Ghostbusters: Afterlife: parents' guide
Best for ages 12 and up. Rated PG-13 for supernatural action and some suggestive references.
A nostalgic, family-centered sequel that works best for tweens and young teens who can handle demonic-looking ghosts and some stronger words. A struggling single mom and her two kids move into the run-down Oklahoma farmhouse of her estranged father, a former Ghostbuster who died there. The film opens with his ghostly attack and fatal heart attack, and grief and reconciliation run throughout. Expect horned creatures, possessions, a villain torn in half, four s-words and an 'a--hole,' plus off-screen sex implied between two possessed adults. Age 12 reflects the scares, language and innuendo.
What's in it
Violence
ModerateSupernatural action: proton beams wreck storefronts and set fires, a truck flips, and a creature rampages through a Walmart. The grandfather dies of a heart attack after a ghost attacks him, a man is shocked with electrodes, and a revived villain is torn in half.
Language
ModerateFour s-words, one 'a--hole,' about six uses of 'hell,' a 'damn,' 'oh my God' a few times, and a crude remark that a man is trying to 'bone' the mom. No f-words.
Sex and nudity
ModerateThe mom and Phoebe's summer school teacher flirt, then embrace while possessed and drop out of frame, later asking whether they 'did' anything. There's a 'third base' joke, kissing, and a teen girl briefly seen in a bra while changing.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
MildAdults joke about bars and whiskey, the mom is seen asleep at the table near a wine glass, and Phoebe jokes about the dangers of smoking. No drug use.
Scary or intense scenes
ModerateDemon dogs with horns and fangs leap from the shadows, three characters are possessed and transformed, ghosts terrorize the town, and the opening shows the grandfather's fatal attack. A cult's ritual sacrifices are referenced, and grief over his death runs throughout.
Sensitive topics
- Death of a parent
Worth talking about
Callie felt abandoned by a father who turns out to have cared about her all along. Ask your teen how the family's view of Egon changes, and what that says about judging people from the outside.
On our lists
Similar picks around 12+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, Wikipedia, the MPA, movieguide.org. 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.