You probably had nightmares after watching the original, hella-haunted film Insidious. And you definitely jumped out of your seat and/or screamed at the top of your lungs while sitting through Insidious 2.
Well, good news for all masochistic horror movie fans out there: Insidious 3 is JUST AS TERRIFYING. In celebration of the latest film in the super-scary franchise, Dermot Mulroney stopped by to play a terrifying game of "Would You Rather." Here's what went down.
Spend a night alone in a haunted house, or in a wax museum?
Dermot Mulroney: Oh, um, am I alone in the wax museum, other than the wax people? I would definitely choose the wax museum because there's more people! Or, it could be a haunted wax museum. Why don't I just do both?
Be haunted by a ghost for the rest of your life, or be a ghost-haunting someone else for the rest of their life?
DM: Of the two I'd probably choose being the ghost and haunting someone else, but let me say this: I have children, and in some ways I'm already haunting them. I cannot leave them alone; I'm obsessed with them.
Never have anything exciting happen to you, or have a ton of scary adventures happen?
DM: Starting now, or for my whole life already?
Starting now, for the rest of your life!
DM: I would say absolutely nothing. I've had such a fulfilled existence — I've had so many exciting things happen. You know, being an incredibly popular actor is very fulfilling (laughs). So, I could stop now.
Lie in a bed of squirming snakes, or lie in a bed of rustling rats?
DM: Right. I don't know. I would rather lie in a bed of squirming snakes!
Encounter a vampire, or a zombie?
DM: Depends on, you know, what I was trying to achieve. Because you can catch a zombie. So maybe I just say a zombie so that I can catch it. A vampire theoretically could fly away as a bat. Plus, you guys ever heard of this TV show called The Walking Dead? It's got zombies in it and it seems like the whole purpose of the show is to bash people in the head — that seems fun.
Wake up and find out that no one knows who you are, or wake up and find out that everyone believes you’re someone who you aren’t?
DM: You know what's been happening recently? People seem to think that I'm Robert Downey Jr. I think it's my dumb beard. Yesterday the guy driving one of the cars thought I was Sean Penn. So what was the question again? (laughs) It's all cheesy, because I got it really good and most people know who I am, and they're really nice to me about it. So can I just choose the option where I am who I am? (laughs)
Technically no, but...
Feel something tugging at your feet while you’re swimming in a lake, or wake up in your empty house to the sound of footsteps in the attic?
DM: Definitely the lake thing. For real what would scare me the most: having someone in your house would be a lot worse — what could be in a lake? I mean we know about the movie that Elizabeth Shue was in where I think there was a crocodile in a lake in Maine? That's preposterous! (laughs) How could that even be? I mean in the ocean is different because then you're talking about man-eating sharks.
Be stranded in the ocean by yourself for 30 minutes, or buried alive for 30 minutes?
DM: In the ocean for sure! With a flotation device?
You gotta tread water.
DM: Tread water I could probably do for about 30 minutes and then I'd just have to give up and breathe water and call it. Buried alive, no [thanks]! Think about the pressure on your chest!
Spend the rest of your life at an abandoned hospital, or an abandoned amusement park?
DM: Have you seen those photos — they're probably on some awesome website like BuzzFeed — of abandoned movie parks in Romania and Bulgaria and stuff? [I choose] abandoned hospital. Because I haven't really seen as many pictures that are startling.
Never be able to turn the lights on when you go to the basement, or sleep alone in the attic every night for a month?
DM: You know I actually threaten my children when they're really bad to make them sleep in the attic, so I'm gonna go with sleeping in the attic for my kids! (laughs)
Be the only person able to see dead people, or live in a world where dead people walk among the living?
DM: I'm gonna make it a Walking Dead day and go with that, option two.
Be haunted by someone you know, or be haunted by a complete stranger?
DM: Scary stranger or scary relative? I've got some scary relatives. Let's go with a stranger, definitely. Someone I don't know.
Be stuck in The Further for the night, or have to spend the night in a demon-haunted home?
DM: OK here's the deal: I've been to The Further. You know what it is? It's a really dark room with like a drop cloth, no walls or anything. I was there when they shot The Further; it's not that scary. It's really just a film set! This is a little behind-the-scenes view. But in the movie, it's out of control. It gets so scary out there in The Further. And I was taking tennis lessons while they were shooting that — I was not even there. I'm gonna go with The Further; I have some familiarity with it.
Would you rather be faced in a duel with Freddy, or Jason?
DM: Freddy has the knife fingers and haunts you while you're sleeping. Jason has a hockey mask and a machete? Gosh, that is a tough one. They're both bloodthirsty lunatics, right? I don't know. Maybe the guy with the hockey mask and the machete because then there's only one blade. Yeah, I'm gonna go with Jason.
Would you rather turn into a zombie, or get chased by a ton of them?
DM: Hmm. Living as an undead brain-eating zombie, or being chased by them? I could so out-run the zombies. Whoever came up with zombies moving slow, it seems like a real story-crusher. I mean, why didn't they make them fast? Zombies that can fly. Hey, wait a minute. Maybe we just came up with a great new zombie movie! Flying zombies. The thing just writes itself. Put an exclamation point on the poster — sold!
Would you rather play a Ouija board, or Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board?
DM: What is Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board? Someone's lying down and everyone uses one finger? See, that kind of sounds a little sexier. Yeah, I'm gonna go with Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board.
Would you rather be a professional ghost hunter, or a psychic medium?
DM: You know, the most reference I have for this thing is they're both in the chapter three [of Insidious]. [I choose] ghost hunter. Also 'cause of Ghostbusters, 'cause that was awesome.
Have interdimensional travel abilities, or psychic abilities?
DM: Definitely interdimensional travel abilities without a doubt. I don't care what you think. But I'd love to like, you know, go anywhere I want instantly!
Know the exact date of your death and be able to prepare for it, or not know when it will happen but know how you’re going to die?
DM: All right. The first option sounds so much better; I don't even feel like that's a good "Would You Rather" question! Obviously the first one so you can prepare instead of some catastrophic death.
Hey, some people don't want to know!
OK, all right, I give it back to you so it's not such a bad question. But I'm still gonna go with my answer. (laughs)