By Grace Murphy and Gill Pringle
As horror icon Lin Shaye speaks to a crowd of journalists about the latest installment in the Insidious horror franchise, Insidious 4: The Last Key, she is interrupted by the sound of a microphone falling onto the ground, creating a piercing sound that forces the crowd to jump in fright. “That was one of the demons!” Shaye laughs, “Look what we summoned!” Shaye is unfazed by it, which is unsurprising when considering her scream queen status, having starred in horror films for over forty years, including A Nightmare on Elm Street and Critters.
Today, Shaye will not let spirits interrupt her excitement over The Last Key, which is devoted entirely to her character Elise Rainier, an elderly paranormal investigator. When a case draws Elise back to her childhood home, she uncovers haunting memories from her past. “It deals with the supernatural, it deals with family, it deals with pain and personal issues that we all deal with, and people don’t talk about,” she says. “It’s the biggest role I’ve ever had in my career”, she beams.
Shaye, who has starred in all four Insidious films, is overwhelmed about her leading role in The Last Key. “I’m probably going to cry during this interview,” she says with an unsteady voice. Her emotions are understandable. A leading lady of a franchise worth over $400 million at the age of 74 is a rare achievement.
What is further surprising for both Shaye and audiences about her starring role, is that Elise was killed off in the first film. Shaye was certain that her character would not return. “I remember when we were finishing up the film, James [Wan] said ‘You know if we do another one, we can always bring you back as a ghost’.”
Insidious creators Leigh Whannell and James Wan took their word seriously, making Elise central to the Insidious franchise as an unlikely heroine. Shaye reprised her role for the second and third installments, with her importance to the storyline increasing with each film. With a new director at the helm of the fourth instalment, Adam Robitel, whose horror feature The Taking of Deborah Logan also stars an older leading lady, it was no surprise that Shaye would take the starring role in The Last Key.
Shaye has not taken her starring role in The Last Key lightly, saying “There’s places I visit in this movie I’ve never visited before. I can tell you that, and that’s for real.” She discusses how she manages to keep Elise fresh and exciting for audiences with each new film. “I have to be very careful to not mimic what I’ve already created, and to not hear myself. That’s a trick voice sometimes. I don’t like to look at my dailies because it pulls me outside of myself, and if I start watching myself then I’m not going to be telling you the truth.” It is Shaye’s dedication to unearthing the truth which is central to her choice of roles. “I feel a tremendous responsibility to telling the truth,” she tells the crowd.
Shaye is passionate about this responsibility in not only horror, but comedy. Although she is known for her scream queen status, she has also starred in comedy sensations such as There’s Something About Mary and the Farrelly Brothers’ Kingpin. Shaye discusses the important role that humour holds in her life. “I live my life with a great deal of humour. It’s just how I see the world. I have a great cynicism also unfortunately that has crept in. Our world is pretty upsetting right now in many respects. I feel the responsibility as an actress and a performer and a storyteller to infect what I do with some perspective of what’s going on, that’s why I think a movie like this, believe it or not, even though it is a genre film again, and a wonderful one, I think there’s room to unearth some thoughts about things that are really important. That’s what I want to do as an artist, is make people think about their own lives and the way they live them.”
When asked if she would happily return for further installments of Insidious, Shaye, without hesitation says “of course, because mostly I consider myself a storyteller. That’s the reason I’m an actress to be honest. I love telling stories and morphing into different kinds of people. Elise is growing. With this movie you learn more about her than ever.” Shaye makes it clear that she will not be going away from the screen anytime soon despite her age, “I hope I have many more opportunities. I like to say on my Facebook pages I hope I live until I’m 115 and still know my lines.”
Insidious: The Last Key is in cinemas February 8, 2018
