The Insidious Chapter 3 cast is led by Stefanie Scott as Quinn Brenner and Lin Shaye as Elise Rainier, with Dermot Mulroney as Quinn's father, Sean Brenner. Leigh Whannell (Specs) and Angus Sampson (Tucker) complete the top five, while Tate Berney plays Quinn's brother, Alex Brenner, and Hayley Kiyoko plays Maggie. Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015), written and directed by Leigh Whannell, opened in US theaters on June 5, 2015, and it was his feature directorial debut after writing the first two films. Because the film is a prequel set in 2007, it centers on a new family, the Brenners, while Elise is the thread back to the earlier chapters. Several familiar faces fill the smaller parts too: Steve Coulter returns as Carl, Tom Fitzpatrick plays the Bride in Black again, producer James Wan appears as the Theater Director, and composer Joseph Bishara plays the Lipstick-Face Demon. TMDB lists 29 cast members in all, two of them uncredited.
| # | Actor | Character |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stefanie Scott | Quinn Brenner |
| 2 | Lin Shaye | Elise Rainier |
| 3 | Dermot Mulroney | Sean Brenner |
| 4 | Leigh Whannell | Specs |
| 5 | Angus Sampson | Tucker |
| 6 | Steve Coulter | Carl |
| 7 | Hayley Kiyoko | Maggie |
| 8 | Tom Gallop | Dr. Henderson |
| 9 | Tate Berney | Alex Brenner |
| 10 | Corbett Tuck | Danielle |
| 11 | Tom Fitzpatrick | Bride in Black |
| 12 | Jeris Poindexter | Harry |
| 13 | Ele Keats | Lillith Brenner |
| 14 | James Wan | Theater Director |
| 15 | Joseph Bishara | Lipstick-Face Demon |
| 16 | Michael Reid MacKay | The Man Who Can't Breathe |
| 17 | Phyllis Applegate | Grace |
| 18 | Phil Abrams | Mel |
| 19 | Erin Anderson | Two-Faced Woman |
| 20 | Amaris Davidson | Nurse |
| 21 | Ashton Moio | Hector |
| 22 | Rubén Garfias | Ernesto |
| 23 | Fawn Irish | Lambert Woman |
| 24 | Taylor John Smith | Teenage Boy |
Billing order from the film's credits (TMDB). Actors with a Cinvibe page and characters with a character page are linked.
Also in the cast: Adrian Sparks (Jack Rainier), Jacob Crawford (Male Nurse), Garrett Ryan (Young Josh), Anna Ross (Dead Teenage Junkie (uncredited)), John Zaffis (Theatre Patron (uncredited)).
Stefanie Scott plays Quinn Brenner, the teenager who visits Elise Rainier hoping to reach her mother, then breaks both legs in an accident and is confined at home with a presence she cannot escape. Deadline reported in June 2014 that she had joined the cast, presenting her as the star of A.N.T. Farm and Jem and the Holograms, and TheWrap later described her as the young girl whom Elise helps.
Lin Shaye plays Elise Rainier, the retired medium who senses danger around Quinn and warns her not to contact the dead again. Shaye played Elise in Insidious (2011) and Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013), and TheWrap reported in October 2014 that she was reprising the role for this prequel, which follows the psychic before the events of the first film.
Dermot Mulroney plays Sean Brenner, Quinn's father, who is raising her and her brother Alex after their mother died a year earlier. Leigh Whannell announced the casting on Twitter on June 25, 2014, writing that Mulroney had been cast as one of the leads, according to TheWrap, which also pointed to his recent work in the NBC drama Crisis and in August: Osage County.
Leigh Whannell plays Specs, one half of a small ghost hunting team, a role he also played in the first two films. He wrote and directed Insidious: Chapter 3, his feature directorial debut. TheWrap reported his appointment as director on May 7, 2014, with James Wan, his Saw co-creator, producing alongside Jason Blum and Oren Peli.
Angus Sampson plays Tucker, Specs's partner in the ghost hunting business. TMDB credits him as Tucker in Insidious (2011) and in Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013), which makes this prequel his third outing in the role. As in both earlier films, his billing sits directly below Whannell's, so the pairing stays together in the credits as well as on screen.
Steve Coulter plays Carl, a character he first played in Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013), where he was also billed sixth, the same position he holds here. In that film TMDB also credits Hank Harris as Carl (adult), while in Chapter 3 Coulter is the only actor credited in the part, which makes him one of the clearest links between the two films.
Hayley Kiyoko plays Maggie and is billed seventh, the highest placed newcomer after the Brenner leads. She has no credit in the TMDB cast lists for Insidious (2011) or Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013), so this prequel is her first appearance in the franchise, which puts her among the new faces surrounding the returning Elise and the ghost hunters.
Tom Gallop plays Dr. Henderson and is billed eighth. TMDB lists no role for him in Insidious (2011) or Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013), so Chapter 3 is his first appearance in the franchise. With Quinn injured and confined at home, the film draws on a small medical supporting cast, and Dr. Henderson is credited alongside a Nurse and a Male Nurse.
Tate Berney plays Alex Brenner, Quinn's brother, who lives with her and their father, Sean, in the apartment where the haunting unfolds. He is new to the franchise, with no credit in the first two films on TMDB, and he completes the Brenner family on screen alongside Ele Keats, credited as Lillith Brenner, the mother whose death a year earlier sets Quinn's search in motion.
Corbett Tuck plays Danielle and is billed tenth. She returns to the franchise from the original film, where TMDB credits her as Nurse Adele / Doll Girl #2, so Chapter 3 brings her back in a different role rather than the same character, and her credit links this prequel directly to the first film in the series.
Tom Fitzpatrick plays the Bride in Black and is billed eleventh. TMDB credits him in Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) as Bride in Black / Parker Crane (old), so his casting carries the same figure from the earlier film into this prequel. He is one of the few supporting performers who returns to a character rather than taking on a new one.
Jeris Poindexter plays Harry and is billed twelfth. TMDB does not list him in the cast of Insidious (2011) or Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013), so Chapter 3 is his first appearance in the franchise. Harry is one of the smaller supporting parts among the 27 credited roles, with two more performers listed by TMDB as uncredited.
The Insidious Chapter 3 cast came together over a few weeks in mid 2014, once Leigh Whannell was set to write and direct. TheWrap reported on May 7, 2014, that Focus Features, Entertainment One, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions and Blumhouse Productions had chosen Whannell as director, with filming scheduled to start on July 7. Deadline reported in June 2014 that Stefanie Scott, star of A.N.T. Farm and Jem and the Holograms, had joined the cast. On June 25, Whannell announced on Twitter that Dermot Mulroney had been cast as one of the leads, according to TheWrap. TMDB credits Terri Taylor for casting.
So, why a whole new family? The film is a prequel set in 2007, before the events of the first film, which leaves the domestic side to the Brenners (Quinn, Sean and Alex) and the supernatural side to Elise and the ghost hunters. The result is a cast split between new faces in the household and familiar ones on the spirit side. For the plot, release and production details, see the insidious chapter 3 film page.
Seven performers return to characters they had already played, and Lin Shaye leads them as Elise Rainier, the role she held in Insidious (2011) and Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013). Leigh Whannell and Angus Sampson come back as Specs and Tucker, Steve Coulter returns as Carl, and Tom Fitzpatrick again plays the Bride in Black. Joseph Bishara, who also composed the score, plays the Lipstick-Face Demon, the role TMDB credits him with in the 2011 film. Garrett Ryan, credited as Josh Lambert (young) in Chapter 2, appears as Young Josh. Corbett Tuck returns from the original in a new part, and James Wan, director of the first two films, steps in front of the camera as the Theater Director.
The Lambert family leads, Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne among them, do not appear in the TMDB cast list. The newcomers include Stefanie Scott, Dermot Mulroney, Hayley Kiyoko, Tate Berney and Tom Gallop. The insidious movies hub places this prequel alongside the rest of the series.
| Director | Leigh Whannell |
|---|---|
| Writers | Leigh Whannell |
| Producers | James Wan, Oren Peli, Jason Blum |
| Music | Joseph Bishara |
| Cinematography | Brian Pearson |
Stefanie Scott played Quinn Brenner in Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015), and she is billed first, ahead of Lin Shaye. Deadline reported in June 2014 that she had joined the cast, presenting her as the star of A.N.T. Farm and Jem and the Holograms. Quinn is the teenager who tries to reach her late mother and is then confined at home with a menacing presence.
Yes, Lin Shaye is in Insidious: Chapter 3, billed second as Elise Rainier. TheWrap reported in October 2014 that she was reprising the role she played in Insidious (2011) and Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013). Because the film is a prequel, it follows Elise before the events of the first film, and she is central to the story.
The villain in Insidious: Chapter 3 is the spirit played by Michael Reid MacKay, according to TMDB, and he is the presence that torments Quinn at home. TMDB also credits composer Joseph Bishara as the Lipstick-Face Demon, the figure he played in Insidious (2011).
No, the whole cast did not return, because Insidious: Chapter 3 is a prequel with a new family at its center. Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne and Ty Simpkins, who played the Lamberts, are not in the TMDB cast list. Lin Shaye, Leigh Whannell, Angus Sampson, Steve Coulter and Tom Fitzpatrick do return to their earlier roles.
Leigh Whannell directed Insidious: Chapter 3, his feature directorial debut, and he also wrote the screenplay and plays Specs. TheWrap reported his appointment on May 7, 2014. James Wan, who directed the first two films, produced alongside Jason Blum and Oren Peli and appears on screen as the Theater Director.
Dermot Mulroney plays Sean Brenner, Quinn's father, in Insidious: Chapter 3. Leigh Whannell announced the casting on Twitter on June 25, 2014, calling Mulroney one of the film's leads, according to TheWrap. Sean is raising Quinn and her brother Alex alone after their mother died a year before the story begins.
Films like Insidious include The Conjuring, Sinister, Paranormal Activity, Poltergeist, Ouija: Origin of Evil and Hereditary.
Why are Insidious sequels on Netflix before the first movie?