Everyone likes a good scare, right? And that’s why horror movies work so well – because they present stories that are often truly frightening, and audiences love to be scared into submission.
From blood and gore to things that go bump in the night, there are plenty of creepy horror movies out there to tantalise the senses, and many have the power to unnerve and truly terrify. One such series of horror movies is The Conjuring Universe – a collection of films centred around two paranormal investigators.
Since 2013, The Conjuring Universe has been slowly building up the scares with a run of films, which includes the likes of The Conjuring (2013), Annabelle Comes Home (2019) and The Curse of La Llorona (2019). The films have proved to be real crowd-pleasers in cinemas, as well as on home video, and as such they have become well-known to horror fans and non-horror fans alike.
The Conjuring movies have also caught the attention of young movie fans. These younger fans, who are just getting into movies (especially creepy ones), are very keen to dive into The Conjuring Universe, but are The Conjuring movies suitable for children?
It’s always important to remember that despite their popularity and appeal, The Conjuring films are horror movies first-and-foremost, and while some horror movies (such as the Goosebump films) are perfectly suitable for children, many are not. Some horror movies will scare the living heck out of audiences, and this can be a big problem for younger minds.
To fully understand if The Conjuring movies are suitable for your children, or whether they are suitable for the average 13-year-old, it is best to look at the age certifications for the movies.
Below is a list of the age certifications for the first eight entries in The Conjuring Universe. This list covers the ratings for the US and the UK, so will help guide you on the suitability of The Conjuring films.
- The Conjuring (2013) – Rated ‘R’ (US) / Certificate 15 (UK)
- Annabelle (2014) – Rated ‘R’ (US) / Certificate 15 (UK)
- The Conjuring 2 (2016) – Rated ‘R’ (US) / Certificate 15 (UK)
- Annabelle: Creation (2017) – Rated ‘R’ (US) / Certificate 15 (UK)
- The Nun (2018) – Rated ‘R’ (US) / Certificate 15 (UK)
- The Curse of La Llorona (2019) – Rated ‘R’ (US) / Certificate 15 (UK)
- Annabelle Comes Home (2019) – Rated ‘R’ (US) / Certificate 15 (UK)
- The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021) – Rated ‘R’ (US) / Certificate 15 (UK)
As you can see from the list above, all of the movies in The Conjuring Universe are rated ‘R’ in the US, or are given a certificate ‘15’ in the UK. But what does that mean? Well, it means slightly different things depending on where you live.
If you live in the US, the ‘R’ rating means the following:
- Restricted: Contains some adult material. Parents are urged to learn more about the film before taking their young children with them (to the cinema).
If you live in the UK, the ‘15’ certification means:
- Suitable only for 15 years and over. No one younger than 15 may see a 15 film in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a 15 rated video.
As you can see from the above explanations, the UK’s ‘15’ certificate makes things a little clearer when it comes to the suitability of movies for certain age groups. And, according to this information, The Conjuring movies are not suitable for anyone below the age of 15.
All of The Conjuring movies contain material deemed suitable for older audiences. Most of the films include strong supernatural elements, while some feature a certain level of threat, violence, or injury.
So, in answer to the question at the top of this post, ‘can a 13-year-old watch The Conjuring movies?’, if you live in the UK, then the answer is legally, no. The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) believes The Conjuring movies are not suitable for a 13-year-old and you would be breaking the law if you took your child to the cinema to watch one of the movies.
It’s also worth noting that in the UK, amongst the BBFC’s collection of certificates (U, PG, 18 etc) are the 12 and the 12A certificates. These two certificates are awarded to movies that are perhaps on the cusp of being deemed an adult title, but are still deemed suitable for children.
None of The Conjuring Universe movies have been awarded a 12 or a 12A. As such, these movies are not regarded as being on the cusp of adulthood – they are firmly viewed as being suitable for older audiences only.
Things are of course different if you live in the US, as the rating advice from the Motion Picture Association is that children (including a 13-year-old) can watch ‘R’ rated movies in cinemas. BUT the advice is to check the films out before allowing younger members of the family to watch.
‘R’ rated material is designed for older audiences, and this means an ‘R’ rated film may not be suitable for children. If you are in any doubt, you should take a look at one of the movies first, before you allow your children to watch.
Ultimately, you know your children better than anyone else, but the ratings and certification systems, be it in the US or the UK, are in place to provide you with the best guidance possible. The ratings/certificates are here to help you make an informed choice, and adhere to any age restrictions that may be applicable in your country.
As a horror fan myself, I can tell you that The Conjuring films aren’t the scariest movies ever made, but they do have their moments and they are designed with an older audience in mind. They are best viewed by audiences who are comfortable watching supernatural themes and who can handle the horror elements of each entry, and this means younger audiences are best giving them a miss (for now).
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I hope the above info has proved useful. If you’re a fan of The Conjuring Universe, or you are looking to get into The Conjuring Universe, you may wish to know that all of the movies are currently available on Blu-ray and DVD.
To make things very convenient, you can find six of the movies collected together in a neat little Blu-ray box set, appropriately titled Conjuring Universe 6-Film Collection.
The collection includes: The Conjuring, The Conjuring 2, Annabelle, Annabelle Creation, Annabelle Comes Home, and The Nun (the only movies not included in the collection are The Curse of La Llorona and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It).
The Conjuring Universe 6-Film Collection Blu-ray is available from all good entertainment stockists, including Amazon US.
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Thank you for stopping by It’s A Stampede! to read this post about the age ratings of The Conjuring movies. For more horror-related content, be sure to check out the recommended reads below.
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2 Responses to Can a 13 year old watch The Conjuring movies?
I have three children, one is 12 the other is 10 and the other is 9. My nine year old is kind of following in my footsteps when it comes to love of horror. He also has this desire to make his own movies and keeps bugging other kids in the neighborhood to be in his films. So I have been introducing him to entry level horror. Often times I will let him see something extreme like the ending fight scene in Aliens or even something like Freddy taking someone out. Even at his age, he understands its not real so the Conjuring movies are kind of tame and are actually piles of horror shit. He likes being scared and knows it isn’t real.
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That is awesome that he is making his own movies! Yeah, it all comes down to the individual, and as a parent you know what is suitable for him and what is not. This post offers information on the ratings and certificates, and what is suggested or required guidance for the film series as a whole. 🙂
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