Insidious: Chapter 3

INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 3

Written & directed by Leigh Whannell

Starring Stefanie Scott, Lin Shaye, Dermot Mulroney

The Blumhouse Productions logo that spins into view at the beginning of Insidious: Chapter 3 is, somewhat ironically, a mess of their most heavily used tropes and clichés, though perhaps a more apt logo would simply be a man flogging a dead horse into pulp.

The latest in the Insidious saga from producer James Wan and writer/director Leigh Whannell has entertaining moments, but remains indicative of the less-than-stellar output of this moneymaking machine.

Years before the haunting of the Lambert family, we meet Quinn Brenner (Stefanie Scott), a teenager with big dreams desperate to contact her dead mother. She seeks out psychic Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye), but when Elise is unable to fulfil her services, Quinn tries to make contact on her own, unwittingly drawing the attention of something other than her mother…

Wan and Whannell have better to offer – as the masterminds behind the original Saw, and with a plethora of horror credits under their belts, they have a habit of starting franchises and moving on, leaving the IP to the whims of production studios. Something about Insidious has kept them in its clutches, and it’s clear why from this film: Whannell is deeply in love with his own creation.

That in itself is not an issue; in fact, it’s even admirable. What’s not to like about ‘the man who can’t breathe’ (Michael Reid MacKay), Chapter 3’s haunting antagonist? Less admirable is Whannell’s insertion of his own recurring character, Specs, seemingly just to gasp at his own creations and openly congratulate himself on naming the Further (the dark realm beyond ours). It feels less forced to see Wan’s brief appearance, though his cameo offers little.

Other familiar faces are more welcome. Shaye is endearing as Elise, even when her ridiculous character arc sees her literally shoving the spirits of the dead out of her way. Angus Sampson’s bumbling Tucker has some solid moments, and newcomer Scott is a fitting lead for this straightforward venture. Her father Sean (Dermot Mulroney), however, is less convincing, opting for the hard-arse dad approach with too much affect to be enjoyable.

With little true dread, the film is reliant on stock-standard Blumhouse jump scare tactics, but has enough giggles and spooks to sustain for its runtime. Whannell’s competent direction shows promise, if little original thought on this occasion. Enjoy the sight of this horse as it is, before the whip falls again.

★★

Insidious: Chapter 3 is in cinemas now.

Post originally printed in The Brag, available at http://www.thebrag.com/arts/insidious-chapter-3