Lights Out: parents' guide
Best for ages 14 and up. Rated PG-13 for terror throughout, violence including disturbing images, some thematic material and brief drug content.
A short, tightly made monster movie for teens who like jump scares and can handle a story about depression and suicide. A young woman protects her little brother from a ghostly figure that attacks only in darkness and is tied to their mentally ill mother. Expect frequent scares, several deaths with some blood, one f-word and a handful of s-words, a couple in bed after sex with brief partial nudity, and a bong in one shot. A suicide by gunshot is central to the ending. We suggest 14 for the intensity and the suicide theme.
What's in it
Violence
ModerateIn the opening a man's leg is gashed and he is dragged into the dark. People are clawed, slammed into furniture and thrown from a balcony. A suicide by gunshot is shown, and a photo shows another suicide's gruesome head wound.
Language
ModerateOne f-word and about five s-words, plus "bitch" and a few uses of God's and Jesus' names as exclamations.
Sex and nudity
ModerateA couple lies in bed after sex, joking about another round and about showering together; she wears lingerie and is briefly seen topless through a frosted window. Some kissing.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
ModerateA bong is visible in an apartment, suggesting pot use. A mother with depression has stopped taking her antidepressants, and bottles of prescription pills are shown.
Scary or intense scenes
StrongTerror throughout: a long-clawed silhouette that appears whenever the lights go off, sudden attacks and jump scares, a mangled corpse, and a young boy repeatedly in danger in his own home.
Sensitive topics
- Suicide
- Death of a parent
Worth talking about
The film ties a mother's depression to a literal monster and ends with a suicide framed as sacrifice. Talk about how real depression works, how it is treated, and where to turn for help.
On our lists
Similar picks around 14+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, the MPA, Wikipedia, 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.