The weekend is here, a new horror movie has rolled into town, and everyone is talking about it. Great news for horror fans, but perhaps not so great news if you have a young teenager in your household and they want to see the movie.
The film I am talking about is Malignant – a new supernatural horror film from director James Wan. This is the same James Wan behind movies such as Saw (2004), Insidious (2010), and The Conjuring (2013), and who has brought yet more terror to the screen with Malignant.
But what of Malignant? Is it a light horror flick, suitable for a teen? Or is it a film for adults only?
In the US, Malignant has been given an ‘R’ rating by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). Movies which are rated ‘R’ are classed as ‘Restricted’.
For those unsure of what ‘Restricted’ means, ‘R’ rated films contain some adult material, which parents are urged to learn more about before taking young children to the cinema to watch the film. Anyone under the age of 17 needs a parent or guardian to accompany them to view an ‘R’ rated movie, so if you have a teenager in your household, they are under 17, and they want to watch Malignant at the cinema, you’re going to need to tag along too.
If you’re wondering why Malignant has been Rated ‘R’ it is due to the movie containing strong horror violence and gruesome images. The film also contains some bad language.
Using this information, you have to determine whether the movie is suitable for your teenager. Only you know the teenager in your household, and whether they would be OK to view Malignant based on the MPAA’s recommendation.
However, should you want additional help, let me point you in the direction of the rating system that we use over here in the UK. Our rating system – the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) – rates all movies that are shown in the UK, and in the case of Malignant, the movie carries an ‘18’ certificate.
According to the BBFC, an ’18’ certificate movie is suitable only for adults. No one younger than 18 may see an ‘18’ certificate movie in the cinema.
This certification is both guidance and law. If a UK cinema were to let a 17-year-old watch an ‘18’ certificate film, the cinema would be breaking the law and could receive a fine – so it’s a big ‘no-no’.
As Malignant is an ‘18’ certificate movie in the UK, the only teenagers who are able to watch the movie in cinemas are those aged 18 or over. Anyone below this age is not permitted into a screening, regardless of who accompanies them.
Put simply: If you live in the UK and you’re under 18, you won’t be seeing this movie in cinemas. It has been deemed unsuitable.
Having watched the movie myself, I understand why the film has been granted an ’18’ certificate. Malignant contains some gruesome scenes, including multiple sequences of violence – especially towards the end of the movie.
Of course, if you live in the US, you follow a different set of rules to the rules we follow in the UK, so you have to use your own judgement, but I hope the information in this post has helped you make a more informed choice regarding Malignant. As a parent, you have to make choices all of the time, some of which probably don’t make you popular with your kids, but hey, that’s just the way it goes, right?
Now, can we get back to the really big decisions in life such as whether or not to get sweet or salted popcorn? And for the record, you don’t need to be watching a movie to eat popcorn. Am I right or am I right?
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