Insidious: parents' guide
Best for ages 14 and up. Rated PG-13 for thematic material, violence, terror and frightening images, and brief strong language.
A loud, very effective haunted-house movie for teens who enjoy being scared and can shake it off afterward. A boy slips into an unexplained coma, and his parents learn that something from a dark spirit realm wants him. There is no sex or drinking and only one f-word, and the violence is mostly bloodless: people tossed around during a séance, a woman strangled. Fear is the real issue. Relentless jump scares, a red-faced demon and a child in danger make it one of the scarier PG-13 films, so we suggest 14, and only for kids who like horror.
What's in it
Violence
ModerateMostly bloodless. Spirits hurl people around during a séance, a woman is strangled and her body shown, and a ghost girl is seen shooting her family, whose bodies show wounds but no blood. A father fights spirits, and a boy bruises his head in a fall.
Language
ModerateOne f-word, plus "hell," "bitch" and "whore," and about a dozen misuses of God's and Jesus' names, including "goddamn."
Sex and nudity
NoneNo sexual content or nudity. A married couple is seen in bed, and a ghost pins the mother to a wall and licks her face, which is creepy rather than sexual.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
NoneNeither guide notes any drinking, smoking or drug use.
Scary or intense scenes
StrongNearly constant: sudden loud jump scares, figures glimpsed in dark corners, a clawed demon with a red face, possession, astral travel to a shadowy spirit world, and a young child in danger throughout.
On our lists
Similar picks around 14+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, 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.