This weekend will welcome in the highly anticipated third instalment in the hit Insidious franchise. Taking the story back to the beginning, the film finds a new lead in Stefanie Scott's Quinn Brenner. Oasis Awais was lucky enough to get the opportunity to chat to her about the forthcoming horror and find out what the experience was like for her. Read on for the full interview.

As the press tour began for the threequel, I was lucky enough to be invited down to a press junket and screening (read my glowing review of the film here) where I got a chance to go on the Insidious 4D experience - one of the coolest and most terrifying things I've ever done - but, more importantly, I also grabbed a chat with Stefanie. We discussed her role as Quinn in the film, what it was like starring in a horror and even a little about her next film, Jem and the Holograms. Below is the transcript from the interview.

Firstly, congrats on the film. What was it that attracted you to the project?
Thank you. Well, I loved the first two films. And I'm a big fan of horror films too. I've auditioned plenty of times for horrors and this was just another one of them. I hoped for the best and they gave me the part... It was just a really cool script too and I loved Quinn and I loved the story.  
Ah, nice. Well, you gave an amazing performance; very scary indeed.
*laughs* Thank you. That's very kind of you to say that.  
Was there any points during filming that you got scared?
Well, I don't actually get scared very easily. The scariest part of filming this was probably... Umm, the scary scenes were pretty intense. Especially when there were stunts where I'd have to be thrown around the room. I think that's what the scariest thing was. Yeah.  
The stunts must be quite physically demanding then? Did you ever have any doubts about some of the stuff you were asked to do?
It was pretty difficult, both emotionally and physically, but I was always open to it. They were challenging and I did have a stunt double but I wanted to do everything myself so we'd get wired up and she'd show me what to do. I'd get harnessed up and tossed around a lot and, yeah, it was pretty intense... it was really intense. I love doing my own stunts though. It was a thrill ride.  
What kind of stuff did you have to do to prepare for this role? I heard that you visited a psychic, that must've been pretty cool.
I did, ya. Leigh Whannell, the director, sent me to see a psychic before we began shooting the movie, to prepare for the role, and I think to kind of have  the same experience as Quinn. It was 90 minutes long and one of the best night's of my life! Everything he predicted has happened. I also had to write in a journal, everyday, as Quinn and decorate it and they even used it in the movie.  

The film's pretty dark. Can you talk a little bit about that and about your character?
It's a horror film, it's supposed to be dark! *laughs*  
*laughs* Yeah but you know what I mean.
*laughs* I do. It's definitely the darkest chapter out of them all and the most terrifying... But it's really realistic too, aside from the whole demon thing. You get sucked into this world. That's what I love most about this; about Quinn. She's a typical 17 year old, with big dreams and we've all faced loss and grief before and the struggles of growing up and feeling lost and alone, just like her, so she's very relatable and that's what I love about her. 
We literally see Quinn going through hell and back. She really suffers and we've never seen a character go through this sort of pain and torment in any of the other Inisidious films. What was that like for you?
She does suffer. She suffers a lot. It's very violent. And I think that's what makes this film so scary. This 'thing' isn't just your typical haunted house spirit... it's actually latching on to Quinn and feeding off of her soul until there's nothing left. It's destroying her mind and her body... and it's brutal and violent.  
Yeah, it is. But, you take it like a warrior. You really do give a great performance. Did you get any advice from Lin [Shaye] and Dermot [Mulroney]. What was it like working with them?
They're both amazing. It wasn't so much advice as it was just being surrounded by them and watching them work and learning from that. Just seeing their character development and how they'd think things through and prepare before working on a scene. I had a really cool connection with Lin and I learned a lot from even just talking to her, on-set, about life.  
Of course, you have Jem and the Holograms coming up next. What was it like jumping from a horror to a more lighthearted, fun film?
I actually filmed Jem first and it was the morning after the wrap party that I auditioned for Insidious 3. There was quite a difference between both films, going from rocking out and being a superstar to shooting scare scenes and being this possessed girl.  
I can't wait for the film, it looks like a lot of fun. What can we expect from it?
I'm really proud of it. I'm really excited about it too because it came with a built-in fanbase that were so passionate about the original cartoon and there's a lot of surprises in this film but there's a lot that's like the show too. It's a modern coming of age story but keeps the heart and fun of the classic Jem.  
Ah, nice. So you have that coming later this year, as well as a couple of other projects. Any chance we could be seeing you come back in Insidious 4, if it was to ever happen.
I don't know of anything yet but I'd love to do an Inisidious 4. I had so much fun making this one. I would love to explore more with Quinn too.

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About the Author

Awais Irfan
Founder of Oasis Awais, and avid lover of life, Awais Irfan's love of writing and film is unequivocal. Ever since he was a little kid, he has loved the cinematic experience; so much so, he is studying Film Production in Glasgow and hopes to be the next "big thing" in directing.

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