Roger Ebert gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying it depends on characters, atmosphere, sneaky happenings and mounting dread, is not terrifically good, but gives moviegoers what they expect.
The review is called lukewarm and a slight undersell; a reply calls it accurate for a satisfying, well-made low-budget horror movie that delivers a demon, the further and a crazy score on a Friday night.

Picking Nits

Unnoticed figures in photos and drawings; Barbara Hershey's character withholding the family history; the mother's protection standards; kids going into attics; Josh staying late to grade papers

In the discussion (8)

Approx. transcript time · 00:33:56Read transcript

Barbara Hershey's character sitting on the family history instead of telling her son is raised early as a nit; a parent would mention a ghost in every photo before their kids had kids.
How nobody notices the weird figure in the pictures, or the figure in the kid's drawings, is a red flag.
Rose Byrne's character is called a terrible mother whose protection standards were too low: she should refuse the new house and have everyone sleep in one room.
The son has brought home zero demon drawings despite watching hundreds of horror movies, and the mothering in this movie was pretty bad. — Bill Simmons
How Elise knows Dalton can astral travel is raised as a nit but disputed: a reply says she knew the father and went through it before, and mediums get a lot of leeway, like the Poltergeist medium.
Whether 600 dollars per exorcism can pay the bills is questioned; a Patreon pod is the joke answer.
Little kids do not go into creepy attics; a follow-up asks whether Dalton goes up because he is already called there, and heredity versus the fall is left a chicken-or-egg question.
Patrick Wilson's character staying to grade papers while his family is terrorized would mean the divorce papers are signed; he is a high school teacher, not working the Mueller Report.

Casting What-Ifs

Ethan Hawke in the lead

In the discussion (4)

Approx. transcript time · 00:44:15Read transcript

The film was originally going to be named The Further; Insidious is judged the better horror title.
Ethan Hawke turned down the lead, then made Sinister a year later, which is judged not as good as Insidious but not far off.
Asked whether the movie is better with Ethan Hawke, one answer is yes because all movies are better with him, and another agrees; it is also called a tough one because everyone loves Hawke.
Patrick Wilson being subtly off, staying at work grading papers while his wife is chased by a demon, is effective on a rewatch.

Recasting Couch

Casting kept; the boy recast with a now-famous actor

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 00:50:14Read transcript

The casting is liked, but it would be fun if the little boy were someone famous now, such as Jacob Elordi or Noah Centineo.
Ty Simpkins went on to Iron Man 3.
Dalton is later called an unimpressive possessed kid who spends the movie asleep, which is why he would have been recast.

Half-Assed Internet Research

Classroom Easter eggs; old woman demon played by a man

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 00:50:40Read transcript

Because the movie was so cheap, James Wan filled the classroom scene with Easter eggs: his name on the chalkboard, cast names and Saw items.
The old woman demon was played by a man, and only in the sequel was the character decided to be a man dressed as a woman.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Why the wife always senses the haunting first; where Dalton ranks among possessed kids

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 00:58:49Read transcript

Why the wife always knows before the husband is read as overt commentary on a woman's connection to her family and home; husbands only tap in as crazy authors.
Where Dalton ranks in the possessed-kid power rankings: Jody from Amityville Horror ranks high, Danny from The Shining and Reagan from The Exorcist, the Zion Williamson of the group, are raised for number one, and Dalton is not that impressive.
The Good Son is raised and offered as a future episode.