The third instalment of the popular horror franchise, Insidious, can be described as a traditional horror plot imagined through the sappiness of a small screen family drama. It’s a bit of a surprise how James Wan and his writer-partner, Leigh Whannell, unarguably the modern masters of horror (Saw franchise, The Conjuring and Insidious sequels), have managed to hit the sweet spot every time.
Despite having to ensure that the audience experience at least one scare every minute, Whannell infuses the narrative with subplots that we actually care about, thereby making sure that the film isn’t just a series of dramatic closeups of disgusting-looking ghosts.
The film can be described in just two lines: the body and soul of an innocent girl are taken over by an evil spirit; but what has kept us interested over three instalments is how the fight against evil has been thought out. The film doesn’t take the lazy way out: driving away the spirit by flashing a cross. Instead, we are told that humans and ghosts live in different space-time dimensions, with some being able to travel to the other world.
Though this is the third film in the franchise, it is a prequel to the first film, and shows events that happen a few years before the Lambert family gets haunted.
Quinn Brenner (Stefanie Scott), a young student, tries to contact her dead mother, but inadvertently contacts a spirit which wants to take the living to the other side. The film is about what happens when psychic Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) travels to the other side.
The pacing and the rhythm of the narrative, along with the masterful use of silence, both of which are indispensable to horror films, is just about perfect, even though the narrative is filled with so many ‘boo’ moments that it is impossible not to anticipate them.
Insidious: Chapter 3 is often rescued by the performance of Lin Shaye, its greatest asset. She keeps it going even when things start to get cumbersome and patterns with other films become obvious. Though it may not be the most inventive horror film, it is definitely worth your time if all you want is a bumpy, scare-ride.
