Review of Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015) by Maree B — 08 Jun 2015

Insidious was a surprise. It began as just another cliché haunted house horror film. But, in it's 2nd act, it broke through the haunted house story tropes and went further than any film of it's type had gone before. As with all horror films, the more it tries to explain itself, the less frightening it is. The red-faced demon is a force of evil without any known origin. Also, horror films with happy endings contradict the genre and always seem out-of-place. Insidious had a perfect ending in that it didn't really have one. Then along came Insidious Chapter 2. Chapter 2 started strong. It had one of the most original and exciting crossovers into the first film ever dared to be done by a sequel of any genre. Unfortunately, the ending seemed rushed and the conclusion betrayed everything that came before it.

Insidious Chapter 3 is a prequel to the first film. It's predictable, boring and pointless. The over-use of jump scares becomes as annoying as any other PG-13 sad excuse for a supernatural horror movie. The film offers nothing new in story or visuals. The only good thing about this entire production is the acting.

Just like Saw, Leigh Whannell has made the first two films have less of an impact thanks to a terrible and lazy third chapter. If you liked the first two Insidious films, you'll want to avoid this one. Those who were disappointed by the second chapter will already know better.