Brave Insidious Fans Can Make A Call All The Way To The Further

How does one effectively market an upcoming film or TV show in an era when it feels like our collective attention is being pulled in countless directions every minute of every day? It's a pickle, no doubt about it, and one that's already given rise to some rather bizarre promotional campaigns both online and in the strange, scary realm commonly referred to as the real world. And speaking of strange, scary realms that you may or may not ever want to pay a visit, you can now call the supernatural, demon-inhabited purgatorial dimension from the "Insidious" films — also known as the Further — from the comfort of your own home.

Yes, in case you missed the memo, the "Insidious" franchise is returning this year with its first installment since 2018. Titled "Insidious: The Red Door," the film serves as a direct sequel to the first two entries in the horror franchise, as were directed by James Wan and written by Leigh Whannell. You see, "Insidious 3 & 4" were actually prequels to "Insidious 1 & 2" that centered on Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye), the good-natured psychic who was murdered by a nasty specter after helping the Lambert family rescue their young son from the Further in the first movie. It's a bit like how The Fast Saga looped back around in time after "Tokyo Drift" to resurrect Han, except the "Insidious" films didn't destroy their own continuity in the process.

... I promise at least some of this is relevant to that whole "calling the Further" thing.

The "Insidious" Twitter has posted a message reading, "You're never alone in The Further. Call in the spirits at (310) 634-1918 — you never know who might answer." Well, yours truly did just that and got a voice message from Elise saying, "You are about to enter the Further," accompanied by a countdown and the sound of cackling voices. The whole thing culminated with some kind of monster screaming (perhaps our old friend the Lipstick-Face Demon? Or maybe a brand-new ghoul from "The Red Door?") before the call ended. Presumably, Sony — which is releasing "The Red Door" in theaters — intends to use that number for additional marketing in the future, much like Lionsgate did with its texting campaign for "John Wick: Chapter 4."

Anyway, it's all a bit of fun to pass the time until "The Red Door" arrives and, fingers crossed, provides a satisfying conclusion to the Lambert family's story. Patrick Wilson, who plays the Lambert patriarch Josh, is making his directing debut with the film, drawing from a script by Scott Teems ("Halloween Kills") and a story credited to Leigh Whannell. Wilson himself has done a pretty solid job hyping the sequel all on his own, having talked about the ways his real-life experiences attending art school inspired its themes and story. He's also said his goal with the film was to avoid being overly reliant on jump scares and instead sustain an atmosphere of "tonal dread," which frankly goes a long way in getting me excited to see this film all by itself.

"Insidious: The Red Door" will tiptoe its way through the tulips starting on July 7, 2023.