Marianne: parents' guide
Best for ages 16 and up. Rated TV-MA.
A genuinely frightening French horror series for older teens who love scares and do not mind subtitles or a dub. A horror novelist returns to her seaside hometown when the witch from her books seems to come alive, and the show piles on possession, grotesque faces, bloody violence and constant jump scares. A character hangs herself in public in the first episode and a possessed character kills himself later, a parent is murdered, children are abducted, and a girl dies in a flashback. Expect a brief sex scene, non-sexual nudity, heavy drinking and strong language. The intensity of the horror puts it at 16.
What's in it
Violence
StrongThe BBFC flags strong bloody violence and injury detail in several episodes. A possessed woman slices her own arm and attacks people, the heroine's mother is found stabbed to death, the heroine strangles someone, and wounds are shown clearly.
Language
StrongThe heroine is foul-mouthed, and the English subtitles and dub include f-words. The BBFC singles out strong language in the first episode and milder swearing in two others.
Sex and nudity
ModerateEmma walks in on her parents having sex in episode 1. Later they wander outside naked, marked with bloody symbols, and her scarred mother walks naked through town in episode 2; neither is sexual. A night with an old flame is implied.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
ModerateThe heroine drinks a lot and smokes, and adults drink in bars and at home. No drug use is flagged.
Scary or intense scenes
StrongRelentlessly scary: a witch who invades dreams, a possessed old woman with a contorted grin, dead cows washing ashore, missing children found strung up alive in a lighthouse, a possessed dog, an exorcism and frequent jump scares.
Sensitive topics
- Suicide
- Self-harm
- Death of a parent
- Death of a child
- Animal death
Worth talking about
Emma blames herself for harm her stories set in motion. Talk about guilt, and whether facing the past is braver than running from it.
On our lists
Similar picks around 16+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against bbfc.co.uk, Wikipedia, netflix.com, readysteadycut.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.