'Insidious: Chapter 3' - Don't rouse those horror clichés

In Insidious: Chapter 3, a high school senior tries to contact her deceased mother with the help of a psychic.

Careful, says the medium, it's a dangerous business. "If you call out to one of the dead, all of them can hear you."

And, of course, when the girl is alone, what are the first words out of her mouth?

"Are you there, Mom?"

Teenagers!

An impossible challenge for parents, but a bountiful natural resource for horror movies. It was only a matter of time before the Insidious franchise made use of one.

Till now, the durable and profitable James Wan/Leigh Whannell horror-movie series has concerned itself with suburban homes and distraught parents, part of their ongoing homage to Poltergeist.

Chapter 3, a prequel, moves into the city, where a widower (Dermot Mulroney) and his daughter, Quinn (Stefanie Scott), have rented a flat in an old apartment building. Mom's recent death has left them devastated and dysfunctional. Dad's overworked and emotionally withdrawn; Quinn doesn't dare tell him she thinks she's getting beyond-the-grave shout-outs from her mother.

So, Quinn visits a psychic (Lin Shaye, pre-prising her role from the first two movies), who tries to contact mom but awakens . . .

Something stalks Quinn. Waves at her behind gauzy curtains, goes bump in the night, and leaves greasy ectoplasmic footprints on the floor.

In the astute words of an excited viewer at a recent preview screening: "That ain't your mama."

Writer-directors Wan and Whannell are best known for their grisly Saw movies, but they seem to prefer the classic lines of old-school horror. (The apartment building gives them license for some Shining tributes.)

They've studied the greats, they know where to put the camera, and they make an effort at building emotional stories around their characters. Here, the movie rests on the restoration of the frayed bond between father and daughter.

The movie is also generous to veteran character actress Shaye, whose role is expanded here and who is given her own substantial storyline to carry.

The writing could be better. It's hard not to laugh when, for instance, Shaye tries to explain the spirit world to Quinn: "It's not a place for pure souls. When you go there, things come back with you."

Could be the realm of the dead.

Could be Vegas.

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