Rating “Conspiracy” Horror Movies; From the worst to the best

In 2010, a mysterious advertising campaign was launched, which occupied the minds of fans of the horror genre; A series of surreal and shocking images reminiscent of movies of the haunted house genre appeared on the screen with the words “conspiratorial, conspiratorial”. But what did these mean? Many of us didn’t know that one of the best franchises in the horror genre was coming, the Insidious movies. After their successful collaboration on the Saw franchise, James Wan and Lee Vennell were ready to gamble on a new story: a less violent horror film than Saw, following a boy whose soul is held captive by a ruthless demon in a place far from his physical body. This place, known as “The Further”, is a metaphysical realm inhabited by evil forces, whose land is shrouded in mist.

With a budget of just over $1 million, and the backing of producers like Jason Blum and Oren Pelly, who at the time were riding high on the Paranormal Activity franchise, no one could have predicted what Conspiracy would become. But contrary to most predictions, the movie “Conspirator” (2010) starring Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne and Ty Simpkins, became a horror phenomenon at the box office, earning almost a hundred times its budget! This film raised Blumhouse Productions and turned James Wan into a director who is highly sought after by producers and viewers. Additionally, Conspiracy became one of the highest-grossing horror films.

Since 2010, “conspiracy” movies have never lost their popularity, and compared to other horror franchises, this series doesn’t have any really bad movies; You know better that this is a rare feature for this genre. Even one of the weakest films in the series, Conspiracy: The Red Door, which was first called the final chapter, became one of the highest-grossing horror films of 2023. Now that we know that the “Conspiratory” franchise is not over yet and it has been announced that “Conspiratory 6” will hit theaters in August 2026, it’s good to take a look at the films in this series and rank them from worst to best.

Warning! Further, there is the danger of revealing the story of “conspiracy” films

Rating all conspiracy movies; From worst to best

5. Insidious: The Red Door

• Release year: 2023
• Director: Patrick Wilson
• Actors: Patrick Wilson, Ty Simpkins, Sinclair Daniels
• Users score IMDb to the movie: 5.5 out of 10

Conspiratorial: The Red Door doesn’t have many faults as a horror film; The problem is that he has not smelled what “conspiracy” movies are. Returning to the story of the Lambert family, “The Red Door” wants to explore post-traumatic stress. This time Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) is in the center and his repressed memories. His son Dalton (Ty Simpkins) is now a teenager going to college.

This film is the first directorial experience of Patrick Wilson, who managed to establish a balance of emotions and scary scenes in the film; For example, the scene where Josh is trapped in the MRI machine with an evil villain will be truly hellish for those with a fear of confined spaces. However, “The Red Door” doesn’t feel like a “conspiracy” movie at all, and it all starts with the script.

After a decade of waiting to see the Lambert family again, the story does not benefit from the presence of the Lamberts. Not only does Renee Lambert (Rose Byrne) have a very minor role in the film, with most of the story wasted on the characters trying to remember the events of the first two films; It means that we, who have seen “conspiratorial” and its sequel, are a few steps ahead of the heroes of the story. In addition to the Lamberts, fans were also eager for the return of the classic villain, Satan Matiki (or the man with fire in his face); But you know who wasn’t looking forward to his return? The writer of the film, Scott Timms, who with all the hype surrounding this villain before the release of the film, has forced him into the “red door” several times. Even the “more” realm is nothing more than a backdrop for Josh and Dalton to learn to love each other!

With all the setting up for Josh and the reminiscing, you expect the story to end with a big bang, returning to the unrelenting horrors of “more”. Although “more” is the most important metaphysical element around which “conspiracy” films build their world from the beginning, the references to “more” in “The Red Door” seem perfunctory. Finally, “Conspirator: The Red Door” remains the final chapter of the two original films, which stretched for 107 minutes.

4. Insidious: Chapter 3 (Insidious: Chapter 3)

• Release year: 2015
• Director: Lee Vennell
• Actors: Dermat Mulroney, Stephanie Scott, Lynn Shea
• Users score IMDb to the movie: 6.1 out of 10

After the first two “conspiracy” films became horror genre phenomenons, James Wan and Blumhouse were in a difficult position. On the one hand, “Conspirator 2” brings a happy ending to the personal story of the Lambert family; On the other hand, there was a lot of demand for the next movie. Lee Vennell, the creator and writer of the “Conspiracy” films alongside James Wan, stepped forward this time and made the third part in the form of a prequel to the series. Keep in mind that “Conspirator 3” is actually Lee Vennell’s directorial debut, and this is where you see Vennell doing a really amazing job technically. “Conspiracy 3” shows that Vaughn and Blumhouse have spent a lot of sensitivity to see how to continue the story after the Lambert affair. The main plot of the third film revolves around a young actress named Quinn (Stephanie Scott), her father Sean (Dermatt Mulroney) and all the disturbing family drama that is exacerbated by a terrifying demonic attack from the “more” realm.

“Conspirator 3” owes a lot to Reid McKay; The actor who plays the main evil character of the film and is also known as “The Man Who Can’t Breathe”. McKay gives a terrifyingly physical performance to this corrupt, masked villain that almost saves the entire film.

Another strong point of the film is the story of Elise (Lin Shi) and her return to protecting the people against the world of demons and poor spirits that have taken over the “more” world. Seeing Elise’s first meeting with Tucker (Angs Simpson) and Spex (Lee Vennell) makes you feel good, and Shay gives such dignity to Elise’s character that all her emotional ups and downs during this story seem real to you. Unfortunately, “Conspiracy 3” reduces Elise to a secondary villain and focuses more on the more clichéd story of Quinn and her and her father’s grieving for her dead mother. Other than that, “Conspiracy 3” is a really good horror movie with its interesting demons and villains and Elise’s backstory. With news of Conspiracy sequels in the works, perhaps even better things are on the way for director Lee Vennell and the prequels to Conspiracy.

3. Insidious: The Last Key (Insidious: The Last Key)

• Release year: 2018
• Director: Adam Robitel
• Actors: Lin Shea, Lee Vennell, Angus Sampson
• Users score IMDb to the movie: 5.7 out of 10

The prequel elements in Conspiracy 3 were the best parts of the movie; But they got even better in the next installment, Conspiracy: The Last Key. “The Last Key”, directed by Adam Robitel – the director of films such as “Escape Room” (Escape Room) and “The Taking of Deborah Logan” (The Taking of Deborah Logan) – has more identity than other films in the “Conspiracy” series of Esteghlal and at the same time, it is perfectly in tune with the mood of the franchise. Lee Vennell is back as a writer in this film and this time, he relies even more on the power of Lin Shi’s performance than before. The story is about Elise, who wants to face the evil forces that have affected her and her family for years. The film constantly goes back and forth between an elderly Elise in the present, and a young Elise of days gone by, revealing Elise’s background and identity through flashbacks. In this way, we, the viewer, also taste the powers of Elise’s mediumship, whose story in “The Last Key” boldly expands more than the rest of the “conspiracy” films.

A lot of creativity has been used in making the horror elements of “The Last Key”; Especially in the main villain and how he uses the “more” realm. “The Last Key” combines the surreal aspect of this realm with the gothic settings of the US South and Elise’s childhood home in Fayokes/New Mexico. The film’s diabolical villain, Key-Face (Xavier Bott), also known as The Key, brings a different threat to the protagonist than any other demon we’ve seen in the franchise. The key holder has an unconscious effect on the people under his control, which is used as a metaphor for trauma in the story; A metaphor that the movie “The Red Door” tried to pull off with the red devil, but it failed.

There are many twists and turns in Conspiracy: The Last Key, and the timeline starts to twist and turn, not unlike James Wan and Lee Vennell’s other horror franchise, the Saw movies. However, and despite the negative reviews of The Last Key, this is a film that shows the potential of the “conspiracy” franchise; What “conspiratorial” really is and can be.

2. Insidious: Chapter 2 (Insidious: Chapter 2)

• Release year: 2013
• Director: James Vaughan
• Actors: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins
• Users score IMDb to the movie: 6.6 out of 10

It’s true that without “conspiratorial”, there certainly wouldn’t have been a sequel; But without “Conspirator 2”, this series might never have found its current longevity. Unfortunately, this film was not so lucky. In 2013, the title for which James Wan received the most positive reviews was The Conjuring; Because of this, attention was diverted from the crazy sequel “Conspiracy” that came the same year. In this sequel, Lee Vennell and James Wan are not satisfied with repeating the same story and flow of the first film. Rather, by turning the story upside down, they are closer to a movie like “The Shining”. In “Conspirator 2” it is now Josh Lambert who is possessed by an evil spirit from “More” and wants to cover up Elise’s murder. Meanwhile, Tucker, Specs, and Elise’s colleague Carl (Steve Coulter) set out to uncover the truth about Josh’s demonic possession that has plagued him for decades. Conspiratorial 2 becomes a love letter to the horror genre as the two storylines converge and Dalton goes further to save his father.

James Wan had some ambitious ideas in Conspiracy 2. The bride in black, Parker Crane (Tom Fitzpatrick) and her mother, the woman in white (Daniel Bissotti) and a complicated mystery in the heart of the film provide a fresh and attractive narrative for it. The horror scenes in this movie are more intense, more demons and more deadly dangers. Vaughn even manages to greatly expand Josh’s story and the realm of “more”, which is only revisited later in “The Last Key”. Most importantly, “Conspirator 2” makes us care deeply about the characters and the surreal and beautiful world around them. As you can tell from the ending of the movie, “Conspirator 2” was supposed to close the story of the Lambert family. But it does so with such grace and charm that other films in the “conspiracy” franchise couldn’t be made.

1. Insidious

• Release year: 2010
• Director: James Vaughan
• Actors: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lynn Shea
• Users score IMDb to the movie: 6.8 out of 10

Finally, the movie that started the whole franchise. Believe it or not, “Conspiratory” received mixed reactions after its release. But for those who saw the film years ago, there was no doubt that Conspiracy would be referred to as one of the classic horror films of all time. James Wan made Conspiracy to show that he has more to offer than Saw and its violence, things that dare make Conspiracy scarier than Saw.

Part of the main appeal of the first Conspiracy film is its suspense and uncertainty about everything. This film begins like all other horror films, whose story revolves around a haunted house; But by introducing a new concept, it distinguishes itself from other titles. The Lambert family struggles with the grief of their son Dalton (Ty Simpkins) falling into a coma. But one sentence shakes their whole mentality: “The house is not haunted…it’s your son!” This sentence turns everything upside down and puts a creative idea in the middle: the land of “more”.

There are some great horror elements in this movie that have been repeated in this franchise and even other franchises to this day: Matty’s demon stalking Patrick Wilson (played by the film’s composer, Joseph Bishara) has become one of the most famous scenes in horror movie history. The fog and dark coloring that make up the world of “More,” the bleak string-based score that we’ve heard many parodies of since, all the many demons that terrorize the Lambert family, like Mobland’s Devil (J. Adam LeRose) and Doll Girl (Kelly Dutto), two of the most memorable of these cursed ghosts. All of these things make 2010’s “Conspiratory” an unforgettable film.

It’s true that Conspiracy is clearly inspired by horror films like Poltergeist, but Vaughn has managed to create a novel world with Conspiracy that is still as fresh today as it was in 2010. Although the film was not well received by critics at the time of its release, it has now become an important part of the history of horror cinema. More importantly, Conspiracy is the film that laid the foundation for one of cinema’s most beloved horror franchises, a legacy that will continue to live on.

Source: Discussing Film

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