INSIDIOUS CHAPTER 3 (2015) **

I barely remember what happened in the past two Insidious movies.  I do recall the first one being loud as shit.  I guess my foggy recollections don’t matter since this is a prequel, but still.

If anything, Insidious Chapter 3 earns points for giving Lin Shaye a prominent role.  She returns as Elise the psychic who helps a young girl named Quinn (Stefanie Scott) contact her dead mother.  When she has a near death experience, a ghost from the other side follows her back to the “real” world and maliciously torments her.  It’s then up to Elise to go into the other side and set things right.

The writer of the first two Insidiouses, Leigh Whannell was promoted to director for this installment.  He basically just mimics James Wan’s style from the first two movies, which makes it feel like a natural continuation.  The cinematography is atmospheric, and it’s decently acted and everything, but it’s just never involving. 

Like the first movie, the soundtrack blasts and shrieks whenever something allegedly “scary” occurs.  However, the scares are so generic that its almost guaranteed that no one would jump if it wasn’t for the shrill piercing music.  I mean people stand around mumbling for ten minutes, so you have to constantly keep turning up the volume to hear them.  Then, a specter jumps up and the CLANG-SCREECH-BLAST is almost loud enough to wake the dead, or blow out your television speakers, whatever comes first.

The performers do a fine job.  I liked Dermot Mulroney as the dad who doesn’t listen, and Scott is solid as the haunted teenager.  It’s really Shaye’s show through and through.  Whatever goodwill I reserved for the film is mostly due to her performance.

I guess you could label much of this as competent mediocrity.  It’s watchable for the first hour or so, but things get annoying once a team of ghost hunters (one of whom is played by Whannell) show up with their green-tinted night vision cameras to do a sweep of the house.  I can’t say I’d be against seeing the sequel, The Last Key.  Just maybe this time fellas, keep the “scary” music down to a reasonable decibel?