Set in 1988, this prequel focuses on Katie and Kristi as children, as the latter talks to an imaginary friend at the same time as odd, unexplained phenomena are noticed around the family house. This follows the formula of the first two, but it doesn't make the mistakes of the second(going bigger, and presenting a too similar situation with less likable people) and, also unlike it, proves itself a worthy addition to the franchise(and I'm now a lot less unhappy about the decision to make more than one of these... while the original can stand on its own, if one genuinely wants more, this provides a solid entry). As with 2, we get new information that contributes to the overall mythology of these(and they can actually be watched independently of one another, you don't need to see all three or to do so in any specific order), and it's immensely creepy(not all of what we got in the previous installment was), as are a lot of things in this. We again get a minimalist approach to horror, with us spotting shadows, small movements and the like that we cannot understand as anything natural, as well as noises. The viewer ends up scrutinizing every frame, trying to figure out what it is we're seeing and where exactly it is. On occasion, they will show us something, never overtly or believing their FX(which are literally invisible in this, nothing comes off as fake) or designs could somehow outdo the individual imagination of the audience members. The acting is great, including the kids(with some exceptions, a bit of their delivery is a tad off), and the characters come across as real(and we are introduced to how they relate to one another), with personality(if Dennis is arguably not terribly dissimilar from Micah) and they're affable(within reason, they're human beings, what I'm getting at is they're not obnoxious). The scares are effective, a couple of new ones(as well as some that we've already seen in these, though it doesn't feel repetitive or unsatisfying... I could barely feel time passing in the theater), and they still do not go too far. Obviously they work at all on account of the gradual build-up of atmosphere, something this does impeccably well at. The tension is palpable. This is a truly terrifying movie, that may rekindle a fear of the dark, and of your own home. The camera technology being different back then is addressed. There are a handful of scenes where you wonder why they'd actually film that. They don't detract from the whole. There is a ton of disturbing content and a little brutal violence and sexuality in this. I recommend this to any fan of these, and/or of the "found footage" subgenre. 8/10
