Insidious Chapter 3 Parent Guide

Lin Shaye is the recurring thread in the Insidious franchise. She plays Elise Rainier, a slight, almost frail looking psychic who has a knack for contacting the dead and exorcising evil spirits. Now in the prequel Insidious: Chapter 3, audiences get her back-story.

Elise always had a “talent” for talking with the deceased. Still, she hasn’t used the ability since trying to summon her dearly departed husband (Adrian Sparks). Instead of contacting him she invoked an angry spirit (Tom Fitzpatrick) that frequents her dreams and threatens to kill her.

However, the secluded psychic reconsiders her promise to leave the dead alone when she meets Quinn Brenner (Stefanie Scott). The troubled teen has been attempting to speak to her late mother (Ele Keats), and now is being haunted by a grisly specter (Michael Reid MacKay). Confined to a wheel chair after being hit by a car, Quinn can’t even run from the ghoulish spirit. After Quinn’s father Sean (Dermot Mulroney) pleads with Elise, she finally agrees to help drive out the demon before he takes over Quinn’s body.

By horror movie standards Insidious: Chapter 3 is one of the smarter films in recent months. Leigh Whannell, who wrote all three Insidious scripts, now takes the director’s chair. He draws out the story rather than revealing the phantom too soon. And he uses comedy, in the form of two fake ghost-busters, to tone down the tension before building it up again. Of course there are the obligatory squeaky doors and floors, as well as lots of dark shadows and ominous sounds coming from the other side of the wall. But unlike horror films that rely on an ominous score to let viewers know when to prepare for a scare, Whannell turns the music off and leaves audiences waiting in eerie silence for the jump scene. It is both effective and a little unsettling for those familiar with the rudiments of the horror genre.

The real problem with Insidious: Chapter 3 is the subtle messages the film promotes. Suicidal thoughts and actions are depicted as one character is driven to take his life and another is given a razor blade and encouraged to kill herself. Although these deaths are not as graphic or prominent in the storyline as they were in the movie Ouija, the idea remains. The script may also incite curiosity for the occult among young viewers—especially ones that want to contact a recently deceased friend or family member.

It’s no surprise that one of the biggest concerns in this production is violence. Expect the portrayal of a startling car accident with bloody results, physical altercations with immortals and attempted choking. Other issues include profanities and a strong sexual expletive. Yet even more disturbing may be the dark and gruesome depiction of an afterlife where those who have expired wait in the shadows to snatch you.

About author

Kerry Bennett

Kerry Bennett is interested in media from both a journalist and parent perspective. Along with authoring articles for several family-oriented publications, she has written for Parent Previews for over 15 years. As a parent herself, she believes parents play a powerful role in teaching media literacy in their homes.