INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 3 REVIEW

A prequel set before the haunting of the Lambert family that reveals how gifted psychic Elise Rainier reluctantly agrees to use her ability to contact the dead in order to help a teenage girl who has been targeted by a dangerous supernatural entity.

Starring: Dermot Mulroney, Stefanie Scott, Angus Sampson, and Lin Shaye

Written and directed by: Leigh Whannell

  "Insidious" introduced audiences to something very creepy, and extremely weird. "Insidious: Chapter 2" followed that up almost reaching that same level of creepiness, but really not explaining much more about 'the Further.' Enter "Insidious: Chapter 3," the prequel that supposedly will fill in some of those blanks. Yes, they went the prequel route to offer audiences something more, but did they really?

  Lets start with what many fans, including myself, want to know more about...'the Further.' Obviously there's some venturing into 'the Further,' as there is in the previous movies. However, it's a great disappointment because nothing new is learned about it. It's still creepy and weird, but that's it. For me, it's the one thing I really wanted out of this movie, and it failed to deliver.

  That doesn't mean it's a complete waste. If audience's like Elise (Lin Shaye), then they might enjoy the look at her character before what happens in the previous movies. They give her a little back-story that would have be nice to give to 'the Further.' Audiences will see her confronted by the strange woman in the dress, and how she meets the two ghost hunters who become her co-workers. The audience gets to see a little about where they come from as well.

  Since this is before the Lambert family, the attention is on the Brenner family, more specifically the teenaged daughter Quinn (Stefanie Scott). Her trouble starts when she tries to reach her mother, who's passed away. She visits Elise for help, but that only makes things worse. Something is out to get her, and Elise has to overcome her own struggles in order to save her. Stefanie does a decent job in her leading role, but Dermot Mulroney, who plays Sean Brenner, fails to show he’s a father that’s genuinely concerned about his daughter.

  As far as scares and creepiness, the entity that haunts Quinn is creepy in its own right. There are several unsettling scenes of Quinn along side of the entity. One of the best scenes comes when Quinn is possessed by the entity, and attacks the people who are trying to help her. There aren't many scares, except for something that comes out of nowhere to make quite an impact. It might get some of the audience off their seats. As mentioned, the woman in a dress makes her presence felt, but doesn't seem as scary this time around.

  While "Insidious: Chapter 3" isn't a bad movie, it just feels as if something is missing from it. Could that be James Wan? The movie is creepy, but not quite the same as the others. Could it be the back-story for 'the Further' that some people wanted to know? That is certainly a possibility. Did it feel as if this chapter is really necessary after watching it? While it does give some back-story, again it's missing the most important back-story. The most telling sign that it isn't necessary is the weak ending in their attempts to connect it to chapter 1. With that said, I give it 2.5 pools of blood.

HorrO