Insidious Movies in Order: Release and Chronological

The Insidious movies in order of release run across six films from 2011 to 2026, and this is the order in which audiences first met the Further, the dark spirit realm the series is built around. Here is the full list with the US release date of each film.

1. Insidious (2011), directed by James Wan, released April 1, 2011.
2. Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013), directed by James Wan, released September 13, 2013.
3. Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015), directed by Leigh Whannell, released June 5, 2015.
4. Insidious: The Last Key (2018), directed by Adam Robitel, released January 5, 2018.
5. Insidious: The Red Door (2023), directed by Patrick Wilson, released July 7, 2023.
6. Insidious: Out of the Further (2026), directed by Jacob Chase, released August 21, 2026.

Release order works well because the series changes shape as it goes. Insidious 2011 and Insidious Chapter 2 tell one continuous story about the Lambert family, with Patrick Wilson as Josh, Rose Byrne as Renai and Ty Simpkins as their son Dalton. Insidious Chapter 3 steps sideways to a new family, the Brenners, and gives Whannell his first turn in the director's chair. Insidious The Last Key follows Elise Rainier, played by Lin Shaye, back to her childhood home in Five Keys, New Mexico.

After that the series returns to the Lamberts and then moves on to new characters. Insidious The Red Door reunites Josh and Dalton nine years after the second film, with Wilson directing as well as starring. Insidious Out of the Further is the sixth film, so the answer to whether there is an Insidious 6 is yes, and it introduces Gemma Hall and Maya Hall. Lin Shaye appears as Elise Rainier in all six films, which makes her the thread that holds a release order marathon together.

The six films add up to roughly 621 minutes, or just over ten hours, going by runtimes of 102, 106, 97, 103, 107 and 106 minutes. That is a comfortable long weekend. For streaming and rental options, see where to watch Insidious.

If you are new to the series, start with Insidious (2011) and watch in release order. That is my recommendation, and it is an opinion rather than a rule.

My reasoning is about how the scares work. The first film plays the Further as a mystery, so you meet the Lipstick-Face Demon without knowing what it wants, and in my opinion that uncertainty is most of the fear. It could be argued that the prequels are best saved until you know the rules they are bending, because Chapter 3 and The Last Key lean on a world the first film has already built. Perhaps the best comparison is a television series with a flashback season: you can start there, but most people would rather see the original run first.

So, a simple plan. First time viewers should take the release order above, all six films in sequence. If you have already seen the first two and want a fresh angle, use the chronological order for a rewatch and let Chapter 3 open the run. If you are short on time, watch Insidious (2011) and Chapter 2 together, since they are one story, and then pick whichever later film suits you. Once you finish, Insidious movies ranked compares them all.

For where each film is streaming, check where to watch Insidious and press play.