08/09/2026

LYFE TUESDAY | SEPT 8, 2026

24

Further into parenthood

W HEN he sat down to write Insidious: Out of the Further , the sixth instalment of the blockbuster horror franchise, director Jacob Chase channeled his fears over a major life event: Becoming a parent. “I became a dad for the first time, and I was terrified of being a dad. I o New Insidious reflects parenting anxiety, says director

was really nervous I would raise my child in the wrong way, and I was thinking about parenting almost in opposition of how I was raised,” he told AFP. The resulting movie, which is showing now, promises to take audiences into the Further – and bring back the demons who live there. The main character is a woman who longs to be a good mother and protect her daughter from the terrible things that happened to her – but ends up becoming the worst version of herself in the process. “I wanted to create a character who was haunted by her past... the

(From left) Shaye, Island Austin, Eve and Perea attend the Los Angeles special screening of Insidious: Out Of The Further. – AFPPIC

In this new instalment, Rainier represents a beacon of light for Gemma, a role that taught her a lot, Shaye said. “It’s still completely evolving, which is very exciting to me. You’d think it’s the same old, same old every time (but) I feel that Elise is learning something new about herself,” said the 82-year-old actress. The women and their allies in the world of the living will face Cyrus, a new diabolical entity played by Sam Spruell (Fargo), who commands the forces of evil. Director Chase, who was looking to create a charismatic demon, said: “I wanted a villain that was different. “I wanted someone that was a bit more human and someone that had a real goal in the film. To me, a charming villain is so much scarier because I could see myself wanting to follow them.”

It is there that Gemma discovers she can not only enter the afterlife but also bring its shadowy inhabitants into the world of the living, a power that makes her a target for terrifying entities and puts her daughter in danger. For the 34-year-old British actress, it was an exciting opportunity. “It’s one thing to be welcomed into this franchise and it’s a whole other blessing to then get to introduce a new aspect to this incredible world,” Eve said. To build that protective bond with her on-screen daughter, the actress drew inspiration from her relationship with her own sisters: “The people you’d do anything for,” Eve described. Eve shares the screen with Shaye, who returns once again to play Elise Rainier, a character who fans consider the heart of the franchise.

experience with the Insidious... a character who already had this trauma from her past and was trying desperately to outrun her own sins of her mum.” The result is an atmospheric film that gradually draws the viewer to the other side, revealing the terror that seeks to infiltrate the characters’ world. Starring Amelia Eve, Lin Shaye, Brandon Perea and Sam Spruell, Insidious: Out of the Further introduces new directions and characters to a franchise that has grossed over US$740 million (RM3 billion) at the global box office. ‘Completely evolving’ This chapter follows Gemma, played by Eve, a young single mother raising her daughter in the same home where she grew up – a house that holds traumatic memories.

The film is the sixth in the horror series. – IMDBPIC

Mara sisters channel childhood energy for twins performance at Venice REAL-LIFE actress sisters Rooney and Kate Mara recently said they drew on their instinctive closeness for new film Bucking Fastard that sees them talk and move in unison for almost their entire time on screen.

Kate ( The House of Cards ) added. Bucking Fastard , which is in the running for Venice’s top prize, is a whimsical drama that sees the sisters fall in love with the same man, played by Orlando Bloom, setting off a spiral of unsettling encounters with other people. “It’s unique in film history in a way... It’s unique that two sisters are playing as one,” Herzog told reporters, adding that he had written the screenplay in five days with the Mara sisters in mind. Critics called the eccentric production a “strange tale of sisterly devotion” (Screen Daily), “cluttered, ripely bonkers fantasia” ( Variety ), a “silly, pointless drama” (The Guardian) and “destined to polarise... either you’re on the train or you want to get off it fast” (IndieWire). Herzog was awarded a lifetime achievement prize last year at Venice, where he premiered his documentary Ghost Elephants about the search for an elusive elephant herd in Africa. – AFP

Their movie was called “unique in cinema history” by its director and writer, veteran German filmmaker Werner Herzog, ahead of its recent premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Bucking Fastard is loosely inspired by the real-life story of Freda and Greta Chaplin, twins from northern England who earned notoriety in Britain in the early 1980s for their synchronised movement and speech. “It reignited a lot of childhood energy in us, which was really special,” said Rooney Mara ( The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Carol ) and other journalists in Venice about her experience filming with Herzog. “It felt really... I don’t want to say effortless but it really made sense. We kind of found our own language or our own rhythm with it,” older sister

(From left) Rooney, Herzog and Kate attend the photocall of Bucking Fastard at the Venice Film Festival. – AFPPIC