Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015)

Insidious: Chapter 3 is as you would guess, the third movie in the Insidious franchise. However oddly enough it works as a prequel to the first and second film. So if you have not seen the other two films, this is not a bad starting point. Yes the 2nd film has portions that pre-date this one, but seeing this and the first movie will make them mean more. Insidious follows a Elise Rainier as she uses her ability to reach out to the dead to try and help various families who are being haunted. In the first movie which is quite possibly my favorite horror film, she is helping a family who believe their home to be possessed. The 2nd is about her origins and details her relationship with a the female spirit who was featured in the first film while also offering up a more complete ending to the story the first film started. They take place one right after the other, and while the 2nd film was not in the same league as the first, I did enjoy how well they worked together.

Chapter 3 one again features Elise, though the main character is a young girl by the name of Quinn Brenner. She is a high school girl who lost her mother a year or so back and believes her spirit is reaching out to her from the other side. She approaches Elise who was referred to her by a friend and seeks guidance. We learn that Elise is retired and instead of embracing her gift like in the other films, is now running from it instead. While she is unable to help Quinn, she does give her a warning. Stop reaching out, that thing is not your mother. Well if Quinn would have listened it would have been a short movie, though at 97 minutes it isn't that long to begin with. Quinn keeps reaching out and soon the spirit is able to take form in this world and starts to come after her.

The story isn't bad for a horror movie, it actually has all the needed elements for some creepy fun. Stefanie Scott plays Quinn, you may know her from something called A.N.T. Farm. I had to google that, no clue who she is. She did well enough in this role, nothing overly dramatic or any real stand out moments. Elise is played by Lin Shaye once again, although not with the same flair she had in the previous films. Frankly everything about this film was lesser then the others, which was odd. The story was not as complicated, the atmosphere was far weaker. It did get me laughing a few times, however I am pretty sure I was supposed to be frightened at most of those moments instead. In the first Insidious I was genuinely freaked out for a good portion of it, the pacing was spectacular and I loved the way it was shot. It had great atmosphere set up by the cinematography and the audio and music it used. The demon was fantastic and the effects were very cool. This one just seemed like a cash in and nothing more. The main villain was weak and never imposing. They tried to focus on jump scares instead of creating a horrific environment. They never used the movies score or sounds to any real benefit. It also didn't help that three of the characters showed in the later two movies. It kind of killed any suspense when they were in danger. Insidious was great, the 2nd was decent and was carried by the fact it was attached to the originals story. Chapter 3 is the weakest of the 3 and was entirely forgettable in the end.

Watch the first one, watch the 2nd one, skip this one. That is my recommendation.