Friday the 13th: parents' guide
Best for ages 16 and up. Rated R.
The 1980 summer-camp slasher that launched a long franchise, a gory classic best left to older teens. Counselors reopening a lakeside camp are picked off one by one by an unseen killer. Deaths include an arrow through the throat, an axe to the face and a beheading, and although the effects look dated they are still bloody. There's a brief sex scene with breast and buttock nudity, a game of strip Monopoly, teens smoking pot and drinking beer, and fairly mild swearing. A child's drowning drives the story, and a real snake is killed on screen. We suggest 16.
What's in it
Violence
StrongCounselors are stabbed, have their throats slashed, are shot with arrows and struck with an axe, and there is a decapitation near the end. One body is pinned to a door with arrows. The makeup effects are dated but bloody.
Language
ModerateA handful of s-words plus "piss," "hell," "damn" and "goddammit." Neither the BBFC nor Common Sense notes stronger profanity.
Sex and nudity
ModerateA couple has sex in a cabin, shown briefly with breast and buttock nudity, and one of them is killed right after. Counselors play strip Monopoly and make frequent sexual remarks, and a boy kisses a girl without consent while faking mouth-to-mouth.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
StrongCounselors smoke marijuana and drink beer in their downtime, and cigarettes appear throughout. The drug use is brief and casual rather than a plot point.
Scary or intense scenes
StrongFrequent point-of-view shots of the unseen killer stalking the camp, a stormy night of disappearances, bodies found in grisly poses, and a famous final jump scare at the lake.
Sensitive topics
- Death of a child
- Animal death
Worth talking about
Like many slashers, the movie kills off teens who have sex or use drugs. Ask whether that pattern sends a message and why horror films lean on it so often.
On our lists
Similar picks around 16+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, bbfc.co.uk, Wikipedia, the MPA. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.