Insidious: Chapter 3 takes the successful, micro-budget horror franchise back to its beginnings with a lacklustre and extraneous prequel. 17-year-old Quinn (Stefanie Scott) is desperate to contact her dead mother, but when psychic Elise (Lin Shaye) refuses to help, she unleashes a nasty supernatural entity that can only be vanquished by a trip into The Further. Set a few years before the Lambert family hauntings of the first two films, Insidious: Chapter 3 is an unnecessary, scare-free set-up installment and not much more. The narrative here is dull and superficial, with returning screenwriter – and now director – Leigh Whannell unable to rustle up a shred of interest. Shaye is the definitive highlight, casting a long shadow over her fellow cast members – Dermot Mulroney has absolutely nothing to do as Quinn’s listless father – to award the film with a minor morsel of worth.
Empty Screens 