Insidious is right up there with some of the biggest horror movie franchises of all time. Created by Leigh Whannell and James Wan, the same duo behind the equally prolific Saw franchise, one family’s experience trying to save their son from the Further has spawned five sequels so far.
Like pretty much every horror franchise, there’s some highs and lows across the Insidious movies. They are actually all pretty closely connected, however, with some characters making appearances in all six.
Whether you’re planning a wild horror movie marathon or are just plain curious about the timeline, here’s how the Insidious movies fit together.
Insidious Movies in Release Order
A total of six Insidious movies have been released. If you’re just looking to check out the movies in the order they were originally produced, here you go:
The Insidious Movie Timeline – Chronological Order
The timeline order of the Insidious movies is slightly different from the release order, owing to two prequels.
1. Insidious: Chapter 3
The first Insidious movie on the chronological timeline was the third movie to be released, a prequel that specifically explores returning character Elise Rainier’s psychic powers and earlier paranormal investigations.
2. Insidious: The Last Key
The Last Key continues to follow Elise on an investigation in her own childhood home and technically includes flashbacks from before any other movie in the franchise.
3. Insidious
The original Insidious movie picks up immediately after The Last Key on the timeline, when the adult Lamberts move into a haunted new home and enlist Elise’s help saving their son.
4. Insidious: Chapter 2
A direct sequel to Insidious, Chapter 2 picks up with the Lambert family once again discovering evil forces are plaguing their family.
5. Insidious: The Red Door
The Red Door takes place around a decade after Chapter 2, with the Lamberts returning to center stage while grappling with some even more complicated family dynamics. This is theoretically the final part of the Lamberts’ story, and happens to be the directorial debut for Josh himself, Patrick Wilson.
6. Insidious: Out of the Further
The newest Insidious movie is also the furthest down on the timeline. Out of the Further follows a new character, Gemma, who has a twist on the franchise’s usual psychic powers. The return of another certain psychic also connects it back to the rest of the franchise.
Where to Watch All of the Insidious Movies
Unfortunately all of the Insidious movies are streaming on different platforms, in part because the franchise has moved between quite a few distributors over time. The most you can get is through Peacock, which hosts the original trilogy.
Otherwise the Insidious movies are available to rent or purchase digitally, and other than Out of the Further, which is currently still in theaters, have all gotten 4K Blu-ray releases.
Future of the Insidious Franchise
Insidious: Out of the Further just released, so I wouldn’t expect a direct follow-up any time soon. James Wan has spoken about opening up the franchise to crossovers with other Blumhouse properties like Sinister, but nothing seems to have specifically come from that. A full spin-off, Thread: An Insidious Tale, was announced back in 2023 with Kumail Nanjiani and Mandy Moore attached as stars. That was before we’d even heard about Out of the Further, and we haven’t heard a whole lot about it since. Looking for more? Check out our guide to all of the ghosts across the Insidious franchise. Blythe (she/her) is an Audience Development Coordinator at IGN who spends way too much time in character customization screens and tracking down collectibles.
