By Melissa Antoinette Garza
The original Insidious is a modern classic. It was unique, scary and hit a chord with traditional horror fans. The sequel was a big disappointment with the only saving grace being Lin Shaye.
I didn’t know what to expect as the previews for the third chapter seemed as though it focused on a teenage romance between the lead and her neighbor. The direction was far different than the trailer indicated.
The movie opens with Quinn (Stefanie Scott) who lost her mother to cancer and is searching for answers and a goodbye. She visits Elise (Lin Shaye)and asks for help to connect with her mom on the other side. Elise initially says ‘no’ as she gave up using her psychic ability. She eventually caves after hearing Quinn’s story. Elise attempts reaching to the other side but is scared off by a demonic woman who is after her.
Quinn is told to be very careful and not try to reach out to the dead on her own because all of the souls can hear her pleas. Soon, Quinn begins seeing this figure waving at her in different places. It leads to her being distracted and getting hit by a car thus breaking both her legs.
Things go from bad to worse as the demon begins to show itself more readily. Quinn’s health diminishes as she loses the will to fight. Her father (Dermot Mulroney) is out of ideas and reaches out to online ghost hunters suggested by his young son Alex(Tate Berney). The paranormal duo are out of their league and it becomes clear that only Elise can help Quinn. To do so, Elise must find the strength to face her own demonic enemy and the loss of her husband.
This was a lot better than I anticipated. It was far better than the second and a good start to the series as it was a prequel.
Lin Shaye kicks ass as Elise and when she reaches deep down and decides to help Quinn, she’s a force to be reckoned with. Shaye is completely believable in the role and defintiely a heroine to root for.
The one thing I found a bit odd was all of Quinn’s friends and neighbors seem to fall off the face of the planet half way through without revisiting them. Both her love interest and her best friend are seen quite often in the first 45 minutes, but their last scenes are awkward in that they seem as though they should have a follow-up or resolution at some point. I understand that Quinn and her dad are going through a lot but as these two characters were with Quinn a lot in the beginning it just seemed as though there would be some sort of payoff with them.
Aside from that, I did enjoy myself. The acting was great, the scares though mediocre were entertaining and the CGI for the most part worked with the film and not against it. There are a few moments where the visuals went overboard and the demon appeared more like something out of a video game, but those moments were few and far between. The biggest issue was that the majority of frights were those that make the viewer jump for a second but otherwise garnishes no reaction. I much prefer the unsettling and dark imagery that haunts the viewer.
If you’ve seen Jurassic World, I’d suggest this as a worthwhile theatrical experience. Still, I must say after re-watching some of the 80s tv show Ray Bradbury Theater and an episode called Gotcha specifically, it is pretty sad that a made-for-tv 30 minute show provides a far more terrifying experience than anything offered in a decent budget film.
Scared Stiff Rating: 6.5/10
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