In horror films there are a many types of film that can be put into different categories.
For the age rating U the concepts of the films are typically scary. An example of this is Scooby Doo as the idea of finding out a mystery. This is rated at a U as it has a mild peril.
The U symbol stands for Universal. A U film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over. However, it is impossible to predict what might upset a particular child, especially at this lower end of the category range.
E.G Hotel Transylvania.
This is classed as a U as the concept is fantasy about Vampires. This is seen as a scary concept to have in a film.
The next age rating is PG.
PG stands for Parental Guidance. This means a film is suitable for general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for younger children. A PG film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older. Parents should consider whether the content might upset younger or more sensitive children.
This concept is that the film ends well with a happy ending. There are many examples of this such as: Coraline, Ghostbusters, Frankenweenie and Little Vampire.
This clip is from Ghostbusters about their first encounter with a Ghost in a library.
The next age rating is 12/A.
12A means that anyone aged 12 or over can go and see the film unaccompanied. The A stands for 'accompanied' and 'advisory'. Children younger than 12 may see the film if they are accompanied by an adult (eg someone over the age of 18), who must watch the film with them.However, The 12 certificate is just for videos, DVDs and Blu-rays. 12A is for films at the cinema only.
Also, the typical 12/A film is based on fantasy. E.g Woman in Black, Dark Shadows, Harry Potter and The Twilight Saga.
This clip is from the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. This film is rated a 12/A as it shows the fantasy of magic, witches and wizards and also mild violence.
The next age rating is 15.
No-one under 15 is allowed to see a 15 film at the cinema or buy/rent a ‘15’ rated DVD. 15 rated works are not suitable for children under 15 years of age. This is what can be included in a 15 rated film:
In a horror film this is effect as the main aspect is physcological and makes the audience jump to conclusions in the film that arent even there. This happens in films such as incidious, IT, Sinister and The Conjouring.
strong violence frequent strong language portrayals of sexual activity strong verbal references to sex sexual nudity brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence discriminatory language or behaviour drug taking
This clip is from the film The Conjouring. The clip is based on somebody seeing something that isn't even there. The audience believes that there is something there ind this then creates the horror/thriller effect.
The final aspect of age rating is 18.
Films rated 18 are for adults. No-one under 18 is allowed to see an 18 film at the cinema or buy/rent an 18 rated DVD. No 18 rated works are suitable for children.
very strong violence frequent strong language
In a horror film the key aspects a gore and visual because of the above this is why an 18 film is as it is. Examples of this are: Nightmare on Elm Street, Saw, Friday 13th and My Bloody Valentine.
strong portrayals of sexual activity scenes of sexual violence strong horror strong blood and gore real sex (in some circumstances) discriminatory language and behaviour
This is a poster of the release of Nightmare on Elm Street. The way that the poster does not need to tell you what film it is is effective as it will be a sequel you already recognise the hand, blood, gore etc from the original films. If you haven't seen the film you know who it is and what it is about because it is that well known.
Overall, the age ratings for films are put in place for a reason so that the audience understands what they are going to get from the film.
I have also used:
http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/u
The bbfc website for quotations of the meaning of each rating.
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