Gerald Rainier


Gerald Rainier
Aliases:	None
Continuity:	Insidious film series
Notability:	Antagonist
Type:	Serial killer
Occupation:	Prison guard
Gender:	Male
Race:	Ghost
Location:	414 Appletree Road, Five Keys, New Mexico
Associations:	Dewbend State Penitentiary
Relatives:	Audrey Rainier Elise Rainier Christian Rainier Imogen Rainier Melissa Rainier
Status:	Deceased
Born:	Unknown
Died:	Unknown
First:	Insidious: The Last Key
Actor:	Josh Stewart

Gerald Rainier is a fictional prison guard and a secondary antagonist featured in the Insidious film series. He appeared in the 2018 feature film Insidious: The Last Key, which is the fourth and final installment in the series. He was played by actor Josh Stewart in the film.

Biography[]

Gerald Rainier was a resident of Five Keys, New Mexico in the 1950s. He lived at 414 Appletree Road and worked as a prison guard at Dewbend State Penitentiary. He was married to a woman named Audrey, and had two children, Elise and Christian.

At some point in his life, Gerald became corrupted by the Keyface demon - an entity that resided in a dimensional realm that will later become known as The Further. Either as a result of being influenced by the demon, or in spite of it, Gerald became an abusive father towards his children. He was particularly resentful of his daughter Elise, who had the ability to perceive and communicate with ghosts. Whenever Elise demonstrated this ability, Gerald would beat her across the back with a wooden walking stick.

In 1953, after returning home from work, Gerald noticed the lights in the house flickering as a result of power being drawn from the nearby prison following an execution. These executions seemed to feed the ghostly aura of his home, and Elise had keen insight into details surrounding the latest convict to be sent to the electric chair. When Elise later spoke of seeing a ghost in her room, Gerald decided to punish her by beating her across the back with his cane so savagely that it left permanent scars. He then dragged her down into the basement and locked her within. It was at this time, that Elise had a personal encounter with the Keyface demon - an encounter that resulted in the death of Gerald's wife.

As the years went on, the corruptive influence of the Keyface demon took an even darker turn. Gerald became a serial killer, who would abduct young nurses and bring them back to his house where he would chain them up in the basement. One evening, a teenage Elise came across one of these women, Anna, but due to her "gift", mistakenly believed that she was seeing a ghost instead. When Gerald learned of this, he kicked Elise out of the house. It would be the last time she would ever see her father alive. Shortly thereafter, Gerald murdered Anna.

Gerald eventually died, though the year and circumstances behind his death are unclear. His spirit became yet another lost soul trapped in The Further. Decades passed before Elise, now an elderly woman, would return to her childhood home. She encountered the house's current resident, Ted Garza, whom she discovered was also a puppet of the demon, and had carried on her father's work in abducting and slaughtering nurses. With the help of the ghost of Anna, Elise was able to find and free one of Garza's victims, Mara Jennings. It was during this time that Elise learned that her father had been a serial killer.

As she continued to investigate the hauntings at her home, Elise found herself entering The Further. She found her father's ghost and the Keyface demon nudged her into taking her anger out on him as she began beating him across the back, similar to how she had been beaten all those years earlier. The ghost of Elise's mother appeared and convinced her that her father was innocent and that he had been a puppet of the demon this whole time. Gerald managed to overcome the demon's influence long enough to defend his daughter, but the demon was too powerful, and dispelled his essence for all time. Before disappearing, Gerald's final words to Elise were "I'm sorry". ^[1]

Victims[]

Anna W. - Murdered in the 1950s.
Victim No. 2 - Details unknown; Skull and personal affects discovered by Elise in 2010.
Victim No. 3 - Details unknown; Skull and personal affects discovered by Elise in 2010.
Victim No. 4 - Details unknown; Skull and personal affects discovered by Elise in 2010.

Notes & Trivia[]

The character of Gerald Rainier was created by director Adam Robitel and writer Leigh Whannell.
The final fate of Gerald Rainier is unclear. It is unknown what happens to a human soul after it is dispelled from The Further. Perhaps his spirit moved on to the Afterlife.
Gerald Rainier had a limp and walked with a cane. It is never indicated what caused this injury. In all likelihood, this detail was included to provide reasoning as to why Gerald would have a walking stick, which he used to beat Elise.
The adult Christian Rainier insinuates that Gerald's abuse was not exclusive to Elise. He resented Elise for "abandoning" him to the "monster" that lived in their house.
It is unclear why Ted Garza began emulating the M.O. of Gerald Rainier when it came to his murders. Perhaps the Keyface demon just had a fondness for nurses.
Actor Josh Stewart receives seventh billing in Insidious: The Last Key.
Actor Josh Stewart has appeared in multiple films of the horror genre including The Haunting of Molly Hartley, where he played Mister Draper, The Collector, where he played Arkin O'Brien, and its sequel, The Collection, where he reprised the role.

External Links[]

Gerald Rainier at the Insidious Wiki

Appearances[]

Insidious: The Last Key

References[]

↑ Insidious: The Last Key (Jan. 2018). Directed by Adam Robitel. Screenplay by Leigh Whannell.

Keywords[]

[1] Insidious: The Last Key (Jan. 2018). Directed by Adam Robitel. Screenplay by Leigh Whannell.

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