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Back for a fourth outing, and anchored again by veteran actor Lin Shaye, the Blumhouse franchise shows signs of distress
Dir: Adam Robitel. US. 2018. 103mins
The fourth instalment of the Insidious series has deft scares and some nifty twists, all of which don’t entirely distract from how strangely inconsequential The Last Key ultimately feels. Veteran character actor Lin Shaye, who has become the franchise’s spiritual centre, provides this sequel with emotional grounding, and director Adam Robitel adheres to the previous films’ emphasis on creepy-crawly suspense over outright gore. But not unlike the fate that eventually befell the Saw series, which was also shepherded by filmmakers James Wan and Leigh Whannell, The Last Key ultimately feels more like an exercise in extending a brand than a definitive new chapter in paranormal horror.
The weight of the past is heavy on Elise’s shoulders, and the same could be said for this strained series
Opening January 5 in the States and January 12 in the UK, The Last Key would love to equal the commercial success of 2013’s Insidious: Chapter 2, which grossed $162m worldwide on a tiny budget. But the franchise may be close to giving up the ghost, with even the performance of 2015’s Insidious:...