Patrick Wilson talks final 'Insidious,' 'Aquaman 2' and his 'ridiculous' rock-star moment

Patrick Wilson wanted a crack at making the “Field of Dreams” of horror movies.

After starring in the 2010 cult hit “Insidious” and its 2013 sequel, he makes his directorial debut crafting a personal father-son story about trauma – plus carves out some creepy moments – with the fifth and final franchise installment, “Insidious: The Red Door” (in theaters Thursday). “I love this quirky world,” Wilson says. “It can be deeply emotional, then it can be super scary, and then it can be super avant-garde and weird."

Wilson, 50, reprises his role as Josh Lambert who, like son Dalton (Ty Simpkins), is able to venture into a frightening realm called The Further populated by demons, ghouls and assorted tortured spirits. The new installment finds Dalton dealing with supernatural forces at college and Josh learning dark truths about his own family.

Wilson is also a major part of “The Conjuring” movies playing real-life paranormal expert Ed Warren – a fourth film, “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” is in the works – and stars alongside Jason Momoa in the DC superhero sequel “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” (out Dec. 20).

The two-time Tony Award nominee gives the lowdown on his new movies, being a horror-loving dad and enjoying a rock-star moment.

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‘Insidious: The Red Door’ is less about scares, more about dealing with the past

The new “Insidious” is a direct sequel to the second film, where Josh was possessed by a killer spirit and attacked his family. In the aftermath, he and his son are hypnotized to forget their haunting experience. Now, nine years later, Josh and estranged son Dalton separately encounter strange visions and figures that force them to confront what’s happened and find a way to move on together.

As a filmmaker, Wilson wanted to “purposely” revisit “Insidious 2” and “just stare that ending in the face,” he says. “It was extremely traumatic on that family and I don't think you wish it away with hypnosis. 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.”

Patrick Wilson embraces being an ‘Insidious’ dad

With the oldest of his two sons currently looking at colleges, Wilson hopes dropping him off at school “won’t be as emotionally exhausting” as it is for Josh and Dalton. Fatherhood influences how Wilson plays his “Insidious” character and “everything that I do. Not that you can't play a dad if you're not a dad, but, man, it helps.”

The “disjointedness” of Josh and his son and how they try to make it work “is a very real thing as a parent,” Wilson adds. “Living with regret, working your way back up. Certainly a parent of teenagers can relate to that.”

The ‘Insidious’ filmmaker rocks out on the soundtrack

A fan of the Swedish metal group Ghost, Wilson got permission to use an unreleased song called “Stay" for the end credits of "Red Door," and the Broadway veteran (“The Full Monty," “Oklahoma!”) was even invited to sing on the first verse and "wail at the end. It's like my nod to Iron Maiden,” Wilson says. "I really love how it turned out. ‘Ghost featuring Patrick Wilson’ is as ridiculous as it sounds, but it is very true.”

He admits all of that went on behind the studio's back. "I didn't involve them. They would've said, ‘You want to sing?! I'm not paying for that. Nobody since John Carpenter sang ‘Big Trouble in Little China' has sung on their own soundtrack!’ ”

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Patrick Wilson is diving back in the water for the ‘Aquaman’ sequel

Wilson spent four years working on “Red Door,” even during the four months he filmed the latest “Aquaman” with original “Insidious” and “Conjuring” director James Wan. Wilson’s antagonistic character Orm (aka Ocean Master) was defeated in the first film by his half-brother Arthur Curry (Momoa), but in the sequel they reluctantly team up to take on returning villain Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II).

“I have a lot of fun with that guy,” Wilson says of his screen sibling. “If you ever need to be quiet in your trailer to record something, don't be next to Jason Momoa's trailer. Music's going to be loud, he’s going to be bellowing louder than anyone else on set, but that's why we love him.”

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He might be a horror guy but Patrick Wilson doesn’t internalize the scary stuff

Being a star of the “Conjuring” and “Insidious” franchises – and a fan of the genre – has made Warren “more aware of all the sides” of the supernatural, he says. “If there's one thing that Lorraine Warren taught me, it's that, yes, there may be spirits, but you don't have to be afraid of them.”

But he doesn't get "very deep into my own feelings” when it comes to angels, demons and the like, Wilson says. “I spend so much of my career playing believers that I really can separate it. I am like a super Catholic believer when I'm in ‘Conjuring.’ When I'm in 'Insidious,' I’m an astral-projecting, demon-seeking dad that was possessed by a cross-dressing serial killer. It's wackadoo if you think about it. I don't question it. I just go along for the ride.”