Insidious: Out of the Further (2026)

 

        After its recent theatrical run, the sixth in the INSIDIOUS series is getting a digital release (to buy or rent) from Sony. But before we look at it, let’s have another edition of Summarise That Franchise! Here they all are in chronological order, with links to click on for the ones I’ve already reviewed on here:

INSIDIOUS 3 (2015)

INSIDIOUS 4: THE LAST KEY (2018)

INSIDIOUS (2010)

INSIDIOUS 2 (2013)

INSIDIOUS: THE RED DOOR (2023)

INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER (2026)

So the most recent film is also the most recent film, if you seen what I mean. This time around we’re introduced to dental hygienist Gemma (Amelia Eve, Jamie the gardener from Mike Flanagan’s HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR). As a child Gemma saw her mother apparently commit suicide by bashing her head against the bathroom wall. Now as an adult she’s having strange dreams, and somehow manages to bring back a brooch from one of them.

Meanwhile an extremely creepy trio of old people are wandering up and down the street, and when one of them comes in to Gemma for treatment, a second set of teeth inside the man’s mouth closes on her finger (featured in the trailer). This sends Gemma back into her nightmare land, which is confirmed to be the Further by Elise (Lin Shaye again) who, despite being dead, is able to communicate with Gemma through a medium.

It turns out Gemma can act as a ‘courier’, pulling things out of her dream / the Further in the same way Nancy Thompson pulled Freddy Krueger out in Wes Craven’s A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET and this film has its own nasty villain wanting to use Gemma for exactly the same purpose.

The first act of INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER is surprisingly good, especially for part six of a franchise and, if it didn’t have the series name on it, could be considered the introduction to an intriguing and very well executed ghost story. Its problem is that it IS an INSIDIOUS movie, with all the expected elements that suggests. It’s also too long at over 100 minutes, which means those rictus smiley characters outstay their welcome by a good quarter of an hour. What the film does have going for it is that first act, which also features some of the most repulsive and well done horrible dentistry ever committed to film. You have been warned.

INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER is out on Digital to buy or rent from Sony now

The Last Boy Scout 4K (1991)

“Hugely Entertaining Action-Packed Neo-Noir”

Arrow Films are releasing, in separate limited 4K UHD and Blu-ray editions, a new 4K restoration from the original 35mm negative (supervised by director of photography Ward Russell and it looks fabulous) of director Tony Scott’s LA neo-noir that’s liberally peppered with violence, car crashes and explosions.

Joseph Hallenbeck (Bruce Willis) is a down on his luck Private Investigator. His wife and child hate him and he spends more time sleeping in his car than at home. He gets the job of acting as bodyguard to exotic dancer Cory (Halle Berry), the girlfriend of disgraced football player Jimmy Dix (Damon Wayans). When Cory is gunned down Hallenbeck and Dix resolve to find out why. 

Needless to say they uncover a web of corruption, all linked to American football, in this big budget, fast-paced, tightly scripted (by Shane Black), well-directed piece that’s one of the better action movies of the period. Part of that is due to it being less an actioner and more of a modern noir piece, at least in its opening half. Willis (the biggest action star around when this was being shot) and Wayans have great chemistry to the extent that by the time the film is over you find yourself wishing there was another film with these two characters.

For a movie this slick, glossy and seemingly effortless in its storytelling the revelation that it was quite the troubled production may come as a surprise to those who know little of its making. All of this (and more) is covered in the excellent extras on Arrow’s disc. First off is a new commentary track from critics Josh Nelson and Martyn Pedlar which is informative and chatty and is the equivalent of having two friends watching this with you who know all about the film. There are two very good career spanning new interviews with Shane Black (36 minutes) and actress Danielle Harris (32 minutes) who plays Hallenbeck’s daughter in the movie. French critic Stéphane Moïssakis, who literally write the book on Tony Scott, provides an excellent 30 minute talking head piece in which he discusses the making of the film and in particular Scott’s directorial technique and how it had evolved up to this point.

Shane Black at the American Cinematheque is a splendid 30 minute Q&A from 2024 which followed screenings of four of his movies. Amongst the subjects discussed are how he comes up with his characters, his relationship with producer Joel Silver, and his love of classic 1960s-era Dr Who. The interview flies by and you get the feeling he could easily have talked for at least twice as long and still kept it fascinating. 

You also get 23 minutes of alternate and deleted scenes from a recently discovered workprint (with comparisons to the final version included), trailers, an image gallery and the first and second drafts of Shane Black’s screenplay. Finally, Arrow’s limited edition set also comes with a reversible sleeve and a booklet featuring new writing on the film. 

Tony Scott’s THE LAST BOY SCOUT is out from Arrow Films in a new 4K restoration in separate limited UHD and Blu-ray editions on Monday 12th October 2026

Cujo 4K (1983)

        Lewis Teague's 1983 adaptation of Stephen King's novel gets an impressive 4K UHD upgrade from Arrow Films as a part of a new limited edition release. It will also include a collector’s booklet with new writing on the film and a reversible sleeve.

Cujo the St Bernard is out chasing bunnies when he gets his nose stuck in an old tree stump. Unfortunately it leads into a cave of rabid bats and before you can say Marilyn Chambers Cujo's had his nose bitten and he's developing a severe case of the runny eyes, the drools, and the being covered in what looks like mud.

This is bad news for Cujo's car repairman redneck owner (Ed Lauter) and his friend, and it spells trouble of the 'trapped in the car with her six year old son' kind for Donna Trenton (Dee Wallace), who finds herself under siege in her broken down old banger while a great big drooly powerhouse tank of a mad dog waits outside to get her, when he's not ramming the doors.

The early 1980s was the era of Stephen King adaptations. Most of them weren't very good, but CUJO actually is, thanks to good performances and a skilled team behind the scenes who went all out to make the best film they could. 

Arrow’s new limited edition set comes with two discs. Disc One is a UHD disc giving you the US theatrical cut in 4K. This is the version that was seen in the US in cinemas and then worldwide on TV screenings and subsequent disc releases. It includes the commentary track by Lee Gambin from Eureka’s 2019 Blu-ray release (now OOP) but Arrow’s disc goes two better by also including both the archival Lewis Teague commentary and the commentary with Teague and Jeff McKay.

Also on Disc One is a 2014 2o minutes roundtable discussion with Teague, Wallace, Danny Pintauro and Daniel Hugh Kelly, and also carried over from previous releases is the 47 minute making of, plus over three hours of interviews with Dee Wallace, composer Charles Bernstein, stuntman Gary Morgan, stuntwoman Jean Colter, casting director Marcia Ross, dog trainer Teresa Miller, visual effects artist Kathie Lawrence, and special effects designer Robert Clark. You also get trailers, TV and radio spot, and an image gallery.

Disc Two will be of great interest to CUJO completists as it gives us the International Cut. This is the version seen in cinemas outside the US (including in the UK) but which hasn’t had a physical media release since the days of VHS. And yes there are differences, with a shorter running time (about three minutes) and some different scenes. Disc two also carries over an archival Kim Newman interview in which he talks about Stephen King adaptations in general and CUJO in particular. It lasts nearly half an hour and is up to his usual excellent standard. Also carried over from the Eureka release is 100 minutes of Lee Gambin interviewing Dee Wallace at the Cinemaniacs and Monster Fest 2015 convention. It's slightly fuzzy and shot from one angle only but it's good to have.

The Bottom Line: Arrow’s 4K two disc set represents a substantial upgrade in image quality, carries over all the extras from the previous UK Blu-ray release, and has extra material from other previous releases as well. Excellent stuff.

Lewis Teague’s CUJO is out from Arrow Films on 4K UHD in a limited edition two disc set on Monday 12th October 2026

It Ends (2026)

        First-time director Alexander Ullom’s ultra low budget (it was made for under $100 000) creepy road movie is getting a UK digital release from Signature Entertainment.

Three twenty-somethings who have recently graduated meet up with their friend Tyler who has been in the army. Together they set off in their car to get some food. Their GPS suggests a short cut which takes them into a forest. When the cut turns out to be anything but short they turn around, only to be confronted with a dead end, on a road that has had no turn-offs. With no choice but to continue the way they were going, it soon transpires that both the road, and the forest through which it passes, seem to be endless. And there’s another problem. If they stop the car for more than 90 seconds they are besieged by hordes of people their own age who emerge from the forest and attack them.

As the miles click by they encounter other cars that have been left by the side of the road, their odometers reading over a million miles. Meanwhile inside the car they try to work out where they might be (the conclusion is either purgatory or hell) and why they might be there. As frustrations increase it looks like if their car does ever get to ‘the end’ then not all of its passengers will still be inside it.

Very much an art house horror piece, Ullom’s movie stands alongside other recent movies like TALK TO ME and OBSESSION in examining the concerns of an emerging younger generation, including an over-riding fear of aimlessness in the face of either not knowing what to do with their lives or being too afraid that what they do decide will be wrong. Apparently the director has claimed the film was his attempt to deal with his own depression and, while it is far from perfect, it certainly benefits from an integrity to its construction that runs a bit too long at 89 minutes, but is still certainly effective in its use of minimal resources to get you feeling sympathu for its young protagonists. Ullom’s next film, 4x4: THE EVENT sounds even more interesting with its plot of people fighting to the death but only allowed to use items they have bought online and had delivered to their homes, suggesting he’s a director to keep an eye on.

Alexander Ullom’s IT ENDS is out on Digital from Signature Entertainment on Monday 5th October 2026

Crushed (2025)

“Excellent, But Not For The Faint-Hearted”

After a successful international festival run last year, the latest feature from writer-director Simon Rumley (CROWHURST, FASHIONISTA, JOHNNY FRANK GARRETT’S LAST WORD and more) is getting a digital release through Grimmvision.

Daniel (Steve Oram) is a priest living in Bangkok with his wife May (Nattapohn Rawddon) and their ten year old daughter Olivia (Margaux Dietrich). One day Olivia goes to stay with a friend. The friend’s older teenaged brother shows them both an example of a ‘Crushing’ video, in which animals meet their ends beneath the boot heels of women in stockings. Don’t worry, you don’t actually get to see the kitten’s demise.

Needless to say the little girl is traumatised. The next day her own pet kitten goes missing and she wanders the streets looking for it until her parents pick her up. She then follows a boy (who has bought some small pets) to a dubious-looking house and sure enough she ends up getting abducted, with the plan being to sell her to a sex tourist.

Meanwhile Daniel and his wife are beside themselves looking for Olivia. Daniel in particular believes God will help them. However when the man who did take her is caught Daniel then finds it difficult to practice what he preaches and forgive his daughter's abductor.

CRUSHED is gruelling, serious material and that warning up the top there should not be taken lightly. That said, if you’re made of sufficiently stern stuff the film is excellent. The main plot-line is suspenseful and disturbing while the themes it addresses of what it is like to be a Christian and thus consider yourself tested by God and then to completely fail that test is something for plenty of post-movie discussion. Rumley’s direction makes clever use of a novel split screen technique and even cleverer use of a number of hymns, some played without the words but if you know them you’ll appreciate even more what a bitterly cynical film this is. Highly recommended, IF you can take it. Here’s the trailer:

Simon Rumley’s CRUSHED is out on Digital from Grimmvision on Monday 5th October 2026

Colony (2026)

“Rip-Roaring Zombie Picture from the director of TRAIN TO BUSAN”

Yes that’s right. While it may not be quite as good as Yeon Sang-ho’s zombies on a train masterpiece, COLONY is still terrific stuff and it’s about to get a DVD, Blu-ray, 4KUHD and Digital release in the UK from Studio Canal.

A disgruntled and dismissed research employee at biotech company Chains Bio creates a slime mold that turns people into high speed zombies with a collective intelligence and the ability to communicate in a way akin to that used by fungal networks. He infects the CEO at the company conference, which just happens to be taking place in a tower block in Seoul that also contains a shopping mall. 

He rings the police beforehand to warn them of the impending act of bioterrorism and very soon the building is both full of the infected and cordoned off from the outside world. The employee claims he himself is a living vaccine for what he has created, but will the usual motley band of survivors be able to get him to the authorities before they are all killed?

COLONY is a rip-roaring, action-packed zombie movie with some memorable imagery, plenty of suspense, and a climax that erupts into bloody chaos on the streets. In fact, rather than comparing it to TRAIN TO BUSAN, COLONY feels like a big budget, hugely polished riff on Italian 80s classics like Lamberto Bava’s DEMONS or Umberto Lenzi’s NIGHTMARE CITY. The mycelial communications network is a nice idea and allows COLONY to be something a little different from previous Korean zombie efforts. The actors ensure that their characters are engaging and either sympathetic or ‘ones you love to hate’ and as a result COLONY’s two hour running time just flies by. 

Extras on Studio Canal’s disc are limited to a few tiny featurettes - Choreography (2 minutes), a short Making Of (4 minutes) and a piece on the zombie makeups (2 minutes). But don’t let that put you off getting this. COLONY is the best zombie picture you’re going to see this year and if you get the option go for the 4K disc where all that splatter really pops. 

Yeon Sang-ho’s COLONY is out on DVD, Blu-ray, 4KUHD and Digital from Studio Canal on Monday 28th September 2026