Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015) - A more serious and profound approach to the series - 7/10 (17/06/15)

''Insidious: Chapter 3'' is a prequel to the outstanding first two supernatural horror movies. While many other genre series stagnate or decrease in quality, the makers of this film tried out a couple of new things to keep this brand relevant. Even though the outcome of this third part in the series isn't as intense as the first two instalments, it's still a very decent flick for genre fans.

Among the positive elements, I must give credit to Leigh Whannell's directorial debut for connecting this story and its characters coherently to the other two movies. If you had any questions left after watching the first two films, you will get your answers here. In addition to this, the movie adds some depth to recurring characters and some interesting background information given in this film could even lead to other prequels in the future.

The movie focuses on paranormal investigator Elise Reiner who is once more portrayed by Lin Shaye. Her acting performance is credible, diversified and emotional. It's her best acting performance so far in the series. Since the viewers already know this character, most of them might easily identify with her, care about the outcome of the story and appreciate to get a more profound look at her story. The other main character is the charming teenage girl Quinn Brenner, who had tried to contact her deceased mother and is now haunted by a weird demon called The Man Who Can't Breathe. This role is played by rising teenage star Stefanie Scott and she offers a balanced, credible and natural performance that is also the best of her career so far. The acting in this movie might even be a level above the first two instalments.

Another strong fact is that the movie has a more serious and grounded tone than the other two. While the first two movies rather focused on the action and horror itself, this one adds more emotional depth than expected, concentrates on the different characters and their stories and even gives away some interesting background information about paranormal activities. This prequel feels much more mature and profound than the other two instalments.

The problem is that the main villain is definitely the weakest of the series so far. The Man Who Can't Breathe doesn't have a particularly scary appearance. He has no particular skills that make him truly dangerous. There isn't have any interesting background story that would explain his actions or his simple presence either. There are a handful of good scary moments in the film but they are much scarcer than in the first two parts.

In the end, horror movies are not only about solid acting, intriguing characters and some interesting background information about paranormal activities. What makes a good horror movie is the capacity to make those beloved characters portrayed by solid actors that are set in an interesting setting suffer, struggle and survive. This last essential part is clearly missing here. There aren't any really creepy scenes, desperate moments or surprising elements in this movie. The script itself is boring, generic and predictable. The fact that this movie is another prequel doesn't help since one already knows who among the recurring characters is going to survive which decreases any potential tension quite a lot. The obvious problem is that some viewers might feel disappointed about this movie because they will always compare it to the first two instalments that are much scarier. The fact that this film tries out a couple of interesting things where Leigh Whannell adds his own mark to the series, won't save this film for most viewers. Apart of faithful hardcore fans of the series and experienced horror movie maniacs, there isn't much interest for anyone else to check this film. This flick turns out to have a quite small target audience and I wouldn't be surprised if the series lost some spectators after this third part. On the other side, Leigh Whannell's ideas in this film are so convincing, emotional and promising that I hope he will soon work on a new original horror movie without any connections to any other genre flick where he can really show off his very own creativity.