Insidious, Chapter Three:
Some time shortly before the Lambert haunting of previous films, Elise Rainier is called in to help a teenage girl named Quinn Brenner, who is trying to contact her mother who died of cancer recently. After attempting to make contact and failing, Quinn realizes she has inadvertently invited an evil presence into her life, one hellbent on making her its' property.
After enjoying the first two films quite a bit, but seeing them as more fun little standalone ghost stories than some major trilogy, I was actually not all that excited to see a third installment, let alone a prequel, because those don't always go well. But, after seeing it, I can say I was pleasantly surprised with how entertaining it was and how nicely it tied the previous films together. Despite some small plot holes and story inconsistensies, I was impressed with how Leigh Whannell handled both the script and directorial duties without the help of longtime collaborator James Wan (who left the series to work on Furious Seven), especially considering this is his directorial debut. But he was able to replicate Wan's style while having a flavor of his own (after all, he's worked with Wan for well over a decade now).
Lin Shaye gives another surprisingly touching performance as the bad-ass ghost whisperer Elise, who is practically the true protagonist of the series, because the main characters are always sort of bland. Dermot Mulroney is also effective as Quinn's father Sean, and I'm happy to see him try his turn at horror. Stefanie Scott plays Quinn, a definite departure from her Disney Channel background. Ele Keats plays her mother Lillith, and Hayley Kiyoko her best friend, who I found kind of irritating, because she's kind of the stereotypical "bad-ass" friend, but whatever. Ashton Moio has a small role as Hector, Quinn's main love interest. James Wan even makes a cameo as a theater director. Whannell again acts in the film to add to his impressive rap sheet as Specs, one half of the comedic ghost-hunting duo of Specs and Tucker, the latter of whom is played by his other longtime collaborator Angus Sampson (Mad Max: Fury Road, Legend of the Guardians, Wilfred). They are, aside from Shaye, the best part of the human cast. Michael Reid McKay (Seven, X2: X-Men United, Batman & Robin, The Monster Squad) plays the main villainous entity: The Man Who Can't Breath/The Wheezing Demon. Despite not having more of a background which I would have liked, he is still a definitely creepy and threatening presence. Joseph Bishara (the composer) and Tom Fitzpatrick (a theater actor) reprise their roles as The Lipstick-Faced Demon and The Bride in Black, respectively. The Bride in Black's encounters with Elise are some of the scarier parts in the film, though the last one is more humorously toned.
The visual effects are used sparingly, but effectively, and are still eerie and otherworldly feeling, which is great considering these films have more modest budgets than other movie franchises. Despite some excessive jump-scares, I give the film credit for never having cheap false scares (i.e. "Nevermind, it's just a cat!"), instead always having the pop-outs be of something genuinely frightening. And the ominous atmosphere that is built up is enough to not make it feel like all the tension is entirely reliant on jump scares.
The end credits sequence is cool and unique, and this film does not waste time on the previous two films' overlong opening credits, which, while interesting (the whole idea is to spot creepy stuff in the background of shots of the main locations), did drag on a bit too long. This film also does a great job of expanding the Insidious universe's lore and rules, by referencing the idea that a spirit can be overpowered by will (as long as they haven't infested a body first), and the concept that a powerful demon has a sort of "turf", where they dominate all spirits in a given area.
Insidious: Chapter Three is a nice follow-up to the previous films and ties the trilogy together. Now, I hope they leave it at a trilogy, but I doubt they will, because then the series would not only have great integrity, but it would be a rare thing in a horror series. Don't fuck up a good thing by stretching it out. I'd say marathon the series on Halloween or something with a couple of friends, it will be a fun time especially when you realize the comparisons that can be drawn between an average episode of Scooby-Doo and the entire second film. 3.5/5 stars.
(Image: Wikipedia)
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