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James Wan felt ‘like a proud dad’ watching Patrick Wilson direct a horror movie

He's finally made the jump from acting to directing.

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Image via Warner Bros.

Whether it’s Insidious or The Conjuring, Patrick Wilson is usually in front of the cameras whenever he’s working with James Wan, but Insidious: The Red Door finally sees Wilson take the helm as director and Wan couldn’t be prouder.

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In an interview with ComicBook, the acclaimed horror director talked about what it felt like watching one of his actors take the reins for the franchise he started.

“[I am] very proud of what Patrick had created; what he had made with this film. Patrick and I go way back and I’ve known the guy for a while […] for him to finally step up to the plate as director it was very exciting for me.”

Wilson’s been a horror icon for years

Wilson#s face will be familiar to anyone who even has a remote interest in the horror genre. He’s been working with Wan on numerous projects for over a decade, going all the way back to the first Insidious. Perhaps best known for playing Ed Warren alongside on-screen wife Vera Farmiga in The Conjuring films, Wilson’s projects with James Wan aren’t the only iconic horror films he’s appeared in. You can also spot him in films like Prometheus and Bone Tomahawk. 

Suffice it to say, Wilson no doubt has picked up a few things from working on all of those horror movies. His ex-director even admitted to feeling “like a proud dad”, which is pretty weird when you think about the fact that Patrick is actually four years older than him.

So the seasoned horror star has finally made the leap from acting in movies to directing them, like a “son finally off to college”, in Wan’s words. Considering his experience with Insidious and its director, we can expect good things from the franchise’s fifth installment.