Getting killed off in the first installment of a film series would traditionally prevent an actor from playing that role five more times in the next 15 years. But not if you're Lin Shaye.
The star's psychic character, Elise Rainier, died at the end of the 2011 horror movie "Insidious." Yet she was such a fan favorite, she stuck around to become the face of the franchise, returning in every sequel, including the latest, sixth entry "Insidious: Out of the Further" (in theaters Aug. 21).
Shaye, 82, is "over the moon" about Elise's lasting appeal. Still in awe after a promotional tour took her to Peru, where thousands cheered her arrival, she says the love that she's felt from the horror community has made her "more confident" in herself after more than
50 years in the industry.
"I finally have come to the conclusion I'm a pretty good actress," she says. "I really mean that, because I'm very hard on myself, and I am very meticulous about what I want to project with the character. And the fact that this character became so beloved is kind of a mystery. … But all I can say is, I am truly having the time of my life."
"Insidious: Out of the Further" sees Elise once again return as a ghost inside the Further, the creepy, otherworldly realm of spirits introduced in the first movie, to act as a kind of guide for the new lead character. After Gemma (Amelia Eve), a young mother, discovers she has the ability to travel into the Further and bring demons back with her, Elise arrives to provide some much-needed advice and ultimately help Gemma prevent the evil beings from coming into the human world.
Shaye was well-regarded as a character actress when the original "Insidious" came around, perhaps best known for her comedy roles as landlady Mrs. Dumars in 1996's "Kingpin" and Mary's neighbor, Magda, in 1998's "There's Something About Mary." Her screen debut was the 1975 film "Hester Street," where she played a character who didn't even have a name and was simply listed as "whore" in the credits.
"I played a prostitute, much to my mother's chagrin," she quips.
But the first "Insidious" shifted Shaye's career into an entirely new gear at age 67, with subsequent installments cementing her as a bona fide horror icon. The fourth film, from 2018, even made Elise into the lead. By centering on Shaye, "Insidious" has become a rare franchise where an older woman gets to function like a full-fledged superhero, kicking demon butt and taking names.
Shaye hopes she's "opened the door, in our profession, for older women to be heroes" in an industry where lead roles are harder to come by for actresses as they age. In May, a study released by Age Without Limits found that the highest grossing movies released in the U.K. from 2023 to 2025 were more likely to star an actor named Chris than a lead actress over age 60.
"Ageism sucks. Period!" Shaye says. "The only thing older people have that other people don't have is wisdom, and that's because they have experience."
She's been fortunate in that if ageism has negatively affected her own career, she hasn't "noticed." She does, however, recall an instance earlier in her career where sexism did.
"I wore a pair of slacks to an audition, and the director said, 'You have a lot of nerve wearing pants when you come into my room,' " she says. "I turned around and walked out. I thought, 'What did I just do? I shouldn't have walked out.' [Then] I said, 'Yes, you should have walked out. Good job, Lin!' "
Elise's age is just part of why Shaye sees the character as a "very unlikely hero" for a movie franchise. "She's not beautiful. She's not young. She's not particularly smart," she says.
While Shaye is still a bit mystified about why fans are so drawn to the character, she has a theory: The fact that Elise is a "good listener" is appealing at a time when countless distractions have made this virtue harder to come by. "That's a very powerful tool, and a very unlikely thing to make someone heroic."
When making the first "Insidious," Shaye had no expectation that it would launch a major franchise, and if director James Wan knew it would, perhaps he wouldn't have killed her. Shaye recalls the filmmaker even second-guessed the choice on the set.
"He said, 'Maybe we shouldn't kill you, because what if we have another one?' " Shaye says. "And I said, 'Ah, don't worry, it's a ghost story. She can always come back!' And sure enough, that's exactly what happened."
After racking up more than 200 film and television credits, Shaye is "picky" about the jobs she takes, a shift from when she "used to do anything" and could appear in as many as 10 movies a year.
"I love my life. I love my good health. I'm getting older, but, knock on wood – as my mother would say and do – I'm in excellent health," she says. Though "relocating for six months somewhere is not so appealing to me anymore" when she's happy riding her horse and spending time at home with her dog.
That said, Shaye has no plans to retire, stressing she'll "always be an actor" and hopes to have "another 25 years to tell stories." The sequel marks her second film of 2026 so far after the horror-comedy "Scared to Death," which debuted in March.
Shaye also may just be getting started as Elise. Her goal is to appear in every new "Insidious" going forward, with hopes that future films could delve into the character's explorations through the Further. If Shaye stars in one more sequel, she'll tie "Scream" star Courteney Cox's record for most consecutive appearances by an actress in a horror film series.
"There's lots and lots of room for that character to explore new things," she says, adding, "The cast changes, but I am not interested in being replaced."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Lin Shaye, 82, is fighting Hollywood ageism with 'Insidious' role
