The Insidious film franchise is not a ‘typical’ horror series, by any means. While the initial instalment – released in 2010 – essentially focused upon the supernatural abilities of a father (Patrick Wilson) and his son (Ty Simpkins), and the second instalment continued that theme, creators Leigh Whannel and James Wan chose to develop the story further by revealing a supporting character from the first film to be the centre of the narrative as a whole. The character of Elise Rainier will remain at the core of the upcoming Insidious: Chapter 4, as the actress that plays her recently explained to Daily Dead.
Lin Shaye has portrayed demonologist Elise Rainier in every Insidious film to date – first appearing as the woman hired to help the troubled father and son in the first two films, and later revealed to have a connection to that family dating back to the father’s childhood.
This discovery is the twist that allows for the film franchise to become about Elise and her experiences, leaving the father and son of the Lambert family as just one of many cases she has worked on over the years. As such, Insidious: Chapter 4 will take place immediately after Chapter 3, allowing for the development of her professional relationship with ghost hunters (and series regulars) Specs (Leigh Whannell) and Tucker (Angus Sampson).
“In general, it goes back to Elise’s beginnings. And you also meet Elise at a very different point in her life. It takes place right after the end of Chapter 3, when she walks off with Specs and Tucker and they’re starting their company, Spectral Sightings, and they are now living at her home. They’re like her two sons, her two bad sons [laughs].
“It’s a fantastic story… You meet my family, my mother, my father — we go back to my hometown, which is in New Mexico. And so that’s where this takes place and her quest to find the bad guy that’s been haunting her… And it’s scary on levels they’re not going to expect.”
It’s heartening to see the franchise really dig deep into Elise and her history, as it’s this character that has the momentum to carry the series forward for several more instalments – not least concerning her partnership with Specs and Tucker.
Insidious: Chapter 4 is due for release on October 20th, 2017.
