The Insidious: The Last Key Trailer is Here to Freak You Out

The Insidious franchise of horror features has ventured into some unusual territory over the course of its first three films—both the fantastical land of “The Further” featured in the films themselves, as well as some novel decisions in terms of casting and visual effects. But the most groundbreaking thing they’ve likely done around the way is who they’ve chosen to base the last two installments around: 2015’s Insidious: Chapter 3 and the upcoming Insidious: The Last Key in January of 2018. That person is the charming Lin Shaye, a now 73-year-old American actress who handled lead duties in the last installment and will do so again in the next. Ask yourself: What other horror franchise is anchored by a senior citizen? What about a senior citizen woman? This is some seriously rarefied air, and Shaye deserves every bit of the spotlight: She’s been appearing memorably in horror films ever since the original A Nightmare on Elm Street, but it took decades to get a starring role.

Now, with the first trailer for Insidious: The Last Key, we can see that the story has become even more focused around Shaye’s character, parapsychologist Elise Rainier. The demons that previously accosted the likes of Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne (although this is still a prequel to the events of the first Insidious) now have their eyes set on Elise’s family, and it all seems to revolve around a sinister, key-fingered figure that can’t help but evoke Freddy Krueger. As in the past, Elise will have to descend into the weird depths of The Further to combat the menace haunting her family’s home.

Insidious: The Last Key is directed by Adam Robitel, who also directed 2014’s underrated The Taking of Deborah Logan, which coincidentally also had a female senior lead. The Blumhouse Productions film is scheduled for release on Jan. 5, 2018. Check out the appropriately creepy trailer above.