Lin Shaye reveals why she keeps returning as Elise in Insidious even after death in the first

Lin Shaye, aka Elise Rainier, dies in the first Insidious film, so here’s why she keeps returning to the franchise, including in Insidious: Out of the Further.

The Insidious franchise follows Elise Rainier, a gifted paranormal investigator who helps families facing terrifying entities from The Further. Although Elise dies in the first film, the series continues to explore her connection to this supernatural world.

So, why did they bring Elise back in the second film?

When Leigh Whannell and James Wan were making the original Insidious, the role of Elise was written specifically for Shaye. Wan said, “Lin is the beating heart of this franchise. On the first film, we wrote the role specifically for Lin, because we’d been big fans.”

“We needed to end on a big, scary note, and that meant killing Elise,” Wan explained.

He added, “Needless to say, Leigh Whannell and I have regretted that decision because with every sequel we’ve made to the Insidious franchise, we’ve had to think up a clever way to keep her alive. Luckily, the Further is a very strange and magical place.”

Shaye also never really viewed Elise as a conventional horror heroine. Looking back at the first film, she told Victoria Venin, “I never thought Elise was any kind of a heroine… It was, for me, the audience that there was some connection that had to do with my place in the whole of this demonic world that was being created.”

But why does she keep returning after getting killed?

Shaye has been very clear that money is not what keeps bringing her back to Insidious. Speaking to Discussing Films, she said, “It’s the love of the franchise and the character is what keeps me coming back because it’s not the money. In other words, I don’t think about business when I take on a character. I’m much more interested in the heart of the character.”

“I’ve built a whole world for Elise outside of what we’ve ever seen in the movies,” Shaye told Pinkvilla. “I don’t approach the character differently at all. I’m very present, which I like to think is one of my skills as an actress; it’s very important to react to each event as it happens to her and fill in the spaces about who she is.”

She also has a very specific memory of Elise’s death in the first film. Since the character is killed by choking, Shaye decided that Elise should generally have her neck covered in the films that followed.

Lin Shaye has more ideas for Insidious

Even after appearing as Elise across multiple films, Shaye does not seem to think she has finished exploring the character. She said, “It’s so interesting for me, how I can add something about her that you learn from the circumstances of each movie. I don’t always know how I’m going to react to any particular demon, she’s always different but Elise grows each time, even in her understanding of the demonic world.”

And Shaye has already thought about where Elise’s story could go next. She said, “I’m so grateful to have this character be part of my life and my repertoire. And I hope she goes on a long time.”

She then added, “I have I have some ideas about her. And I have some other thoughts about the further because since I know so much about it, there’s I certainly must have been there at some point. So we might have to see what that’s about.”

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