The origin of fear

It's the latest film from Australian horror guru Leigh Whannell, who changed the face of fear with the horror franchise Saw. Ever since my first interview with Whannell with the release of Saw, I have been an ardent fan of his talent as a writer in exploring the dark side of humanity. With Insidious 3 it is inspiring to see how a great storyteller turns his words into action and scares the living hell out of his fans and those who enjoy the horror and supernatural genres.

What makes Whannell a great explorer of horror is that he is an ordinary guy from down under with an imagination that stops for nothing. He knows what he is writing about and he listens to his audience, giving them what they ask for and more. But beware, Indsidious 3 is not for the faint-hearted.

It all began when Whannell studied motion pictures at the prestigious Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, where he met filmmaker James Wan. The duo started developing ideas together, including Saw, which Whannell wrote and starred in. Following the film's breakout worldwide success, he scripted Saw II, wrote Saw III in addition to reprising his acting role, and executive-produced the next four movies in the series. He was also creative consultant on the Saw video game. The Saw franchise is recognised as the Most Successful Horror Movie Series, as per the Guinness World Records in 2010. Whannell also stars in Insidious: Chapter 3, the new movie in the terrifying horror series (a franchise he co-created) and which marks his directorial debut.

Otherworldly realm

The darkest Insidious chapter plunges audiences back into the otherworldly realm The Further, revealing how Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) first braved it in her fight to save a young woman from demonic possession.

The film is set years before the haunting of the Lambert family, and Elise's battles with spirits from The Further, in Insidious and Insidious: Chapter 2. In the prequel, teenage aspiring actress Quinn Brenner (Stefanie Scott) senses that her late mother is trying to contact her, and seeks out a gifted psychic - Elise.

Elise summons her powers to contact the dead - with support from two new acquaintances, unlicensed parapsychologists Tucker (Angus Sampson) and Specs (Whannell). Forced to venture deep into The Further to protect Quinn, Elise soon finds herself facing off against the most ruthless enemy she has ever encountered: a demon with an insatiable craving for human souls.

The dead and the never alive

The film takes us into a world that lives alongside the everyday; more frightening than your nightmares, it seeps through your dreams into your waking life. This world is inhabited by the dead and the never alive, and is in conflict with the world of the living. Its demon denizens want to return from one world to the other. Some ghosts hope to make sense of their deaths; some spirits yearn to reconnect with their loved ones, but many burn to exorcise their anger, to indulge their jealousy, to wield their hatred and resentment, to exact revenge at any cost ...

Whannell, writer and director of the new movie, opines that "people who love a good scare dig the Insidious films. We want audiences to be absolutely terrified".

"I started to devise an origin story, a prequel set a few years before the first movie wherein concepts central to Insidious take shape, and where we could explore Elise's background. Once I started writing this, I fell in love with the piece."

"It's a great new story that transpires in the same universe," elaborates producer Oren Peli (the man who wrote, directed and produced Paranormal Activity). "Leigh introduces a new family - and revisits some favourite characters from the previous chapters, like Elise. We get to see how she evolved to be the Elise audiences got to know and love in the first two Insidious chapters - the woman who is selflessly willing to sacrifice herself to fight demonic forces for a family's sake."

Everyone has fears

While the new storyline has much to offer faithful viewers of the movies, it is also inviting in an audience that can come to the saga fresh. Whannell reminds us: "Everyone has fears, no matter what their culture or country. At its core, every ghost story is about death and loss. That is why they are relatable. Insidious: Chapter 3 is no exception; people can see this movie having seen neither of the previous chapters and they will understand what the characters here go through.

"My approach on this film was to take it back to the realistic horror tone of the first movie, where you're with a family who don't know what's happening to them and can't imagine what's to come."

"It's a privilege to be part of telling these stories that connect with people all over the world. Here was this fantastic opportunity, to be able to direct a movie that is going to be released in theatres with people having the chance to see it in a communal way. I love watching the Insidious movies with audiences, especially when they jump out of their chairs."

In that spirit, and to make his collaborators more comfortable prior to the start of filming, Whannell invited actors Lin Shaye, Dermot Mulroney, and Stefanie Scott - among other guests - to his home for 'movie night'. He screened the classic The Shining in an outdoor setting to inspire the group.

Wan, who had directed the previous Insidious movies from long-time filmmaking partner Whannell's screenplays, remarks: "I am amazed and proud to see what Leigh has done with Insidious: Chapter 3. Leigh understands the nuances that you need to create horror scenes, to create suspense and tension.

As it happened, production of Insidious: Chapter 3 overlapped with the making of Wan's newest movie as director, the big-budget Furious 7. Wan was still able to visit Whannell's set multiple times - and can be glimpsed on-screen in a cameo role - but more frequently kept up with the project by way of modern communication. "I would text Leigh with scare tips," remembers Wan. "He would text me back with how to blow up cars [for Furious 7]!

"We were doing what we always do in person anyway - bounce ideas off each other, and help each other out on projects."

Whannell also availed himself of 21st-century technology to seek out a veteran filmmaker whom he admired. He recounts: "Before I started shooting I sent William Friedkin (The Exorcist) a tweet saying: 'I am directing my first film - do you have any advice for me? Things you wish you'd known before you directed?' Mr. Friedkin responded right away, 'Let's have lunch and talk.'

I fired a gun

"It was surreal. I'd never met the guy. I got to the lunch and we barely did 'hello' before he said: 'You've got to scare your actors for real. On The Exorcist I fired a gun. Do you think I could've gotten the [actor playing the] priest to jump like that [otherwise] when the phone rang [in the scene]?"

Weeks later, in attempting to put the Oscar-winning director's advice into practice, Whannell sensed that the concept - but not the weapon - was viable. "I used an air horn," confesses Whannell. "One time only."

Leigh Whannell adds: "It's your own imagination that can start freaking you out right away; a floorboard creaking can set you off. In the Insidious movies, we build on that and tease the audience a little. Then we go for the unexpected scares, maybe seen out of the corner of your eye. An Insidious movie has this creepy atmosphere where you never know what to expect, and up come some images that stick in your mind."

"The Insidious movies are atmosphere-centric," agrees James Wan. "The world of The Further looms over our real world and is like a nightmare, except you're not asleep when you experience these demonic entities encroaching on your world or these ghostly spirits haunting you."

Oren Peli comments, "I think that fans value the Insidious movies because these are not typical horror movies that rely on gore; the scares are methodical and effective. I myself am drawn to the core concept of something lurking in your own normal home, something that you can't reason with and don't know how to fight against - but you must, for your family's sake."