Horror is a tried and true genre in the film world, known for being capable of making huge profits on a relatively small budget. That’s partly why there are so many long-running horror franchises, and why the best horror movies eventually return with new sequels. James Wan’s Insidious is in that category, as the fifth movie The Red Door recently arrived in theaters (see the Insidious movies ranked here). And franchise sar Lin Shaye recently spoke with CinemaBlend about when she realized the first movie was going to be a hit. And it’s a pretty fun story.
The original Insidious movie was released back in 2010, and became another huge win for horror auteur James Wan. But the wild success of the burgeoning franchise wasn’t always guaranteed, especially during the short original shoot. Lin Shaye recently spoke to CinemaBlend’s own Sean O’Connell ahead of the release of Insidious: The Red Door, and spoke about her experience on the first film. As she told us:
We had no idea. It was even James who said to me ‘You think people are going to like this? Maybe we shouldn’t kill you because what if we make another one? What if we do a number 2?’ I think when you create something– this was a very low budget, the first was a very low budget movie. It was a three weeks shoot, very minimal everything. You hope you’re creating something exciting for the public. I mean, that’s the whole idea.
Insidious has grown into a bonafide franchise, it sounds like those involved with the first movie weren’t expecting it to blow up in this way. In fact, they were basically doing small time guerrilla filmmaking, with a short filming period and small budget. Luckily those efforts really paid off.
As we all know, the first Insidious movie went on to make over $100 million at the box office, and four sequels (and counting). So when exactly did the cast and crew know the movie was a success? Later in her interview with Sean O’Connell, Shaye pinpointed the exact moment. In her words:
Once it was accepted to the Toronto Film Festival that was a big deal because that’s where all the sales happen. And that’s where Sony purchased the film. And I remember Jason, I think he called me or called Leigh and he called me. There was a huge bidding war all of a sudden. They showed the film, it was a standing ovation of a thousand people watching different movies. And there was a big bidding war. And so James was all like ‘Oh my god this movie’s gonna get a release and we’re going to do it.’
And release it did. Both James Wan and Leigh Wannell have continued to be visionaries within the horror genre, while Lin Shaye has appeared in all five of the Insidious movies (despite her character’s death in the original). Sometimes there’s really just lightning in a bottle.
Of course, Shaye was a scream queen before the Insidious franchise ended up becoming so successful. She appeared in a number of iconic horror movies before and after James Wan’s flick including A Nightmare on Elm Street, Critters, The Grudge and Ouji: Origin of Evil. And smart money says this trend won’t be stopping anytime soon.
Insidious: The Red Door is in theaters now, and beating out major movies like Indiana Jones at the box office.. Be sure to check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
