Scream (2022): parents' guide
Best for ages 16 and up. Rated R for strong bloody violence, language throughout and some sexual references.
A bloody, wisecracking slasher for older teens who already enjoy the franchise. Twenty-five years after the original killings, a new Ghostface targets a group of Woodsboro teens, and familiar characters return to help. Expect repeated graphic stabbings with lots of blood, people shot in the head, a character set on fire and the death of a major returning character. Plugged In counted nearly 90 f-words. There's kissing and sexual talk but no nudity, a teen party with drinking, and references to past drug use. We suggest 16 for the gore and nonstop profanity.
What's in it
Violence
StrongGraphic and frequent: victims are stabbed in the neck and torso with blood pouring from wounds and mouths, a throat is slashed, people are shot in the head, and a shooting victim falls onto a stove and burns.
Language
StrongConstant strong language: Plugged In counted nearly 90 f-words and nearly 20 s-words, along with "bitch," "prick," frequent misuse of God's and Jesus' names, and obscene gestures.
Sex and nudity
MildCouples, including two teen girls, kiss and make out, and characters talk about past sex and heading upstairs. A man makes crude remarks about sex acts and erectile dysfunction pills. A shirtless man is seen; there is no nudity.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
ModerateTeens drink at a party, some visibly impaired. A young woman says she used nearly every drug she could find as a teen and takes prescribed antipsychotics, and an injured teen jokes about being high on painkillers.
Scary or intense scenes
StrongMany jump scares, taunting phone calls and long chases through dark houses and a hospital. One character has repeated visions of a dead killer, and the whodunit keeps tension high until the end.
Worth talking about
The movie pokes fun at toxic fandom, where fans turn on creators who change a story they love. Ask how online fan culture can become hostile and where criticism crosses a line.
On our lists
Similar picks around 16+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, Wikipedia, the MPA, bbfc.co.uk. 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.