The Innocents: parents' guide
Best for ages 12 and up. Not formally rated.
A black-and-white classic of psychological horror, best for patient tweens and teens who prefer eerie atmosphere to gore. A young governess caring for two orphaned children on a country estate becomes convinced that the ghosts of a former valet and the previous governess are possessing them. There is no swearing, blood or nudity. What unsettles is the mood: a face at a window, a ghostly woman by a lake, whispered laughter, and talk that the valet beat the earlier governess, who later drowned herself. The boy's too-grown-up goodnight kiss and an ending in which a child dies are disturbing, so we suggest 12.
What's in it
Violence
MildNo violence on screen. The housekeeper says the valet beat the previous governess before his fatal drunken fall and her drowning. The boy hides a dead pigeon under his pillow, and in the climax he collapses and dies with no injury shown.
Language
NoneNo profanity. In the climax a boy screams insults at his governess, and a woman is called a "hussy" and "dirty-minded."
Sex and nudity
MildMild verbal references to an abusive affair between two dead servants. The boy gives the governess a lingering goodnight kiss on the lips, and in the final scene she kisses him on the lips; many viewers find both moments deeply uncomfortable.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
NoneNo drinking, smoking or drug use is noted.
Scary or intense scenes
ModerateSteady, creeping suspense rather than shocks: a man's face pressed to a window, a pale woman watching from across a lake, laughter with no source, and talk of possession. The child's sudden death at the end is upsetting.
Sensitive topics
- Death of a child
- Suicide
- Domestic abuse
- Animal death
Worth talking about
The film never settles whether the ghosts are real or in the governess's mind. Ask your teen which they believe and which clues point each way.
On our lists
Similar picks around 12+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against Wikipedia, bbfc.co.uk, filmsite.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.