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Series · Horror · 2023 · TV-14

Goosebumps (2023): parents' guide

13+our pick

Best for ages 13 and up. Rated TV-14.

A spooky teen horror-comedy for young teens who like real scares, and noticeably darker than the R.L. Stine books many kids know. Season 1 follows five high schoolers linked to a teen's death in a 1993 fire; Season 2, The Vanishing, follows twins in Brooklyn and kids who disappeared decades earlier. Expect possession, body horror, jump scares, some blood, teen romance, underage drinking at a party and mild swearing. One storyline reveals that a teen's father took his own life. Its streamers rate it TV-14, and 13 and up is the best fit, especially for kids who scare easily.

What's in it

Violence

Moderate

Teens are hurt and hunted by supernatural forces: a boy's arm is broken with bone showing, a hand is gashed open, and a teen is shot and critically wounded. A boy burning to death in 1993 is heard screaming offscreen. Some blood, little gore.

Language

Mild

Occasional mild to moderate words, including 'damn,' 'hell,' 'ass,' 'crap' and 'son of a bitch,' plus 'oh my God.' No f-words reported.

Sex and nudity

Moderate

Teen couples kiss and make out, and a teen talks about hooking up with an older boy, which later happens offscreen. Crude jokes include a mascot humping the air and a 'porno' crack, and two parents' affair drives a Season 1 plot.

Drinking, drugs and smoking

Moderate

Teens break into a house to throw a party with underage drinking, and the show doesn't dwell on consequences. Otherwise little drinking or drug content.

Scary or intense scenes

Strong

A steady creepy mood with jump scares, demonic possession, a vengeful spirit, charred creatures and body horror: a boy's face melts to the skull, a man's eye falls out, and a teen is taken by a monster. Too intense for young Goosebumps fans.

Sensitive topics

  • Death of a child
  • Death of a parent
  • Suicide
  • Bullying

Worth talking about

Season 1 turns on the secrets the parents kept and the guilt they carry. Talk about why the adults hid what happened, and what the teens do differently.

Where to stream →

On our lists

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Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, Wikipedia, Rotten Tomatoes, disneyplus.com, ageratingjuju.com. 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.