared by a worse version of a much scarier movie ...
However, the more reasonable chronological watch order would likely be to start with “Chapter 3” in 2007, then move on to “The Last Key” in 2010, followed by “Insidious” in 2011 and “Chapter 2” following directly after. Next up would come “The Red Door” to close out the story of the Lambert family…
