What is the best order to watch the Insidious movies?

In 2010, supernatural horror film, Insidious arrived in cinemas. Written by Leigh Whannell and directed by James Wan, the movie focused on the Lambert family and their encounters with demonic forces.

Released to a positive response from critics and audiences alike, as well as a healthy box office, Insidious kick-started a very profitable film series. But how many Insidious movies are there and what is the best viewing order?

In this post, I am opening up a door to the spirit world to provide you with answers. Don’t get scared, just follow my words.

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The Insidious movies in production order

As noted above, the first entry in the series was 2010’s Insidious. The film starred Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne, as two parents who discover their son has become a conduit for malevolent spirits… and is bloomin’ terrifying!

The success of Insidious led to a sequel in 2013, called Insidious: Chapter 2. A third film – Insidious: Chapter 3 – arrived in 2015, and a fourth film – Insidious: The Last Key – followed in 2018.

After a shirt break, the series continued with a fifth instalment, Insidious: Fear the Dark.

If you wish to watch the Insidious film series in the order the movies were produced, then simply view them as follows: 

• Insidious (2010)
• Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)
• Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015)
• Insidious: The Last Key (2018)
• Insidious: Fear the Dark (2023)

OK, so that’s the production order, but it is not the only order for the Insidious films. While it is fair to assume the Insidious movies were produced chronologically (1,2,3,4,5, etc), that is not the case.

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The Insidious films in timeline order

In terms of the Insidious movie timeline, the third and fourth films are prequels, with the events of each film taking place before Insidious, Insidious: Chapter 2 and Insidious: Fear the Dark. Therefore, if you wish to watch the Insidious films in chronological order, this is how they should be viewed:

• Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015)
• Insidious: The Last Key (2018)
• Insidious (2010)
• Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)
• Insidious: Fear the Dark (2023)

If you watch the films in this order, you will watch the story play out chronologically. It’s debatable as to whether that is really important – personally, I don’t think it is – but the viewing option is there for you.

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If you’re a fan of horror films like the Insidious movies, then you may wish to know that many classic sci-fi and horror movies are currently available on Blu-ray, including the ever-popular, Paranormal Activity series.

The Paranormal Activity: 6 Movie Blu-ray Collection includes six movies, including: Paranormal Activity, Paranormal Activity 2, Paranormal Activity 3, Paranormal Activity 4, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, and Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension.

The Paranormal Activity: 6 Movie Blu-ray Collection is available from all good entertainment stockists, including Amazon US.

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Thank you for taking the time to read this post about the Insidious film series. I hope this information has proved useful and allows you to manoeuvre your way through these creepy horror films.

And for more horror-related posts on It’s A Stampede!, please check out the recommended reads below.

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