Insidious: Chapter 3

Released:  June 5^th, 2015

Rated:  PG-13

Distributor:  Focus Features

Starring:  Stefanie Scott, Dermot Mulroney, Angus Sampson, Leigh Whannell, Lin Shaye

Directed by:  Leigh Whannell

Written by:  Leigh Whannell

Personal Bias Alert:  seen Insidious:  Chapter 2 but not Insidious, eternally skeptical of PG-13 horror

 6.5 of 10

            It’s another horror film from Blumhouse Productions, whose logo is now so familiar and mind-numbing that it’s almost a parody of itself.  It’s a series of uninspired horror images (a floating chair, a young girl in white dress, etc.) set to the sounds of heavy breathing, a beating heart, and a rising cacophony of dissonant noise.  The actual logo hits 10 seconds in, and there’s an unsettling sense that the interlude is a highlight reel of the trashy film to come.  For some of Blumhouse’s pictures, this is disappointingly the most unsettling few moments (Ouija, for instance), but the studio does have some quality hits, the Insidious series included among them.  For PG-13 horror, it’s a remarkably consistent fright factory, relying on classic imagery and unabashed jump scares that will at least unsettle you during their brief runtimes.

            Chapter 3 takes place before the rest of the series, replacing the Lambert family with the Brenner family and introducing a new ghost for Lin Shaye’s Elise to battle.  What remains consistent is the series’ underpinning idea that the problems stem from family history:  the Lambert’s susceptibility is hereditary and the Brenner’s bring about their ghost after the loss of the mother.  Familial threats are a horror movie staple for many good reasons, all of which are utilized effectively in Insidious:  Chapter 3.  The loss makes for an easy setup:  girl loses mother, girl understandably tries to contact mother, scary gas-mask ghost comes instead of mom.  It also links the ghost to the people instead of a place, getting rid of the old ‘why don’t they just walk out the door’ dilemma.  There’s other good setup here, too, particularly the double broken legs that renders the haunted girl immobile and defenseless.  This setup is the strongest aspect of the film, allowing the gears to get going and keep spinning with little effort, which turns out to be a big help for first-time director Leigh Whannell.

            Whannell wrote the entire Insidious series and was clearly comfortable to follow in James Wan’s directorial footsteps.  He makes almost no changes to the series’ formula of practical effects and incessantly quick jump scares.  The saving grace of this formula, and something that other horror writers should take note of, is the avoidance of cheap jump scares.  There’s minimal cats appearing from dark spots or friends approaching from behind doors.  When things do jump into frame they’re almost always real threats, which keeps the frustration at bay.  There is the mildly annoying factor that these scares are punctuated by a loud soundtrack from another series holdover, composer Joseph Bishara, but that’s more of a taste issue than a real fault. 

            Where the film does falter is in several of the minor elements of the script.  Characters that have rather prominent roles in the beginning just disappear from the film with no explanation, and lots of the nuts and bolts dialogue in the first act is atrocious.  Perhaps it’s not sexy work to iron out these kinks, especially when you’re pulling writing, directing, and acting duties for the first time, but the buildup of these flaws becomes quite noticeable by the end.

The other big plus that Whannell took from the previous installments is the importance of a good cast.  Shaye is a solid anchor for the series, allowing it to jump to different stories while still having a familiar, committed actor for audiences to hang onto.  Newcomers Dermot Mulroney and Stefanie Scott stick to how seriously the film’s take themselves, and their relationship is developed just enough for a one-time appearance in the series.

            Insidious:  Chapter 3 is a rather sturdy film for a third outing in a horror series thanks to the holdovers it contains from previous installments.  Whannell seems comfortable enough behind the camera, so hopefully he brings a more personal flair to his next film.

Other Notes:

Ø  You know what else is consistent about this series?  It’s runtimes: 102, 105, and 97 minutes.

Ø  Highlight scene:  when the ghost attacks the girl in her bedroom and takes its excruciating time.

Ø  There’s that lesbian joke about the main girl, but I think she might actually be a lesbian.  She did have an Uh Huh Her poster in her room.