Starring: Dermot Mulroney, Stefanie Scott, Angus Sampson, Leigh Whannell, and Lin Shaye
Into the further we go one more time. The Insidious franchise is one I didn't expect to have this kind of longevity. Yes, it's made some money and lined the pockets of studio execs on two separate occasions. Still, it's a franchise that jumped into the fray at what I hope is the tail end of this supernatural phase in the horror genre. Then again, I hold higher expectations for a sequel than Hollywood. Hence, into the further we go one more time with Leigh Whannell's Insidious: Chapter 3.
Before the Lambert family haunting, there was the Brenner family. Devastated by the loss of her mother Lily Brenner (Ele Keats), daughter Quinn (Stefanie Scott) wants nothing more than to reach out to her mother one more time. She pays a visit to psychic Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) asking for her assistance to communicate with the dead. Though she's put that part of her life behind her, Elise reluctantly agrees to help Quinn. After going into the further and failing to reach Lily, Elise advises Quinn not to try to communicate with the dead because she won’t know whom she may be contacting. Like any smart victim in a horror movie, Quinn reaches out to the dead but doesn't reach her mother. She instead reaches a demon known as "The Man Who Cant Breathe". Soon, Quinn and her widower father Sean (Dermot Mulroney) find that they have a dark presence in their home, all because Quinn couldn't follow Elise's instructions.
On many occasions, I've ranted about the dumb things characters do in horror movies. They often invite death with their idiocy. Quinn Brenner joins the ranks of stupid victims with her debut in Insidious: Chapter 3. If Elise were to tell me to not talk to the dead, I can assure you that I would take her advice. I wouldn't be trying to communicate with the dead in the first place, but that's a different story. Elise, on the other hand, welcomes a demon into her life unknowingly with open arms. Only in a horror movie is this nonsense logical. It's utter nonsense, and I must call out the writers on the film's fatal flaw.
Beyond this critical issue with the central premise of Insidious: Chapter 3, the film isn't half bad. Lin Shaye is back as Elise, and that's all we really need. Dealing in the supernatural is no joke, and neither is Shaye. She delivers a surly performance as this tough but conflicted old lady who has seen it all. She's really quite entertaining as she reprises her signature role. The demon Shaye battles on screen known as "The Man Who Can't Breathe" brings quite a bit of menace to the film as well. Creepily dressed in make-up and a zombie-like costume, Michael Reid MacKay oozes with menace and is a worthwhile antagonist.
Insidious: Chapter 3 isn't a bad horror movie. It just has a bad start. The cast delivers the goods, at least the supporting cast does. While I don't think we need another installment in the franchise, I have a sinking feeling that Hollywood will find a way. Insidious: Chapter 3 gets a 0.06% rating. Have a few glasses of Albariño with this one.
