If you're a fan of horror films, how do you feel about those that are rated 'PG-13' (as opposed to 'R?') Does it matter to you? Do you suspect that any horror film rated less than 'R' won't be as worth it?

Not a huge horror buff but i cant think of any "scary movie" that was rated below R that i thought was terrifying.

People always say if it's PG-13, then it's not going to be a good movie, I don't necessarily agree with this...I'll grant you I can't think of a single horror movie I ever saw with a PG13 rating that was any good, but consider the horror movies that are cut down to a TV-14 rating to show on cable...some stuff is missing but that's not going to take out what's scary, it'll take out what is overly graphic or vulgar, but it's still a good film and still scary. Of course most of the good horror movies were made before there even was a rating system, especially before there was PG-13.

Chris wrote:

If you're a fan of horror films, how do you feel about those that are rated 'PG-13' (as opposed to 'R?') Does it matter to you? Do you suspect that any horror film rated less than 'R' won't be as worth it?

Yeah sometimes if a horror movie is rated pg13 I think its not worth seeing. I find that most pg13 horror movies are more on the scare tactic rather than the gore tactic as in R rated horror movies.

I don't like horror but this whole debate has too many problems. It all depends on what people are looking for in horror movies. If they are looking for gore, guts, sex, and stuff like that, of course PG-13 will be inferior. The other problem is that this mentality has bred PG-13 horror aimed at a younger audience so it's naturally toned down.

I don't see why you can't have a genuinely scary movie without any profanity, sex/nudity (at least in a sexual context), or gore, and still have a scary movie. Many argue that movies can be scarier by shying away from these cheap scare tactics anyway. So PG13 movies can arguably be BETTER horror movies than their R-counterparts. The industry of the day is just trained to produce crap.

Forgiveness Man wrote:

I don't like horror but this whole debate has too many problems. It all depends on what people are looking for in horror movies. If they are looking for gore, guts, sex, and stuff like that, of course PG-13 will be inferior. The other problem is that this mentality has bred PG-13 horror aimed at a younger audience so it's naturally toned down.

I don't see why you can't have a genuinely scary movie without any profanity, sex/nudity (at least in a sexual context), or gore, and still have a scary movie. Many argue that movies can be scarier by shying away from these cheap scare tactics anyway. So PG13 movies can arguably be BETTER horror movies than their R-counterparts. The industry of the day is just trained to produce crap.

I like a little blood and guts here and there in my horror movies

I am seeing commercials for a horror movie that's slated to be released soon that is rated PG-13, but the name escapes me. It features 2 little girls talking, I think.

^^^^^Sounds like "Dream House." Probably what you are seeing.

Tony Marino wrote:

I like a little blood and guts here and there in my horror movies

Then maybe you would like R-rated better. But at the same time, is that TRULY a worthy scare? Anybody can show somebody getting cut up. Many, myself included, feel that more subtle scares actually work better than slasher stuff. The modern horror, IMO, is designed to appeal to gore addicts and less to those seeking a truly unsettling movie watching experience.

Tony Marino wrote:

I like a little blood and guts here and there in my horror movies

And yet you can do that too without necessarily an R rating, I'm still trying to figure out HOW they got a G rating on the Andromeda Strain which had naked men and that scene where they about cut the man's whole hand off and his blood pours out like unraveling ribbons or something.

And consider how far we've come in the way of gore and ratings, anybody see that Puppet Master movie? They had to make the blood green when somebody's fingers were cut off to avoid an X rating, but then look at Hostel, guy gets his finger cut off, blood is naturally blood red, only an R rating, in what, about 15 years' difference?

Dream House looks kinda interesting but its PG-13 rating is making me question whether or not it's really worth seeing. So yeah it does make a difference to me.

Forgiveness Man wrote:

^^^^^Sounds like "Dream House." Probably what you are seeing.



Then maybe you would like R-rated better. But at the same time, is that TRULY a worthy scare? Anybody can show somebody getting cut up. Many, myself included, feel that more subtle scares actually work better than slasher stuff. The modern horror, IMO, is designed to appeal to gore addicts and less to those seeking a truly unsettling movie watching experience.

Don't get me wrong I go see PG rated horror movies its just that I like to see the new creative ways that the writers come up with to carve people up!

No horror film worth a scare has less than an "R" rating. The PG13-rated "horror" films I've seen were all premature ejaculation basically.