Parents' Guide to

Insidious: The Last Key

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

So-so sequel has jump scares, compelling main character.

Movie PG-13 2018 103 minutes
Insidious: The Last Key Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 17 parent reviews

Destiniestone
Destiniestone Adult
December 29, 2020
age 16+

Not for kids!!!

I watched the first 3 insidious movies with my 10 year old. There are a few parts (like Elise getting strangled) that were a little mature but overall they were fine and she loved them. We had to turn off the last key about 40 minutes in because of the extremely graphic depictions of child abuse and kidnapping. A father beats his daughter and locks her in a dark basement. A man has a girl chained up in his basement then shoots himself in the head. This movie should have an R rating.

This title has:

Too much violence
1 person found this helpful.
IMDB -Common Sense Helper
IMDB -Common Sense Helper Parent of 9, 11, 14 and 18-year-old
February 7, 2023
age 11+

One Of The Most Intense PG-13!! 11 or older

So I Let my 11 year old watch this and it was fine, I was worried about the abuse but it was brief, it is fine for a 11 year old if they have seen the 1st one which is worse than this one
See all 17 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In INSIDIOUS: THE LAST KEY, psychic/paranormal investigator Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) has recently wrapped up the Quinn Brenner case (from Insidious: Chapter 3), but nightmares are plaguing her sleep. Memories of her dark childhood in Five Keys, New Mexico, with an abusive father (Josh Stewart), keep coming up. Before long, Elise gets a call from a terrified Ted Garza (Kirk Acevedo), who lives in her old house and is being terrorized by malevolent spirits. Joined by her intrepid/knucklehead sidekicks Specs (Leigh Whannell) and Tucker (Angus Sampson), Elise begins her examination. More dark secrets from her past turn up, including memories of her younger brother, guilt over her mother, a lost whistle, and a gaggle of ghosts. But Elise makes a startling discovery: There's something different about these ghosts.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (17):
Kids say (18):

The fourth entry in this successful horror series is an example of diminishing returns; though the characters are still interesting, it's clear that less care and attention were given to this movie. Filmmakers James Wan (whose first Insidious was the best) and Leigh Whannell (a writer on the entire series and director of Insidious: Chapter 3) have hired a second-stringer, Adam Robitel, to helm Insidious: The Last Key, and it shows. Robitel gamely tries to follow the playbook and comes up with one or two great, spooky scenes -- including one in which Elise makes a startling discovery inside a tube-shaped air duct. But the director mostly relies on loud noises and jump scares.

He's not so great with the emotional scenes, either, including Elise's reunion with her long-lost brother, Christian (Bruce Davison), and Specs and Tucker's awkward flirting with Christian's teen daughters. The movie's theme of "family" doesn't quite click when all those scenes are awkward and soapy. Frankly, the best reason to see this is Shaye, a wonderful character actress who embodies sweetness and vulnerability and also has a weathered, fearless quality; now in her 70s, Shaye has come into her own only recently as a horror star. Insidious: The Last Key has finally elevated her to leading lady status, and that's exciting to see.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Insidious: The Last Key's violence. How much of it is directed against women? Is it shocking? Does the fact that the main character is a strong female affect the impact of that kind of violence?

  • Is Elise Rainier a role model? Why or why not?

  • How scary is the movie? What's the appeal of horror movies?

  • How does this film compare to the three previous movies in the Insidious series?

  • What does the movie have to say about courage and compassion? Are these things championed? Rewarded?

Movie Details

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