Review of Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015) by Matthew T — 18 Jun 2015

Insidious brought us a fresh take on the after world, with a horrifically stylized land called "the further". Insidious: Chapter 2 was both a direct continuation and explanation of the first film that committed the sin of undermining the merits of the original. Insidious: Chapter 3 brings us back to basics. Gone are the convoluted connections of Chapter 2. Also gone is James Wan. Writer Lee Whannell steps into his first major directing job with the sequel. The film brings us back to the beginning, as the events in Chapter 3 occur before the previous films.

We open with a young girl named Quinn (Stefanie Scott) knocking on the door of the seemingly retired medium Elyse (Played brilliantly by Lin Shaye). The girl wants to talk to her deceased mother but after a freighting séance, she is warned to stop trying to make contact or risk the consequences. It is of course too late. The consequence is a juicy old demon in a breathing mask. Escalating supernatural episodes occur as Quinn's father (Dermot Mulroney) tries to makes sense of it all, until being forced to believe and contact Elyse. Elyse has her own demons to battle as well and Shaye treats every scene with the passion and seriousness that should be seen in a much better film. It is undeniable that she elevates the drama each time she steps on screen.

Insidious: Chapter 3 is thankfully simple. It does act as a set up for the first two films but can stand on its own. An eerie, while not terrifying mood is established. Like most modern horror, the primary mode of scaring the audience is dropping the music and teasing until something pops out and a violin shrieks. This aside, the actors led by Shaye, make the best of the material, leading to a decent amount of emotional heft for a horror film. You will jump in the theater. You will not agonize in terror as you lay down at night. It is the emotional heft, particularly in the closing scenes, not pure terror that makes Insidious: Chapter 3, what I would call a "feel good" horror movie worth seeing.