The China Mail - New 'Insidious' reflects anxiety of being a new parent: director

"I became a dad for the first time, and I was terrified of being a dad," he told AFP.

"I was really nervous I would raise my child in the wrong way, and I was thinking about parenting almost in opposition of how I was raised."

The resulting movie, which opens in US theaters on Friday, promises to take audiences into the Further -- and bring back the demons who live there.

The main character is a woman who longs to be a good mother and protect her daughter from the terrible things that happened to her, but ends up becoming the worst version of herself in the process.

"I wanted to create a character who was haunted by her past...the experience with the Insidious...a character who already had this trauma from her past and was trying desperately to outrun her own sins of her mom."

The result is an atmospheric film that gradually draws the viewer to the other side, revealing the terror that seeks to infiltrate the characters' world.

Starring Amelia Eve, Lin Shaye, Brandon Perea, and Sam Spruell, "Insidious: Out of the Further" introduces new directions and characters to a franchise that has grossed over $740 million at the global box office.

- 'Completely evolving' -

This chapter follows Gemma (Amelia Eve), a young single mother raising her daughter in the same home where she grew up -- a house that holds traumatic memories.

It is there that Gemma discovers she can not only enter the afterlife but also bring its shadowy inhabitants into the world of the living, a power that makes her a target for terrifying entities and puts her daughter in danger.

For the 34-year-old British actress, it was an exciting opportunity.

"It's one thing to be welcomed into this franchise, and it's a whole other blessing to then get to introduce a new aspect to this incredible world," Eve told AFP.

To build that protective bond with her on-screen daughter, the actress drew inspiration from her relationship with her own sisters: "The people you'd do anything for," she described.

Eve shares the screen with Lin Shaye, who returns once again to play Elise Rainier, a character who fans consider the heart of the franchise.

In this new installment, Rainier represents a beacon of light for Gemma, a role that taught her a lot, Shaye says.

"It's still completely evolving, which is very exciting to me," said the 82-year-old actress.

"You'd think it's the same old, same old every time (but) I feel that Elise is learning something new about herself."

The women and their allies in the world of the living will face Cyrus, a new diabolical entity played by Sam Spruell ("Fargo"), who commands the forces of evil.

"I wanted a villain that was different," said director Chase, who was looking to create a charismatic demon.

"I wanted someone that was a bit more human and someone that had a real goal in the film.

"To me, a charming villain is so much scarier because I could see myself wanting to follow them."

Q.Yam--ThChM