This is How You Die

Insidious: Chapter 3 is the directorial debut from Leigh Whannell and stars Dermot Mulroney (The Grey, New Girl), Stefanie Scott (A.N.T Farm) and Lin Shaye (Ouija, Insidious 1&2). 'A prequel set before the haunting of the Lambert family that reveals how gifted psychic Elise Rainier reluctantly agrees to use her ability to contact the dead in order to help a teenage girl who has been targeted by a dangerous supernatural entity'. Insidious 3 goes back in time but will it be a step backwards for the franchise?

No it doesn't - I think it doesn't really move the franchise forwards or backwards - it stays where it is firmly. Insidious 3 lacks the intelligent plot from Chapter 2 but is an improvement on the first instalment. My biggest problem with the film is that you don't really learn anything new about the mythology or characters except how Elise meets her work partners. However, this minor fault doesn't stop Insidious: Chapter 3 from being the best and scariest horror film of 2015 so far. 

Even though the story lacks the intelligence of chapter 2, it is still very good. I liked how you had the basic story and then the 'horror-movie' story - at times I would forget that this is a horror movie and was actually routing for Quinn (Scott) to do well in her audition - this made the scares even scarier when they did come as you were kind of distracted from the horror-movie tension. What I really like about this franchise is that they discretely explore important subjects - the first looked at the difficulties of having children, the second looked at abusive relationships and this one looks at the loss of a parent - this element is what sets the Insidious franchise away from the generic horror movies that we see all the time (e.g. Ouija). 

This film is truly the scariest film of 2015 (so far) - the jump scares were continuos and even when they were lacking, just the atmosphere that was created was terrifying. The good thing about this movie is that the jump scares don't just occur when a ball hits a window (It Follows) but they happen when something scary is occurring. I actually screamed aloud during this film and found it very chilling and creepy - I definitely wouldn't advise you see this alone. I think this is up there with the scares of the first film and makes up for the second chapter being a little tamer. Insidious: Chapter 3 also doesn't focus on gore which I find more discomforting than scary - it focuses on ghosts, demons etc which have the potential to be very scary if executed correctly (and they are here). However, another minor issue is that I believe the scares for the film peak to early - there is a sequence about halfway through the film which is terrifying but I believe the end sequence isn't the most terrifying scene in the whole film which I believe it should be. 

Despite not having much experience - Stefanie Scott is brilliant! She really shows diversity with just this movie as she plays the typical teenager well and the possessed demon well. Expect to see Scott in future Blumhouse productions - she is already in Jem and the Holograms which comes out later this year but maybe she will make an appearance in Ouija 2 or Unfriended 2? Lin Shaye is also brilliant - this is basically her franchise now the other star power has left - she is the perfect actress to play a psychic. Even though his role isn't as big as Rose Byrne's in the previous two films, Mulroney is still very good and convincingly plays a typical father. 

Insidious: Chapter 3 is another satisfying entry into the franchise - Scott and Shaye are brilliant and both have long futures with Blumhouse. The scares are effective and terrifying but the final sequence is a little bit underwhelming. The story isn't as intelligent as the previous entry but still manages to effectively explore an important issue. Insidious: Chapter 3 is definitely not how this franchise will die - we want to read chapter 4! The best horror film of 2015 to date. 

3.5 STARS

B

What did you think of INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 3? Did you find it scary? Are you ready for chapter 4? - COMMENT BELOW

Insidious: Chapter 3 is part of our Summer movie 2015 campaign. 

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