Further Into the Further: How to Watch the Insidious Movies in Order

How many Insidious movies are there?

Lurking in the shadows of the Conjuring franchise like a clingy younger sibling, the first Insidious movie was actually born first (in 2010) and established the template for director James Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell’s domestic horror empire.

Taking a big cue from the nuclear family hauntings of “Poltergeist,” the films turned innocent childhood iconography like bunk beds and tin can telephones into supernatural clickbait, luring a variety of pissed-off entities into the real world to mess with the Lambert family’s suburban bliss. But how do all the films connect?

The first film begat two sequels, two prequels and a forthcoming spinoff releasing Aug. 21, 2026 — for a total of six films.

Read on to learn how to watch all the Insidious movies in release or chronological order.

In what order should I watch the Insidious movies?

Pick your poison. Chronologically “Chapter 3” and “The Last Key” come first, providing a meet-cute with Elise and her found footage buddies. They also lay the groundwork via awkward “visions” for the Lambert family in parts 1, 2 and 5. But IMHO, it’s best to stick with the release order which provides some narrative variety. A little Elise can go a long way. It looks like “Out of the Further” jumps a few years ahead for everyone involved.

List of Insidious movies in release order

• “Insidious” (2010)
• “Insidious: Chapter 2” (2013)
• “Insidious: Chapter 3” (2015)
• “Insidious: The Last Key” (2018)
• “Insidious: The Red Door” (2023)
• “Insidious: Out of the Further” (2026)

List of Insidious movies in chronological order

• “Insidious: Chapter 3” (2015)
• “Insidious: The Last Key” (2018)
• “Insidious” (2010)
• “Insidious: Chapter 2” (2013)
• “Insidious: The Red Door” (2023)
• “Insidious: Out of the Further” (2026)

“Insidious” (2010)

This is the one that owes the biggest debt to Spielberg’s ’80s haunted house masterpiece. The twist here? It’s not the house that’s haunted, it’s little Dalton Lambert himself, an astral traveler whose empty vessel attracts a bevy of white-faced ghouls drawn to his life force. Spoiler alert: dad Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) passed on this ability to his son which builds the movie around a strong paternal relationship, something exceedingly rare in the horror genre.

Director James Wan hits his stride as a director with this one, mixing jump scares, cacophonous music cues and plenty of “what’s behind the door” suspense. In Wan’s world, it’s what you can’t see that really scares you. We’re also introduced to Elise (Lin Shaye), a good-hearted medium, and her team of quirky ghost hunters who carry on the franchise in future installments.

Where to watch “Insidious” (2010)

You can watch “Insidious” on MGM+ or Peacock if you have subscriptions to either service. Alternatively, you can rent the film on demand from Apple TV or Prime Video.

“Insidious: Chapter 2” (2013)

Here we get our first taste of the loopy time travel aspect introduced as an unexplained add-on to the Further, Elise’s name for the pitch-black purgatory that houses all those misplaced spirits. Courageously building off the previous film’s twist ending, Josh is possessed by a rando undead crossdresser and goes full “Shining” on his beloved family. It’s a kitchen sink hodge-podge of serial killer cliches, Joan Crawford hysterics and “Back to the Future”-style retconning, but Wilson’s performance as a psycho dad is gloriously unhinged. We even get a cameo from future scream queen Jenna Ortega in the final few minutes!

Where to watch “Insidious: Chapter 2” (2013)

You can watch “Insidious: Chapter 2” on Peacock with a subscription. Alternatively, you can rent the film on demand from Apple TV, Fandango at Home, or Prime Video.

“Insidious: Chapter 3” (2015)

After “The Conjuring” broke big, it was tough to keep the Insidious gang together. So Wan and company decided to go with a prequel focusing on Elise and the Spectral Sightings team set three years before the Lambert incident. These cut-rate ghostbusters get in over the heads protecting a teen from an asthmatic apparition causing suicides throughout a crowded apartment block. In retrospect, making a septuagenarian the star of your teen horror movie (Shaye was 71-years-old at the time) might not have been the best idea. The script takes things into “A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors” territory, forcing its elderly heroine to perform absurd feats of physical strength and crack wise to angry demons. “Come on, bitch,” indeed!

Where to watch “Insidious: Chapter 3” (2015)

You can watch “Insidious: Chapter 3” on Peacock with a subscription. Alternatively, you can rent the film on demand from Apple TV, Fandango at Home, or Prime Video.

“Insidious: The Last Key” (2018)

Continuing the adventures of these supernatural superfriends, the fourth film opens in 1953 where a pre-pubescent Elise is punished by her abusive father for talking about her “gifts.” Flash forward to 2010, the gang gets a call to return to Elise’s childhood home to investigate another series of hauntings all tangled up in a twisted family tree. At this point, the franchise was running on fumes, feeling much more like an episodic television show than a feature film. There are a couple of amusing scenes that toy with the audience’s jump-scare expectations, but it was definitely time to shuffle Elise off to the retirement home.

Where to watch “Insidious: The Last Key” (2018)

You can watch “Insidious: The Last Key” on HBO Max with a subscription. Alternatively, you can rent the film on demand from Apple TV, Fandango at Home, or Prime Video.

“Insidious: The Red Door” (2023)

How do you get that Insidious mojo back? Why, lure the franchise’s biggest star with a chance to direct, of course! Patrick Wilson does a decent job behind the camera here — much better than the song he warbles over the end credits — returning as Josh Lambert nine years later, now divorced and struggling to maintain a relationship with his son, Dalton, a freshman at art college. What’s worse: waking up for an 8am class or being stalked by the neon red demon who kidnapped you in the first film? Honestly, it’s a toss-up. But as a sentimental send-off for the Lambert family, “The Red Door” actually hits the bullseye more often than not. Plus it’s got the best freaky use of an MRI machine until the last “Final Destination: Bloodlines.”

Where to watch “Insidious: The Red Door” (2023)

You can watch “Insidious: The Red Door” on HBO Max or Hulu with a subscription. Alternatively, you can rent the film on demand from Apple TV, Fandango at Home, or Prime Video.

“Insidious: Out of the Further” (Aug. 21, 2026)

With the Lamberts’ story all wrapped up, this new sequel introduces another unwilling medium who has the ability to bring demons out of the Further and into the human world. Judging by the trailer, Shaye returns in some capacity as Elise (dead, undead or phoning in from Shady Pines, who knows?) to help this single mom protect her daughter from yet another supernatural incursion.

Director Jacob Chase already has one film under his belt (2020’s “Come Play”) that would have been a perfect fit in the Insidious universe. So will we get more of the same, or a clever new chapter? We’ll all have to roll the dice on Aug. 21 to find out.

Where to watch “Insidious: Out of the Further” (2026)

“Insidious: Out of the Further” hits theaters on Aug. 21, 2026. You can buy tickets using the link below.

How to rent or buy the Insidious movies on demand

If you’d rather rent the Insidious movies on demand instead of subscribing to a streaming service, the JustWatch.com links above will tell you which video-on-demand (VOD) retailers have the films for rent or purchase.

How to watch every Insidious movie in order FAQ