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Category:    Home > Reviews > Horror > Supernatural > Demonic Possession > Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015/Sony Blu-ray)

Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015/Sony Blu-ray)


Picture: B+ Sound: B+ Extras: B Film: C+



Ever since Paranormal Activity debuted in theaters a 2009, the ghost/paranormal subgenre of horror has been prevalent with many of them being PG-13 rated outings. At the top of the bunch are the Insidious films, which border an R-rating at times and manage to tell a direct narrative instead of relying on found footage to tell a creepy story.


While the first Insidious was a huge hit and pretty entertaining, many scoffed at its sequel, which was more of the same and felt like a cash-in as opposed to being a necessary sequel. When this third film came out, which is a prequel to the first, I was pretty skeptical having not liked the second but found out after watching that it was better than I expected, with some effective scares and a great performance by returning actress Lin Shaye and newcomer Stefanie Scott who is our female lead.


Set before the haunting of the Lambert family, this chapter in the Insidious franchise reveals how gifted psychic Elise Rainier (Shaye) reluctantly agrees to use her ability to contact the dead in order to help a teenage girl named Quinn Brenner (Scott) who is desperate to speak to her deceased Mother. After a near death experience, Quinn ends up being able to speak to the dead and gain access to 'the further' (the dark realm where the dead live) and ends up in danger with Elise Rainer and other Ghost Hunters being the only ones who can help her and bring her back to reality.


Having recently reviewed the remake of Poltergeist (see elsewhere on this site), I found this film to be far more creepy and entertaining with strong production design and creepy characters that compliment the narrative. This film seemed to rely less on digital effects and more on capturing the psychological side whereas I felt Poltergeist leaned too heavily on slick filmmaking and CGI to tell its story. While not as effective as The Conjuring nor quite as good as the original, I felt like this 'Chapter' is worthy of a watch and not bad for what it is.


What I liked most about this outing that I felt put it a step above the sequel were the psychological and claustrophobic scenes that occur after Quinn's car accident. Breaking both of her legs, Quinn is constrained to her bed and not able to move for much of the film's second act. One effective scene has the ghost pushing her out of the bed and onto the floor turning out all of the lights and breaking her neck. This, paired with an effective possession scene in the third act where she breaks out of the casts and walks on her broken legs prove to be pretty memorable cinema and not bad considering this is the first film for director Leigh Whannell.

Presented in 1080p digital High Definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1 and a powerful, lossless DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 track, the film looks and sounds great on Blu-ray disc. With its effective sound mix, it will be sure to make you jump if you turn out all the lights. There is also an Ultraviolet copy of the film included for your tablet or smartphone.


Extras include:

Origin Story: Making Chapter 3

Stunts: The Car Crash

Macabre Creations

Cherry Glazerr: Tiptoe Through the Tulips

Being Haunted: A Psychic Medium Speaks

Deleted Scenes and Previews for other Sony Titles


If you're a fan of paranormal films and liked the first, I would suggest giving this chapter a spin. While not completely original or terrifying, it has some creepy moments that make it effective and more than just another bland horror sequel.



- James Harland Lockhart V

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