Director: Adam Robitel
Cast: Lin Shaye, Angus Sampson, Leigh Whannell, Caitlin Gerard, Kirk Acevedo, Bruce Davison, Spencer Locke, Josh Stewart
Plot: Elise Rainier returns to the house she grew up in to battle the demon who killed her mother and is now threatening her niece.
Review: The Insidious movies have no new ways to scare horror audiences anymore, but Leigh Whannell and director Adam Robitel clearly still have stories to tell in regards to psychic Elise Rainier, who uses her gift to battle evil spirits.
In this sequel, which serves as another prequel to the first movie where she encounters the Lambert family, Elise returns home to the house she lived in as a child, which is adjacent to a prison. In a backstory, we learn that her gift caused her father to abuse her, and she inadvertently caused the death of her mother by releasing a powerful demon in her basement. Now that same demon is haunting the current owner of that house. She takes her humorous yet trusty sidekicks Tucker and Specs back home, but not only does she encounter the demon, she also runs into her estranged brother and his two daughters, who are now the demon's targets.
Robitel and Whannell use some nifty yet familiar tactics to scare the audience, some which work but others seem quite predictable. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it somewhat, though I am aware that other horror fans might be more picky. Truthfully, the real attraction of The Last Key is delving deeper into Elise's painful childhood and how she was on the receiving end of abuse by her father because of his ignorance. The young Elise is well acted in this opening sequence by Ava Kolker, who is very impressive despite her brief appearance.
Lin Shaye once again nails the role of Elise, who continues to battle evil forces even as we notice how it slowly but surely takes its toll on her. Shaye's magnetic presence holds the film together through all its faults. Whannell and Angus Sampson also return to provide the humor as Specs and Tucker respectively, though they were much funnier in the last film than here. Thankfully, the trio make the film work as much as possible, as the script feels somewhat corny and lazy at times.
In closing, I have to honestly say that The Last Key would probably appeal more to die hard Insidious fans than the more cynical horror fans. Personally I enjoyed it, especially after seeing how it ended. (7/10)
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