Poltergeist: parents' guide
Best for ages 13 and up. Rated PG.
A blockbuster haunted-house movie that plays like a family adventure but is genuinely frightening, best for young teens. A suburban family's youngest daughter is pulled into a spirit world through her bedroom closet, and her parents fight to bring her back. There's little gore beyond one shocking hallucination of a man tearing at his own face, but the scares are nearly constant: a tree and a clown doll attack a boy, and skeletons surface in a muddy pool. The parents smoke marijuana in one scene, and the swearing includes s-words. It was rated PG before PG-13 existed; treat it as a PG-13.
What's in it
Violence
ModerateSpirits drag people across floors, walls and ceilings, a clown doll tries to strangle a boy, and a tree grabs him through a window. In one gory hallucination a man rips flesh from his own face. No one is shown being killed.
Language
ModerateSome s-words, plus bastard, son of a bitch, damn, hell and jerk, with Jesus, Christ and God used as exclamations. The guides we checked report no f-words.
Sex and nudity
MildNo sex or nudity. The teenage daughter is catcalled by construction workers and answers with a rude gesture; otherwise there are only affectionate moments between the parents.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
StrongThe parents share a marijuana joint in their bedroom, giggling, and drug use is mentioned in conversation. Adults drink beer while watching football. Brief and played for laughs, but drug use is shown.
Scary or intense scenes
StrongNear-constant fear for younger viewers: a child vanishes into a glowing closet portal, a steak crawls across a counter, maggots swarm food, and corpses burst from the ground and float in a pool. The family's pet bird dies early on.
Sensitive topics
- Animal death
Worth talking about
The developers moved the headstones but left the bodies behind. What does the film suggest about cutting corners, and about who ends up paying for it?
On our lists
Similar picks around 13+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, bbfc.co.uk, Wikipedia, the MPA. 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.