Insidious: The Red Door is set to hit theaters today and could become one of the biggest films of the summer. The film picks up 10 years after Insidious: Chapter 2 and sees Ty Simpkins return to the franchise after starring in the first two entries of the franchise. Audiences have watched Simpkins grow up before their very eyes, as even before Insidious, he appeared in Little Children at the age of three, where he worked with Patrick Wilson for the first time.

Now grown up, the actor returns to the franchise that launched his career. Joining him on this film is Sinclair Daniel, a recent Drama graduate from NYU. The two young stars are very much the central characters of this new Insidious film. Simpkins and Daniel sat down with MovieWeb to talk about the prep before the film, what it was like for Daniel coming onto a big project like this, and Simpkins’ return to horror.

Prep Time Before The Red Door

Rehashing is an important part of the acting process. It allows actors to find their characters, but also helps build a rapport with one another. When two people need to play friends, it can be difficult to develop such natural chemistry. Fortunately, Simpkins and Daniel find the magic that is needed.

“We had a little time, not too much time. About a week or two before we started to film, but we had conversations in between shots or joke around,” said Simpkins. “When you work so long on set, you get close quickly. We got along pretty quickly.”

Related: Insidious: The Red Door Review – A Potentially Satisfying Conclusion to a Horror Saga

“I think those first couple of rehearsals that Patrick [Wilson] kind of proctored were really great because he immediately had us going into the heavy longer scenes. ‘Let’s just read it a couple times, let’s just feel it out’ so by the time we finally got onto set, we didn’t have to do as much of getting to know you work,” added Daniel. “It felt kind of casual and small in the moment, but it really helped.”

Jumping Into Insidious
FilmDistrict

Insidious is a franchise that has been running for 12 years now, and with Insidious: The Red Door being the fifth entry, it carries a certain level of expectations. That can be daunting to come into, and Daniel revealed what it was like to first appear in the popular horror film series. “It felt like a movie of this size for the first couple of days. I’ve been a fan of this franchise since as long as it has been out, so I had that going in the back of my mind, but I also wanted to do my job,” Daniel said. She continued:

Pretty soon after we started shooting, I started to feel very comfortable around everyone and that these were not just people from movies that I’m watching, but these are my coworkers and my friends, and it felt like we were all just having a really good time on something we all care about. Related: Exclusive: Patrick Wilson Talks Directing Insidious and Loving Musicals

Ty Simpkins from Boy to Man
Sony Pictures Releasing

Audiences have watched Ty Simpkins grow up on screen. Two years after Insidious, he played the role of Harley Keener in Iron Man 3, a part he reprised for a silent cameo in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame that left audiences scratching their heads, as he was unrecognizable. In 2015, he starred in Jurassic World. Most recently, he appeared in 2022’s The Whale, which won Brendan Fraser an Academy Award for Best Actor.

Insidious: The Red Door marks the actor’s return to horror after being part of some big franchises. Simpkins said it was exciting to return to the film series which helped make his name and to work with Patrick Wilson again, having known him since he was a kid:

I really consider the first Insidious movie to be kind of what launched me into my childhood success. To have this be my first lead role in something is a great honor, and to have Patrick be at the helm, who I’ve known since before the Insidious movies since I was three years old. To have him there was just a great full-circle moment for me, and I will cherish it for the rest of my life for sure. Audiences will cherish this fifth film in the franchise as well. Insidious: The Red Door opens in theaters on July 7, 2023, from Sony Pictures.