Insidious 5: Patrick Wilson Credits Fatherhood IRL For Conjuring Up A Sincere On-Screen Dad

"Insidious: The Red Door" features the return of the Lambert family, with Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, and Ty Simpkins reprising their roles in the direct sequel to "Insidious: Chapter 2." However, this time around, Wilson's credits include actor, director, and rock vocalist, doing practically whatever was necessary to get the movie into theaters. 

While "The Red Door" focuses on the father-son relationship between Wilson and Simpkins' characters, Wilson has done plenty of real-life parenting in the 10 years between sequels, allowing him to channel that fatherhood to play the on-screen dad. "[Fatherhood influences] everything I do," Wilson told USA Today. "Not that you can't play a dad if you're not a dad, but, man, it helps." 

Understandably, Josh (Wilson) and Dalton (Simpkins) don't have the best relationship, as a possessed Josh tried to kill Dalton and his mother in "Insidious: Chapter 2." It's traumatic, and Wilson didn't want to shy away from the strain that put on their father-son relationship, saying it echoes real-life parenting problems. That "disjointedness," as he called it in the interview, "is a very real thing as a parent," Wilson said. "Living with regret, working your way back up. Certainly a parent of teenagers can relate to that."

"Insidious: The Red Door" picks up 10 years after the events of "Insidious: Chapter 2," which saw Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) attack his family after an evil spirit possessed his body. Ultimately, both Josh and Dalton (Ty Simpkins) have their memories wiped to forget what happened. "The Red Door" focuses on the father-son duo confronting their trauma, learning how to move on together.

The sequel revisiting the events of "Chapter 2" was purposeful for Wilson as a director and a parent, taking what he's learned as a father over the last 10 years and injecting it into his "Insidious" story. "It was extremely traumatic on that family and I don't think you wish it away with hypnosis," Wilson told USA Today regarding the previous film's ending. "That's what we did then and it made sense. But looking back in 2023, as a parent now, I just don't think dealing with trauma by saying you don't remember is the way to do this. Let's confront that."

"Insidious: The Red Door" is the finale of the franchise, so there is no time like the present for Josh and Dalton Lambert to fix their severed relationship, and Wilson recognizes that. He clearly takes pride in his duties as a father, bringing that viewpoint to his work both in front of and behind the camera. Despite reviews not favoring "The Red Door," Wilson's determination to showcase a realistic father-son relationship may cement him as an iconic movie dad.