Insidious: Chapter 3

I usually tell horror directors 2 basic, and very important rules, when it comes to make a good horror film.

1. Do not make a sequel, or a prequel, unless it is as good as the first film or even better.

2. Make the characters feel interesting, otherwise it will be a waste of time watching the film.

Too many horror films are released in these days, that are made just to be scary, but without any heart. If you really love horror films, you need to dig deep and find something interesting, and hopefully unique to be included in the story, instead of just gore and blood. One of the few directors out there who understood that we needed old school horror back, is of course director James Wan. His film Insidious and The Conjuring have proved, why he is one of the most intelligent horror film directors out there. He knows what he is doing, and he have a heart for this genre. The Conjuring is still one of the best horror films in recent years, and is still scary to watch, and it is not because of special effects, it is because of intelligent film making. You can use many great ideas, and put the pieces together like a puzzle, and give the audience what they deserve. The film Insidious, that came out in 2011, proved to be an intelligent and frightening small horror film, where James Wan builded up a simple story, but he knew exactly how to put it all together. The sequel was alright, not on the same level as the first film though. What saved the sequel was the fact that the same cast was on board, and of course that James Wan directed the next chapter. I was not surprised to hear that there was third film on the way, so i did not know what to expect, since James Wan was not the director anymore. We know what happened other times with new directors on board, they either fail to make a good sequel, or prequel, but sometimes we do get a good one, unexpected. With this third film around the corner, does the Insidious legacy live on with the latest film, or is this a desperate try to just make money ?

Quinn Brenner ( Stefanie Scott ), misses her dead mother. She misses her so much, that she is ready to try and communicate with her on the other side. Quinn travels to see Elise Rainer ( Lin Shaye ). Elise knows how to communicate with dead people, but she is not doing this anymore. She is suprised to see that Quinn travelled all the way to see her, Quinn tell Elise why she needs to speak to her mother, and Elise decides to help her. When the session begins, Elise realise that someone else is here, and not Quinn´s mother. To make sure that Quinn is safe, Elise tell her that she can not try and contact her mother, because if she does, she might cause some serious problems. Since this session took place, Quinn notice that she is being followed, by someone, or something. Not knowing what it wants or what it is, she is faced with some really strange experiences. Her father Sean Brenner ( Dermot Mulroney ) is trying to understand what is happening to his daughter. After she is hit by a car, things begin to go downhill. Something evil is after Quinn and her family. Elise is contacted to come to their home, because she might be the only one who can stop this from going on. What is going on, and is Quinn´s mother involved in this in some way ?

Since James Wan is not directing this sequel, you feel a red warning light turned on instantly. But hang on a second, the director to this third film is Leigh Whannell, a screenwriter and an actor, who worked with James Wan in the past. He is one of the writers on James Wan´s films Saw, Dead Silence, Death Sentence and even on Insidious. Maybe this will be alright after all, since he knows the style and legacy of James Wan ? You will recognize the atmosphere, and we do have Lin Shaye here, who have been in all the films so far. She is actually the strongest performance in this thrid film, and she is the reason why you are watching this film. Now, it would not be any idea to compare director Leigh Whannell to James Wan, because they both have different styles when it comes to directing. The problem with this third film, is that there are not a lot of surprises here. James Wan knew how to build up tensions, and emotional scenes, when it comes to being afraid. Leigh uses more traditional horror chliché scenes, while mixing them with usual jump scare scenes. If he really wanted to scare us, he should have tried to do something more original, and maybe stick more to James Wan´s delicate style. The story is made as an prequel, so this is supposed to be what happened before we met the Lambert family. I don´t mind prequels, if they are made with an intelligent plot. Insidious: Chapter 3 is not awful all the way, but no where near the first films qualities. This leaves us with a horror film that may look like Insidious, but does not feel like Insidious, as it should feel. James Wan is actually in the film, as the acting school audition judge, when Quinn goes in to do an audition. There are a few moments where it does feel a little bit creepy, but overall i have seen this too many times before. Insidious: Chapter 3 does not give us something fresh or deliver enough to please the fans of James Wan. I am sure that director Leigh Whannell will make a film someday, that will be a positive surprise. Until then, i suggest you see the first film of Insidious instead. Oh shit, those damn demons are back again, i told my uncle Björn to stop talking to them, last time they never stopped to party. Good thing i can call Pat Robertson and make them go away.

Rating: DD