Insidious star still ‘haunted’ by one of the most horrific scenes you’ll see this year

If you gagged at the dentist scene in the Insidious: Out of the Further trailer, wait until you see the full thing in all its glory. 

James Wan’s iconic horror franchise is creeping back into cinemas this weekend with its sixth sequel, but this time with a new director and a largely new cast – so long, Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne. 

Jacob Chase, best known for helming 2020 horror Come Play, has taken the reins with Amelia Eve and Brandon Perea starring alongside Insidious favourite Lin Shaye, reprising her role as paranormal expert Elise. 

It follows single mother Gemma (Eve) who discovers she can travel into the purgatorial Further but, unlike all the previous Insidious movies, realises she’s able to bring what’s found there into the real world. 

The two worlds colliding make for some genuinely unsettling scenes, not least the spine-tingling moment in Gemma’s dentist office that sees her elderly patient – with seriously deteriorating teeth – reveal himself to be an acolyte from the other side in the most disturbing way. 

Fans were treated to a snippet of the scene in the trailer earlier this summer, but Metro can attest that the full segment is much more frightful – you probably haven’t even seen your own gums that close up. 

When asked what rattled her the most during filming, Gemma replied – with a smile although clearly still somewhat traumatised and trying not to give too much away: ‘The dentist’s office I’d say was pretty haunting for me the human.’ 

Shaye interjected: ‘Watching the dailies for that were enough to make you never ever want to go visit your dentist again, it was great.’ 

Perea, who plays Eve’s on-screen boyfriend Nick, agreed and recalled the moment he first empathised with the single mother: ‘I think what was haunting for me was honestly reading the first 15 pages and seeing the opening of the film, getting the chills when you first feel for this character [Gemma].’ 

With the Lambert family (Wilson and Byrne) seeing their story settled in Insidious: The Red Door, it paved the way for Perea and Eve to take the lead as the franchise’s new couple. 

Eve said she ‘didn’t consider’ the dynamic that Wilson and Byrne brought to the well-loved series, but instead tuned into police officer Nick being pure ‘indulgence’ for Gemma. 

‘He’s her only guilty pleasure that she finally gets to be a tiny bit selfish, whereas as a mother, they don’t usually afford themselves any opportunity [to do that]. He’s her only thing for herself,’ she explained. 

There’s no denying that paranormal expert Elise is the true heart of Insidious, appearing in all six films despite her character technically dying in the first instalment. She’s earned a bit of a reputation as one of horror’s most formidable scream queens, but it’s not a label Shaye would ever consider for herself. 

Full of humility, she reflected: ‘It’s sort of unreal to me because I don’t think about the character like that, particularly. When you work on something you think of the nuts and bolts of who she is and how she relates to the characters and how people have found her so appealing is kind of mysterious to me because I don’t have any of the earmarks of a usual hero. 

‘She’s kind of an unattractive middle class woman who has this ability. I still see what, in my heart, is transmitting to the audience that makes her so popular. Needless to say I’m thrilled and I hope to always be able to live up to the expectation of the audience of who she is. I’m happy.’ 

Taking on a franchise for its sixth film was an undeniably daunting task for filmmaker Chase, who admitted that he didn’t want to let the dedicated fanbase down. 

‘There’s been five great movies leading up to this one, so the risk, at least for me stepping into this franchise for the first time, was disappointing fans,’ the director told us. ‘That was the thing I didn’t want to do and so I worked really hard to make it feel like it really honoured the films that came before it. Of course the original that James [Wan] made but also feels like an original new story within that.’ 

Wan had no qualms with handing over one of his horror babies to another director (he did the same with Wilson who helmed 2023’s The Red Door), and was more than happy to ‘empower’ Chase and let him play in the ‘sandbox.’ 

Out of the Further perhaps has some of the creepiest moments the Insidious series has seen in some time, but it’s not just aimlessly packed full of jump scares, with Gemma’s tragic past providing for many of the sequel’s emotionally-heightened moments. 

After being commended for striking the right balance, Wan replied: ‘I’m so happy to hear that because, as Jacob pointed out, there have been five films and it’s really hard to keep it going, especially in the context of it being a PG-13 horror franchise, it’s hard to keep pushing the boundary. 

‘So we’re all very thankful that Jacob was able to crack this movie and find what was in this that was scary but fun at the same time, that will make people want to watch this film.’ 

Insidious: Out of the Further hits UK cinemas on Friday.