Insidious: Chapter 3 Movie Poster Image

Insidious: Chapter 3

(i)

 

Nothing new, but surprisingly effective, scary prequel.
Popular with kids
  • Review Date: June 5, 2015
  • Rated: PG-13
  • Genre: Horror
  • Release Year: 2015
  • Running Time: 97 minutes

What parents need to know

Positive messages

Family members stick together, helping one another out in a time of need. Other characters put themselves at personal risk to help strangers.

Positive role models

After three movies, Elise Rainier is becoming a decent heroine; she's sometimes afraid, and she can seem frail, but she's also strong-willed and clever and refuses to give up.

Violence

Plenty of scary stuff, mostly jump-shocks with screaming demons. A girl is hit by a car; bruises and blood shown. Wearing casts on both legs, she's roughed up and thrown from her bed. A woman attacks a demon with a razor. A girl holds a box knife to her own throat. A girl beats up three men. Demon fighting. Talk of characters committing suicide and dying of cancer.

Sex

A neighbor boy seems to have a crush on the teen heroine. Teens joke about their sexual identity.

Language

Infrequent; one use of "f--king," plus "bitch," "ass," and a middle finger gesture.

Consumerism

Apple computers shown.

Drinking, drugs, & smoking
Not applicable

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Insidious: Chapter 3 is a prequel to Insidious (2010) and Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013), with returning stars Lin Shaye, Angus Sampson, and Leigh Whannell. There's tons of spooky stuff -- mainly well-timed jump-scares, plus images of a scary demon attacking a teen girl and a psychic fighting with the same demon. The teen girl is hit by a car and roughed up quite a bit while wearing casts on both legs. Knives are wielded, but only a little blood is shown. Infrequent language includes one use of "f--king," one "bitch," and a few uses of "ass," plus a middle finger gesture. A teen boy has a crush on the teen heroine, but nothing comes of it. There's a joke about two teen girls being lesbians. Like most horror sequels, it's not as good as the original, but it provides enough tingles that it should be a fairly sizable draw for teen horror hounds.

What's the story?

Set before the events of Insidious and Insidious: Chapter 2, INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 3 begins as teen Quinn Brenner (Stefanie Scott) seeks the help of psychic Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye). Quinn wants to contact her dead mother, but Elise has quit the psychic business, afraid she's gone too far and that she's in danger. Meanwhile, things with Quinn go from bad to worse. She's run over by a car and must now recover with both her legs in casts. Plus, it seems that a malevolent demon is after her. Quinn's father (Dermot Mulroney), at his wits' end, decides to hire paranormal investigators Tucker (Angus Sampson) and Specs (Leigh Whannell). But with time running out, Elise decides she's actually the only one who can help.

Is it any good?

QUALITY

This time around, screenwriter/actor Whannell assumes the helm of the horror series he helped create; fortunately, he takes several cues from directing predecessor James Wan, focusing on character interactions, well-defined space, and intriguing use of rhythm and timing, as well as a spooky musical score.

On the downside, like the second movie, Insidious: Chapter 3 doesn't have much new to offer, and virtually all of the scares are of the jump-shock variety, with monsters appearing suddenly -- and frequently shrieking as well. But Whannell at least tries to mix up the timing of the shocks, delaying and subverting the expected. He also creates a very Lynchian version of the Further, with nightmarish imagery that can cause just as many tingles. And his characters are sympathetic and easy to like, with Shaye especially powerful and touching in her role.

Families can talk about...

  • Families can talk about Insidious: Chapter 3's violence. How much is shown? Is there a real threat? What's the impact of media violence on kids?

  • How scary is the movie? What's the appeal of horror movies? Are gory horror movies more or less scary than those with less blood?

  • How does this movie compare to its predecessors? How does it work as a prequel?

  • Some of the characters seem obsessed with technology (the main teen girl takes pictures of her breakfast for her blog). Does that seem realistic?

Movie details

Theatrical release date:June 5, 2015
DVD release date:October 6, 2015
Cast:Dermot Mulroney, Stefanie Scott, Lin Shaye
Director:Leigh Whannell
Studio:Focus Features
Genre:Horror
Topics:Monsters, ghosts, and vampires
Run time:97 minutes
MPAA rating:PG-13
MPAA explanation:violence, frightening images, some language and thematic elements

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What parents and kids say

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Written byAnonymous June 5, 2015

Dumb threequel isn't as scary or thrilling as the first two

My rating:PG-13 for violence throughout,language and thematic material
Teen, 13 years old Written byakirschner June 6, 2015

Scary prequel does not disappoint!

If you are into scary, and disturbing movies, kids 13 and up could handle this movie. If you are more of an easygoing type of person, I would reccomend age 15. The disturbing and scary content in this is the main reason this is a pg13. Keep in mind that their is some language and one F word, but sexual content is at a minimum. Overall, this is a great movie for horror fans!
Kid, 8 years old July 9, 2015

Scary,thrilling prequel is very violent,but not quite as scary as the first two.

This horror thriller fallows Quinn Brenner a teen girl who tries to contact her dead mother after she died of cancer, then she wants to find out how to contact her better so she goes to a physic named Elise. Elise says that she is out of the job because its to dangerous for her, but she decided's to help Quinn, on the way home from her play auditions Quinn sees a man with a mask waving at her on the street, then Quinn is hit by a car with no one driving it and must go to the hospital. When she gets back strange,disturbing,creepy things starting happening, she is thrown from her bed,a demon attacks her,creepy noises start happening,and the roof cracks. But something strange happens, the demon possesses Quinn and now Elise and a team of ghost/demon fighters must help get rid of the man who can't breath/the demon whose after Quinn. This prequel is very violent and terrifying, there is stabbing,throwing,choking,attacking,hitting with a wrench,a bloody car crash,and a demon tries to pull Quinn out of a window,other scary stuff includes tons of jump shocks,tension,creepy noises,eyeless figures crawling on the floors,and tons of suspense though all of it includes little to no blood. There is also some swearing including 1 f--king ("you are a useless f--king father", other language including b---h,and s--t. There is 1 somewhat racy references ("hi lesbian friends"). This movie is better than the first 2 and its less scary,its also fun,entertaining,sometimes funny,and scary fun but its on of few horror movies these days that are actually scary. My rating:R for violence throughout,some language,thematic elements,mature content,a racy references,terror/horror throughout,suspense,and strong frightening images throughout.

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