A satisfying conclusion to the Lambert story, even if it quite uneven. I couldn’t help but to full these uneven moments were quite disappointing and something that I can see viewers being turned away from.

The concept of this entry was very intriguing. Fans like myself felt like Chapter 2 was a fitting end for this family, but entries since have not faired as well. So, when there is an entry that brings the qualities back that fans enjoyed, plus have it directed by beloved franchise actor, Patrick Wilson, this was something to get fans pumped for, myself included. As time grew nearer, I couldn’t help but to be excited for this; however, seeing that there was nearly no early screenings for press before. While the movie is not terrible, I can see why this happened.

The film starts off very strong picking up where the last Lambert story left and continues 9 years later. Without getting into spoilers, the story goes in a new and unique direction that I am sure will throw off fans. It puts us in a place that hasn’t been seen in an Insidious film before – more specifically with the Lambert family. It is better to explain the quality of this film in its three acts. The first act brings us back to what we love about the Lambert family. Wilson understands this and directs the hell out of this. If anything, it feels more like a family drama than a horror, but that’s not to say that there is still an eerie feel lingering around. Even with the drama occurring, Wilson directs one particular scene in the beginning that I am sure I have not seen done before. It’s extremely unique. By the time the first act wraps up, Wilson is even able to deliver an emotional scene that felt very personal.

The second act is where the film really goes off the rail, and I was quite disappointed. I’ll highlight the positives first. Ty Simpkins is really good in this and I love that Wilson gave him the spotlight, especially with top billing. With that in mind, I had a feeling that Simpkins was probably going to have more of the spotlight this time around and it mostly works. Much like the first entry, this one decides to focus more on the generational trauma passed down and give it a whole new perspective. While Simpkins’ character navigates college, Wilson’s character embarks on a similar journey as he tries to regain his memory and also understands more information that what the previous entries gave.

Aside from the positives mentioned above, the second act really does take a nosedive. While Simpkins’ character is at college, the whole college storyline focuses on characters and plot points that really have nothing to do with anything. There is a college professor that Simpkins enjoys and somehow knows before attending college, but her limited presence has nothing to do in the long run other than to get Simpkins to try to regain his memory. While I didn’t mind the actress who played his roommate, I also didn’t understand wat the end goal was here. It seemed like she was mostly there for comedic relief and a questionable love romance. Her character also seems to have no understanding of how a normal conversation occurs and continues to flip flop on sides often. It got so bad that the people next to me in the theater even laughed. There is also just a weird focus on a frat house that once again has nothing to do with anything.

Other negative aspects included the editing in the second act that was very frustrating. It continued to go back and forth between the son and father way too much and would cut whenever an interesting moment occurred. There is a scene involving Wilson’s character doing memory exercises and then a figure runs through the glass window. Shortly after this all occurs and he realizes that everything is okay, he goes on with his life like there isn’t just now a huge hole in his house. The dynamic with the rest of the family for the rest of the film didn’t quite work that well either. It was hard to buy into the kids believing that when happened to them in Chapter 2 didn’t happen. Also, sidelining Rose Byrne like they did was another disappointment.

The third act really does pick back up and feels like a true Insidious film. As the leads finally go into the further, we get some really tense moments that matter to the story. There is some finality in the way the characters are wrapped up and how they go forward. It leaves it open-ended enough, yet solid to have fans make their own assumptions for how this family goes forward. By the end, Wilson delivers another emotional moment that made me happy to see and to cap it all off, creates a song that he did himself for the end credits that makes this journey with the Lambert family worth watching.

Overall, The Red Door is still a worthy entry in the Insidious franchise. It is at its best when focuses on the drama with the Lambert family. It is at it its weakest when it focuses more on the college plot points. With an entry that is sure to excite fans, the college plot points really have nothing to do with anything and can make the film disappointing in these moments. If it wasn’t for its more emotional moments, I probably would have left this at a 3/5.

VERDICT: 3.5/5 (Pretty Good)