The Black Phone age rating: Why is the horror movie rated R?

When it comes to movies, especially those released in the summer, there’s nothing better than enjoying a trip to the movie theater with the family to catch the latest summer movie release. Not to mention, this is a great activity to leave the house but still avoid the summer heat! However,  not all summer movies are family friendly. Even though everyone in the family may enjoy a fun horror picture, The Black Phone may not be the movie you want to watch with young ones.

I’m a big horror fans. I enjoy the genre at any time of the year. Give me a summer slasher, a Christmas thriller, and even a Valentine’s day horror, why not? But do I watch these movie with the kids? Nope! I would be asking for nightmares for days! It’s also not age appropriate, so I wouldn’t suggest it horror movies to young eyes.

Still, I know some kids, mainly teens, do enjoy horror, and that’s totally fine! But there are some movies that may be to graphic even for them. How graphic and violent is The Black Phone? We break it down so you can decide whether or not to check it out this weekend with your crew.

Why is The Black Phone rated R?

According to Rotten Tomatoes, the movie is rated R for drug use, language, bloody images, and violence. Hidden Remote’s movie critic, Ricky Valero, caught an early screening of the movie and shared his thoughts in a review HERE. Ricky can confirm that the violence includes the harming of children, and there is a lot of language.

That said, most parents don’t mind the language as most kids know better than to repeat the words. But the violence and bloody images? And featuring children? I’m out! For me, The Black Phone will be a date night movie, and probably not until it becomes available on streaming.

Common Sense Media will add more details and their thoughts on June 24, when the movie hits theaters.