Credits

Music: Dan Raziel

Cast: Ty Simpkins, Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Sinclair Daniel, Hiam Abbass, Andrew Astor, Lin Shaye

Director: Patrick Wilson
Writers: Scott Teems (screenplay), Leigh Whannell (story)
Cinematography: Autumn Eakin

Josh (Patrick Wilson)’s mother has passed away, leaving an already broken Josh even more so. Divorced and with a son, Dalton, that doesn’t speak with him anymore, he’s at his wit’s end. The last few years have been hard on him as his mental health has deteriorated. Trying to find a medical reason for his issues, Josh has to come to terms with the fact that he will have to speak with a counsellor.

Josh’s son, Dalton (Ty Simpkins), is off to art school, and to keep his mother happy, he’s let his dad drive him to the university. But the road trip doesn’t go to plan when the two end in a nasty verbal fight.

Dalton’s art teacher asks him to dig deep into his subconscious and draw what he sees. Having no idea what he’s drawing, a door appears. His vigorous drawing causes his hand to bleed, which covers the door, painting it red. Meanwhile, as Josh attempts to do some memory work, he is attacked by a ghost. At a similar time, Dalton finds himself confronting a ghost. The two quickly realise they have been astral projecting. The situation doesn’t make sense to either of them as neither can remember that fateful year Dalton was stuck in The Further and Josh was possessed.

Managing to take on their own battles, time repeats itself when Josh has to find Dalton in The Further and get him back to safety before their bodies in the real world become possessed by parasites of the dead.

This is Patrick Wilson’s directorial debut. Having been part of this genre for over a decade, he’s a natural candidate. With the help of James Wan (director of the original) as producer, Wilson manages to tick the required boxes to deliver a frightening story with some effective jump scares.

Ty Simpkins leads the cast in this instalment. All grown up, his Dalton is very different from how we remember him: quiet, lost, angry, and far removed from the cute, loving kid he once was. Possessed, he portrays a very frightening demon worthy of nightmares.

The film’s standout is easily Sinclair Daniel as Dalton’s college friend, Chris. While her instant friendship with Dalton seems a little too convenient, her humour carries the film and gives it the required break from the dark. Her delivery and character hold strong throughout, taking her scenes to the next level.

This isn’t the strongest film in the series. It feels slow to get to the good stuff and then over in a blink. It relies too heavily on the first two films—to the point of using original footage. That might be justified if it were quickly followed up with another film. Sadly, it seems that won’t be the case, and that red door is firmly shut.

Score