In 2010, a little-fancied horror film called Insidious became a huge global hit, making its director James Wan — who directed The Conjuring in 2013 — a big name. Also in 2013, Insidious: Chapter 2 continued with the supernatural events that afflicted the Lambert family in the first film, and became another humongous box-office earner. This Friday, the prequel, Insidious: Chapter 3 — directed by Leigh Whannell, who co-wrote the first two films with Wan — hits theatres. A chat with Dermot Mulroney — yes, the man caught between Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz in My Best Friend’s Wedding — who plays the central role of Sean Brenner.
Despite your prolific career as an actor in different genres you really haven’t done a pure horror movie before, right?
That’s true! I have done a wide variety of different kinds of films, which has been one of my career goals; but 30 years in, I still hadn’t done a full-fledged horror movie, and it was time. I was overdue. So, I was thrilled when Leigh Whannell called me to be in Insidious: Chapter 3.
Had you seen the previous two Insidious films?
I knew of them, although I hadn’t seen them; but after meeting Leigh and agreeing to do this movie I watched them as a sort of research to prepare myself.
What did you think of Insidious and Insidious: Chapter 2 when you finally watched them?
What I loved the most about them — which we also have in the third chapter of the series — is that you get a strong feeling about them that makes it hard to identify what you are really afraid of; although you know it’s something… but so much of it is left to the imagination, which makes this horror series very powerful. And we honour that in this movie.
Without giving away too much, can you give an example of how you honour that in this third film of the series?
Well, for instance, you will see that our demon in this movie is very specific and at the same time leaves so much to the imagination that the horror really hits.
How was Leigh Whannell’s script?
I thought it was really tense and great to read. I ripped right through it. I think Leigh was overdue to direct because he has incredible instincts, and not only in horror.
Chronologically situated around six years before the first story, here we have a new family that is the victim of a paranormal attack....
Yes, we have a different family story here to the previous movies, but also with some familiar characters you will meet for the first time. Still, I see it more as an origins story than a prequel to Insidious and Insidious: Chapter 2.
You play Sean Brenner, the head of this family. What kind of a man is he?
Sean is a father who has lost his wife to disease and who is trying to keep his kids in order and get through the day. So he is this worried dad who is also a hard-working blue-collar type of guy that lives in an apartment. And it’s hard for him to keep up with the day-to-day responsibilities of his home because of the loss his family is suffering.
That scenario becomes the set-up for a terrifying story grounded in reality...
Yes, I think it’s a great set-up for a horror movie that has a family drama inside it because anyone can relate to these characters — either through experiencing their own loss or knowing the family that doesn’t have all their pieces together and is trying to keep their life going forward. And part of my job was to establish that realistic family in a crisis that will intensify and become truly horrifying.
What do you like about your character?
I like that Sean is a loving father. Before he knows it he is drawn into this supernatural dilemma, and that’s when you see an Everyman struggling with something that is beyond his comprehension or experience and trying to find a way to work through it.
What do you believe makes Insidious: Chapter 3 unique in the horror genre?
Precisely that it is very touching. Other horror movies don’t have this kind of heart…. The interesting thing about our bad guy in this film is that he exists in both worlds. It’s not a ghost or a floating white figure but a real body that intends real harm on these people, as this is not just a haunting but also a possession.
KNOW THE FILMS
In Insidious (2010), a family of five — Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai Lambert (Rose Byrne) and their three young kids — finds their lives turned upside down when son Dalton slips into an unexplained coma. As the months wear on and Dalton remains in coma, the family is subjected to various supernatural occurrences in their home. Even as Josh remains in denial, a desperate Renai enlists the help of paranormal investigator Elise (Lin Shaye), who concludes that Dalton is an “astral traveller” — he travels to different spiritual and supernatural realms in his sleep — and that Josh exhibited the same tendency as a kid. Made on a shoestring budget of $1.5 million, Insidious made a cool $97 million.
Its sequel — Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) — doubled the horror of the first film and focused on Josh, who — possessed by the supernatural — was out to harm his own family. This was a blockbuster, making $161.9 million on a $5 million budget.
Insidious: Chapter 3, releasing this Friday in India, traces the origins of the story and is about Elise helping out Quinn Brenner (Stefanie Scott), who is haunted by supernatural elements after the sudden death of her mother. Released in the US on June 5, Insidious: Chapter 3 has opened to mixed reviews, but good box office.
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