<![CDATA[Psychoanalytic film studies frequently interpret horror characters through unconscious conflict, yet cross-film analyses of the same character remain comparatively limited. This study examines how Dalton Lambert is psychoanalytically characterized in Insidious (2010) and Insidious: The Red Door (2023) through Freud’s structural concepts of the Id, Ego, and Superego. Using qualitative content analysis and comparative film interpretation, the study works with a balanced analytical corpus of 66 coded units, 33 from each film. A unit is defined as a bounded dialogue turn, action, or short action-dialogue sequence that can be assigned one primary psychic function on the basis of narrative context. Within this coded corpus, Id-related representations account for 32 units (48.5%), Ego-related representations for 22 (33.3%), and Superego-related representations for 12 (18.2%). The two films differ descriptively: the later film contains more Id- and Superego-related codes and fewer Ego-related codes. These frequency patterns are treated as properties of the selected cinematic corpus rather than as clinical measurements of personality. The analysis suggests that the sequel reactivates earlier fear and memory while also depicting greater social and moral self-awareness. Freud’s model therefore provides a useful interpretive lens for tracing representational change across interconnected horror narratives, although several scenes remain open to alternative psychoanalytic readings.]]>
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