Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015)

Running Time: 97 minutes

Release Date: June 5, 2015

Review by: Stacey

 I'm not even going to lie, the Insidious franchise has some of my favorite movies to date.  Yes, I have seen many many horror films, but I am speaking from a "modern horror" view.  With the constant debate in the horror community about originality vs remakes, it's easy to want to shake the shit out of people who overlook some of the best mainstream modern horror films that have been released in the last few years- The Conjuring, Sinister, Insidious 1 & 2.  The latter franchise decided to give us a third film and make it a prequel (and give us a bit of an origin story), which made me a bit reticent in my excitement as I like my horror universes to maintain that bit of mystery that makes the film scary...and because most origin stories tend to fall flat (hello, Leprechaun: Origins).  Insidious: Chapter 3 did not have that problem.

 

"A few years before the Lambert haunting..." appears on the screen before we're taken into the story of Quinn Brenner (Stefanie Scott), a teenager whose mother has passed, living with her father, Sean (Dermot Mulroney), and brother as they struggle to survive and cope with their loss.  Quinn finds herself reaching out to Elise (Lin Shaye) in the hopes of contacting her dead mother.  And as Elise said, when you call out to one, they all hear you...

 

The directorial debut from Leigh Whannell, there is nothing groundbreaking in Chapter 3, BUT that's make it work.  The Insidious franchise has stuck to their formula and that's what has made them so successful.  Not to mention, it boasts some pretty great jump scares.  What the first two Insidious films had in the "dread" department, Chapter 3 had in the "make me shit my pants" dept, especially one scene in particular that will surely make the hardest horror fan pee out of their butts a little.

It wouldn't be an Insidious film without Lin Shaye as Elise.  Stealing the show in her lead role, we get to see Elise before she turned into the demon-ass kicking queen that she is.  Alongside her we see the return and beginnings of Spectral Sightings duo, Specs (Leigh Whannell) and Tucker (Angus Sampson), who bring in the comedic relief without derailing the seriousness of the story.  There was a fantastic cameo and some great references to the earlier films- including mentions of the "Lipstick-Face Demon" (yes, that is what he is credited as).

 

While Chapter 3 is a prequel and an "origin" story of sorts, a tie-in to the earlier films still gives you that connection to the Lambert family's story while giving you a fresh perspective on Elise's abilities and a more in-depth look into that mysterious place we call the Further.

 

If there's anything else I can say about this film it's that I really hope they cap off the franchise with this one because they were able to get the point of the entire story across over the three films.  Everything was wrapped up how it feels like it should be.  Any more movies would just feel forced and a cash-in.  At best, Insidious: Chapter 3 is scary and fun as hell.  At worst, you have another movie to bitch about on your Twitter.

4.5/5 wheezing demons

 

Check out the trailer now!