NOW HOLD MY HANDS WHILE I TRY TO CONTACT QUINN’S MOTHER: Elise (Lin Shaye, center) begins a séance in an effort to help Quinn (Stefanie Scott, left) communicate with her dead mother while her father (Dermot Mulroney) looks on. When Quinn’s attempts to contact her mother on her own stirred up a host of frightening paranormal events, Elise agreed to come out of retirement to help Quinn communicate with her mother. (Photo by Matt Kennedy)

The good news about Insidious 3 is that you don’t have to know what happened in the first two episodes in order to follow this movie’s plotline. This prequel does not involve the Lambert family that was haunted by ghosts in the series’ previous two films.

The best news is that, despite being rated PG-13, this harrowing adventure was so scary that I screamed louder than my wife! Guaranteed to have you jumping out of your skin, Insidious 3 evokes an earlier era when horror movie filmmakers subtly sowed the seeds of suspense instead of simply splattering the screen with gruesome scenes.

The movie is Australian Leigh Whannell’s directorial debut. She wrote and acted in Insidious 1 and 2. This film features Lin Shaye (There’s Something about Mary) as Elise Rainier, the gifted psychic who can commune with the afterlife.

As the film unfolds, we find Quinn Brenner (Stefanie Scott) trying to hire the clairvoyant to help her contact the spirit of her late mother (Ele Keats). Elise declines the offer, explaining that she’s retired, but gives the grieving teen an ominous piece of advice, — “Don’t try to contact your mom on your own.”

Quinn returns home to the mythical town of Leland Park where she lives in an apartment with her father (Dermot Mulroney) and little brother, Alex (Tate Berney). Of course, she disregards Elise’s warning, and next thing you know paranormal activities begin; a waving apparition, here, a disembodied voice there, an unexplained crack in the ceiling, bloody footprints on the floor, and so on.

Quinn’s distracted dad does not give her much help in dealing with these phenomena, however, the boy next-door (Ashton Moio) is concerned about her welfare. Finally, the ghostly activities escalate to the point where Elise agrees to get involved and stage a séance.

Although the storyline reads like stock fright fare, trust me, Insidious 3 is an expertly edited horror movie that repeatedly shocks you when you least expect it. Again and again it makes you jump from your seat, then lulls you back into a false sense of security only to deliver another jolt.

The movie is a chilling spine-tingler that will generate lots of bloodcurdling screams.

Excellent (****). Rated  PG-13 for violence, profanity, frightening images, and mature themes. Running time: 97 minutes. Distributor: Focus Features