What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that teens who like ghost stories may well want to see this latest creepy-scary horror film. It includes frequent jump scenes (big noises, sudden movements on screen), and its premise is based on the long-ago murder of a family. Early scenes indicate the killings with spatters of blood, rough camerawork, loud booms, and screaming. Later, gray-faced, long-limbed ghosts grab at the main character's head and ankles, and viewers see glimpses of ghosts in the walls and under floors and repeated scenes of crows flying, perching, and attacking. Violence is usually insinuated by fast editing and close-ups, though the bloody effects are visible. Minor language includes "damn," "s--t," and "hell." The movie's most disturbing theme has the parents disbelieving and distrusting their daughter, although viewers know she's right.
- Families can talk about the appeal of ghost stories. Why is the idea of supernatural hauntings so popular in movies and other media? Do you believe in ghosts? Do you think they'd behave like the ones in this movie? Families can also talk about Jess' relationship with her parents. How does the movie show that they can't get past her mistake back in Chicago? How does that affect their current relationship? How does Jess cope with their suspicions? Are there better ways that they could deal with their issues?