Movie spotlight: 'Insidious: Chapter 3' backfires

The best advice to those who choose to spend 97 minutes of their lives on "Insidious: Chapter 3" (0 out of four stars, rated PG-13 for violence, frightening images, some language and thematic elements): Bring earplugs. And maybe make better choices. The "Insidious" franchise was already on fumes with "Chapter 2," and this prequel has nothing left but backfires to try to jolt viewers. The first "Insidious," introducing us to a haunted family and psychic Elise and her ghostbuster friends, generated some mild creepiness before blowing it all in a third act that tried to explain everything. The second entry nose-dived into rehash. But the prequel (written and directed by series co-creator and co-star Leigh Whannell, best known for his similar position in the "Saw" franchise) is such a shameless rolling of rubes desperate for a scare, the filmmakers don't bother coming up with anything new. The gag is thus: Teen and aspiring actress Quinn (Stefanie Scott) has been trying to contact her dead mother. As "Insidious" watchers know, that's a no-no, and sure enough, something that is not Mom has gotten wind of her. Next up: the requisite long sequence of Dad (Dermot Mulroney) not believing her while Elise (Lin Shaye) decides to help. With precious little story to tell or scares to perpetrate, the film actually grabs for heartwarming in the end with sausage-like fingers. If that sounds ludicrous, it's a major step up from Whannell's "Saw" movies. The most frightening thing about this third chapter is that it might be profitable enough to make a fourth.