L to r: Amelia Eve, Brandon Perea credit Jessica Chou, Lin Shaye, Laura Gordon credit Sarah Krick.
Victoria's reputation as a hub for genre filmmaking continues to grow with Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks today announcing Melbourne as the filming location for the next instalment of Blumhouse's Insidious franchise for Sony Pictures' Screen Gems and Stage 6 Films.
Melbourne's moody architecture will provide the backdrop for another spine-tingling story that will expand the Insidious universe. Filming is now underway with locations in Camberwell, Essendon and Kensington standing in for New England. The production is also utilising Docklands Studios Melbourne's Stage 6.
The production is set to inject more than $29 million into the Victorian economy, generating more than 513 jobs for Victorians, including 205 crew with 14 locals in Head of Department roles.
Starring Amelia Eve (The Haunting of Bly Manor), Brandon Perea (A Big Bold Beautiful Journey), Insidious stalwart Lin Shaye (Insidious, There's Something About Mary), Maisie Richardson-Sellers (Nine Perfect Strangers), Sam Spruell (Fargo), Island Austin (I Can Only Imagine 2) and Victorian Laura Gordon (Late Night With the Devil), the film is directed by Jacob Chase and written by Chase and David Leslie Johnson.
The Sony Pictures and Blumhouse thriller is produced by Jason Blum, Oren Peli, and home-grown Victorian talent James Wan and Leigh Whannell, with executive producers Ryan Turek, Steven Schneider, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, and David Leslie Johnson.
Since the franchise's debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2010, Insidious has become one of the most enduring and successful horror series of all time, grossing more than $740 million worldwide. Franchise producers Blumhouse have returned to film in Melbourne, where they made Leigh Whannell's 2018 cyber thriller Upgrade.
Insidious 6 is the latest in a string of local and international genre projects to film in Victoria, following internationally acclaimed films Late Night with the Devil and Together.
The producers of Together recently wrapped filming Stake Out in Victoria, the new film from Benjamin and Paul China (Night Shift, Crawl). Produced by Princess Pictures' Laura Waters and Christopher Casnanova with Brooke Posch and John Hodges (Fire Island), Brenton Thwaites (Titans), Charlee Fraser (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga) and Danny Huston (Yellowstone) star in the film about a former couple who stake out the man they suspect of committing murder only to uncover an even more gruesome reality.
Stake Out filmed on location in Scoresby and at Docklands Studios Melbourne in August, the production employed 138 Victorian screen workers and injected an estimated $6.8 million into the Victorian economy.
Other recent genre projects include the new film from Natalie Erika James (Relic, Apartment 7A), Saccharine, comedy-horror series Gnomes and survival thriller Play Dead.
Insidious 6 was attracted to the state by VicScreen the Victorian Government's creative and economic screen development agency through its Victorian Screen Rebate. The production is also accessing the Federal Government's Location Offset.
Victorian Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks said: "Created by Victorians, Insidious is a franchise that has captured the imagination and attention of audiences around the world and is testament to the depth of creative talent we export to the world. Productions like this are big business for our state, they create jobs for Victorians and boost local businesses."
VicScreen CEO Caroline Pitcher said, "We're thrilled to welcome the Insidious team to Victoria to make another heart-pounding film. It demonstrates to the confidence that Sony and Blumhouse has in our highly skilled crews, world-class facilities, and striking locations. The Insidious series was created by Victorian talent and we're proud that they've come back here to generate employment and skills development opportunities for Victorian screen workers and businesses."
Jason Blum, Blumhouse Founder & CEO said, "Melbourne is an incredible city for filmmaking — its mix of world-class crews, cutting-edge facilities, and rich creative culture made it the perfect home for our next Insidious film. We love being here and are grateful for the support we've received from the local film community."
Producer Leigh Whannell said, "As someone who grew up in Melbourne, it's a dream to bring an Insidious film back to my hometown. The city offers such a versatile backdrop and incredible filmmaking talent — I can't wait for audiences to see how it elevates the film."
