MovieChat Forums > The Bye Bye Man (2017) Discussion > PG-13 Horror: What's the Point?

PG-13 Horror: What's the Point?


PG-13 horror movies are a joke. Case in point, PROM NIGHT, and OUIJA.

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These threads are absurd now. I'm from the UK, and whilst the MPAA and the BBFC are completely separate bodies with their own individual standards and approaches, the final product you end up with really isn't going to be that much different.

This is from the BBFC (UK classification):

In some cases a film distributor is content to accept a higher age rating in one country than in another country and the standards at the various age ratings differ between countries. For example, nineteen PG-13 films were passed 15 in the UK in 2014, rather than at 12A which is perceived as the UK equivalent of PG-13.


A film like this with horror elements is going to sway towards a 15 rating in the UK, that pretty much means no rape (good), a cut down on comedic levels of gore (even better) and no graphic sex scenes (there's porn for that).

I just had a look at my (very old) DVD collection and both Final Destination and Jason X have a 15 certificate, that was a good 16 years ago now. These days the rating system is far more lenient in the boundries those sorts of films can push.



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Why does a horror movie have to be rated R?

One little Indian boy left all alone;
He went out and hanged himself and then there were none

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It doesn't, but the general consensus on this board seems to be the opposite.

I'd expect an R rating for a film that literally has no goal other than to be as graphically violent as possible (i.e Hostel, Saw, August Underground etc).

For a film like this absolutely not.

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Horror doesn't have to be R or Unrated to be good.

Life sucks, Brendon. That's your lesson. Go enjoy it.

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Cash grab. Lures kids to watch.

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Pg-13 movies can have just as much gore and violence as r rated movies. R usually means there is nudity.

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Definitely not true. According to the MPAA official rating-classification guidelines:

There may be depictions of violence in a PG-13, but generally not both realistic and extreme or persistent violence.


This difference is quite significant, as can be seen in movies with both a PG-13 and R version, such as Batman V Superman where just a couple of blood splatters determine that the film is meant for an older audience.

Then again, the MPAA is pretty inconsistent, but i'm pretty sure they wouldn't allow anything of this caliber in a PG-13 movie: (NSFW, gory, etc.) https://youtu.be/k92JV_c0JEY?t=11

"If the rule you followed brought you to this, of what use was the rule?"

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It's for teens who enjoy the crap... there is no real point for a movie like this; the studio just wants to get money out if people.

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When I was a kid action films and horror films were always rated R. PG 13 is the same thing just cleaner... F that! It should be R!

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Yup I couldn't agree more. Almost all the awesome action and horror movies are all rated R. Just compare the dumbed down Pg-13 Die Hard movies to the awesome R rated ones. R makes it better. Sorry but it's true.

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The 1st Ouija movie was complete crap, but the 2nd movie was pretty good.

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Prom Night was an overall bad movie, so that's a bad example, OP. And it still would've been bad had it been rated R.

Are you conveniently forgetting about good pg-13 movies like The Others, 1408, Ring, and Sixth Sense?

Maybe that bloody dagger will lead us to the murder weapon.

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