🍿FindToWatch
Movie · Horror, Comedy · 2015 · PG

Goosebumps: parents' guide

8+our pick

Best for ages 8 and up. Rated PG for scary and intense creature action and images, and for some rude humor.

A fun, monster-packed Halloween romp for kids who enjoy being a little scared. A teen who has just moved to a small town discovers that his neighbor is author R.L. Stine, whose locked manuscripts unleash a werewolf, a giant praying mantis, knife-throwing lawn gnomes and the evil dummy Slappy. The action is loud and constant, with jump scares and snarling close-ups, but no one dies on screen. Language is limited to one 'hell' and some 'oh my God's. The hero's father died before the story begins and is mentioned. Age 8 reflects the intense creature attacks.

What's in it

Violence

Mild

Bloodless creature action: a yeti wrecks an ice rink, a mantis smashes buses and grabs a student, gnomes hurl knives, and the finale brings explosions and a rolling Ferris wheel. Slappy breaks Stine's fingers. No one is killed.

Language

Mild

One 'hell,' about ten uses of 'oh my God,' and insults like 'imbecile,' 'butt' and 'shut up.'

Sex and nudity

Mild

The teen leads share two brief kisses, a popular girl in a low-cut dress kisses Zach's friend, a joke confuses 'audiophile' with 'pedophile,' twerking is mentioned, and one character wonders whether a man might leave his wife.

Drinking, drugs and smoking

None

Nothing shown. A character mistakenly says Zach must be 'on drugs,' the only reference.

Scary or intense scenes

Moderate

Several jump scares and close-ups of a snarling werewolf, a levitating red-eyed poodle, zombies rising in a cemetery, and monsters swarming a school dance. Teens are in constant peril, and a twist about a main character may sadden some kids.

Sensitive topics

  • Death of a parent

Worth talking about

Stine says he invented his monsters to cope with being lonely and bullied. Talk about how people use writing or art to work through hard feelings.

Where to stream →

On our lists

Similar picks around 8+

8+ Gravity FallsSeries · Animated, comedy · 2012 · TV-Y7 Violence: mild, Language: none, Sex and nudity: mild, Drinking, drugs and smoking: mild, Scary or intense scenes: moderate 7+ Hotel TransylvaniaMovie · Animated, comedy · 2012 · PG Violence: mild, Language: none, Sex and nudity: mild, Drinking, drugs and smoking: mild, Scary or intense scenes: mild 8+ Scooby-Doo! Mystery IncorporatedSeries · Animated, crime · 2010 · TV-Y7 Violence: moderate, Language: none, Sex and nudity: mild, Drinking, drugs and smoking: none, Scary or intense scenes: moderate 7+ Muppets Haunted MansionTV special · Comedy, music · 2021 · TV-PG Violence: mild, Language: none, Sex and nudity: mild, Drinking, drugs and smoking: mild, Scary or intense scenes: mild 7+ The Ghost and Molly McGeeSeries · Animated, comedy · 2021 · TV-Y7 Violence: mild, Language: none, Sex and nudity: none, Drinking, drugs and smoking: none, Scary or intense scenes: mild 9+ Hocus Pocus 2Movie · Comedy, fantasy · 2022 · PG Violence: mild, Language: mild, Sex and nudity: mild, Drinking, drugs and smoking: mild, Scary or intense scenes: moderate

Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, Wikipedia, the MPA, moviemom.com, 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.