The first Insidious film introduces the Lambert family, husband and wife Josh and Renai,
and their children Dalton, Foster, and Cali. Shortly after moving into their new home,
Dalton enters the attic where he encounters a mysterious entity
that eventually puts him into a coma. Three months later, as Dalton has yet to wake up,
the family begin to experience a series of horrific events, including strange noises in
the night, bloody handprints appearing on walls, Dalton beginning to sleepwalk, and
even Renai being attacked by a paranormal apparition. Thinking their house is haunted,
the Lamberts move away, though the paranormal activity follows them to their new home.
Josh’s mother, Lorraine arrives, warning of visions of a red-faced demon,
prompting her to call in the help of psychic Elise Rainier and her assistants,
Specs and Tucker. Elise explains that while he thought he was dreaming, Dalton had actually
gained the ability to astral project his consciousness into a purgatory dimension known
as the Further. Dalton’s mind has been captured by evil spirits in the Further, who are seeking
a way to use his body and re-enter the physical world. While Josh first dismisses these claims,
he eventually discovers that he possessed the same abilities as Dalton, and had repressed
memories of Elise helping him similarly escape the Further as a child. The group quickly determine
that the only way to save Dalton is for Josh to astral project into the Further to rescue him.
Inside the Further, Josh fights his way through various spirits,
including the red-faced demon and the spirit of an old woman who had tried to possess him as a child,
eventually rescuing Dalton and returning to the physical world. As the family celebrate
Dalton’s rescue, Elise senses something amiss and discovers that the spirit of the old woman has
possessed Josh’s body. Upon being caught, Josh murders Elise before returning to his family.
In Insidious: Chapter 2, the Lamberts are under investigation for the murder of Elise.
As the Lamberts move in with Lorraine, they once again begin to suffer from paranormal activity,
while Josh is urged by a demonic voice to kill his family. Lorraine realizes that
Josh is possessed, and instructs Renai to take the kids and run.
Meanwhile, Specs and Tucker begin looking more into Josh’s history, discovering in old video
tapes from Elise’s time with him as a child that the adult Josh can miraculously be seen
in the footage. Working with Elise’s former colleague, Carl, the trio discover that Josh
had been attacked by a serial killer named Parker Crane as a child, who wore a black gown and was
dubbed the Bride in Black. And so, it is in fact Parker Crane who is the Old Woman possessing Josh.
Carl, Specs, and Tucker confront the possessed Josh in an attempt to free
him from Parker’s control, leading to Josh attacking them and inadvertently sending Carl
to the Further. There, Carl reunites with Elise and the real Josh. In the real world,
the possessed Josh begins attacking his family, prompting Dalton to enter the Further to help
his father take back control of his body. Inside the Further, the group becomes unstuck in time,
eventually discovering that Parker Crane was viciously abused by his mother, Michelle,
who forced him to act like a girl and led him toward his violent tendencies. During a final
confrontation with Michelle, Elise kills the spirit with the help of a young Parker, putting
the Bride in Black’s spirit to rest. With the spirit defeated, Dalton is able to lead his
father out of the Further and fully reclaim his body. Carl uses his abilities to help
the Lamberts once again suppress their horrific memories and happily move on with their lives.
Insidious Chapter 3 is set three years before Dalton’s possession and focuses on Elise’s return
to the profession of demonology. Grieving the death of her husband and traumatized by her years
of experiences with spirits and the Further, Elise has given up on her profession. When
teenager Quinn Brenner seeks out Elise’s help in communicating with her recently deceased mother,
Elise refuses. Quinn then becomes the target of a spirit known as “the Man Who Can’t Breathe”,
leading her to be hit by a car and temporarily confined to a wheelchair. Quinn’s father, Sean,
seeks out the help of internet demonologists Specs and Tucker, but quickly realizes that
they are frauds. Carl encourages Elise to offer her assistance in saving Quinn,
and upon meeting Specs and Tucker, she invites them to join her in her mission.
Elise enters the Further and battles the Man Who Can’t Breathe,
but realizes that Quinn would need to defeat the spirit herself. Elise seeks out Quinn’s mother,
Lily, in the Further to aid her daughter, leading her to successfully defeating the
spirit. With Quinn saved, Elise bids farewell to the family and decides to
officially return to demonology, with Specs and Tucker working as her new assistants.
Elise Rainier’s story continues in Insidious: The Last Key. Elise, Specs,
and Tucker are hired by a man named Ted Garza to investigate the paranormal anomalies at his house,
which just so happens to be Elise’s childhood home. The home brings back traumatic memories
for Elise, whose father was abusive and mother was killed by a demon. Elise had
fled the house as a child to escape her father’s beatings, abandoning her brother,
Christian. Elise, Specs, and Tucker eventually discover that Ted is actually holding a young
woman prisoner inside his home and Specs is forced to kill him in self-defense.
Christian then returns to his childhood home with his daughters, Melissa and Imogen, though he
remains bitter at Elise for abandoning him decades prior. Melissa is attacked by the demon from
Elise’s childhood, known as Key Face, which traps her in the Further. As Elise searches for a way
to save Melissa, she discovers that her father, Gerald, had also kidnapped and locked up young
women inside their home. Elise is then attacked by Key Face, pulling her into the Further.
Fortunately, Imogen possesses the ability to astral project, and enters the Further to save
Elise and Melissa. The women discover that Key Face had been possessing Gerald and Ted,
forcing them to commit their heinous acts against women, feeding on the women’s fear
and hatred for their abusers. As Key Face tries to goad Elise into enacting revenge
against her father in the Further, Imogen encourages her not to let Key Face feed on
her hatred. As Key Face attacks Elise, Gerald’s spirit sacrifices itself to
save her. As Key Face continues to attack the Rainier family, the spirit of Elise’s mother,
Audrey, arrives to help defeat the demon. While attempting to escape the Further,
the women accidentally open a wrong door, leading to the young Dalton Lambert. Searching
for another exit, they accidentally leave the door open, inadvertently giving the spirits
of the Further access to Dalton and setting up the events from the first Insidious film.
Upon leaving the Further, Elise reunites with Christian, who finally forgives
her for abandoning him. As the film comes to a close, Elise receives a phone call from
Lorraine Lambert to help save the possessed Dalton, bringing the story full circle.