Do I need to watch the third and fourth for this one? Neither are on any streaming platform at the moment.

No. Not at all

The first two thirds are a masterclass in horror/jumpscares and it was an A but the final third completely loses it and it ends up being just a fine film.

They REALLY dropped the ball in the final third. Once the demon takes over Dalton it completely misses the mark. All the way up to Dalton tackling Patrick is A+ but then.... ew

The kid is a bit annoying, but I'd say I still liked this one about as much as the first two. They build up the spooky scenes so well that the actual scares is kind of a relief in some ways when it finally comes. Journeying in and out of the further remains as terrifying as ever. And the black girl is actually fun to hang with to make up for emo kid being so annoying.

I get Mau's point about the third act going off the rails ... He's mostly right ... But I also think the whole point of the film is that 'burying the past only ensure that it will come back at the worst time' , so having it be a combination of endings from the first two is thematically appropriate if nothing else.

Also, Patrick Stewart directs the hell out of this movie. You could've told me James Wan was in control and I would believe you.

I'll give it an 8/10ish

This was pretty bad. Not scary. Worst of the franchise and a bit of a bore. 5/10