Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Would you have let your 4yo watch this movie?

127 replies

TetherEndOfMy · 10/02/2023 19:45

Left my son at a very trusted friend's house for 4 hours yesterday. Just learnt from him that she let him watch The Mummy. I haven't seen it but he was telling me about how bugs eat their skin, it has a pg13 rating and commonsensemedia.org recommends 12+. He's told me a lot about the movie and I'm about to purchase it and watch it so I know exactly what he's watched. For anyone who has seen it, is it as scary as it sounds? How upset do I need to be?

OP posts:
Gymmum82 · 10/02/2023 20:03

My eldest wouldn’t have been phased by it. But she had watched 1-4 of Harry Potter films by 5 and now at 9 has watched all
of Wednesday which I’m apparently a terrible parent for allowing her to watch at that age.
Different kids have different tastes. Her 9 yo best friend can’t watch the second Harry Potter which I think is very tame.
Id let my kids watch the mummy at that age. It’s a family film as far as I’m concerned but my kids aren’t of a nervous disposition

IAmTheWalrus85 · 10/02/2023 20:04

Bloody hell a four year old? No I wouldn’t be ok with that! I can’t believe anyone’s saying they ‘wouldn’t bat an eyelid about it’!

The picture you’ve posted is from when the Mummy is first resurrected - before he kills various humans to restore him to his full strength.

PartnersInCrime · 10/02/2023 20:05

Do they have children? If they're childless then that would be the only thing I could think of that would have made them think it would be fine for a child so young!

BatshitBanshee · 10/02/2023 20:06

TetherEndOfMy · 10/02/2023 19:57

He was scared, he said he didn't want to sleep in his bed and wanted to stay downstairs with me. But not so scared that I couldn't get him to sleep. He was fine last night though.

This is the decider for me. If he was unbothered by it I'd be annoyed but keep my mouth shut so as not to make a thing of it. But if he's scared thinking about it later then yeah, I'd be annoyed and probably say to friend something along the lines of "The Mummy's on my shitlist - I had a bed invader last night because DS was still scared 🙈" and leave it at that. If she says anything then just say yeah he's four so we keep it at U or PG at a push.

It's free childcare so you can't really rant and rave at her but you can hint that the movie just wasn't a good idea in the least.

Original poster
TetherEndOfMy · 10/02/2023 20:06

Well, I'm watching it now so we will see! I don't even know that he watched it all but he's told me various things that happened. I don't want to accuse just in case her eldest (13yo) was watching it and my son just walked in. Lots of shooting and killing so far and a man holding up a pair of scissors to cut off a man's tongue (though you don't see this) hmm...

OP posts:
sageandrosemary · 10/02/2023 20:07

Absolutely not.

thirdistheonewiththehairychest · 10/02/2023 20:08

For me the issue wouldn't be whether my DC had been ok with the film, the issue would have been that the other parent didn't check with me beforehand.

Original poster
TetherEndOfMy · 10/02/2023 20:09

Well, I've only watched 20 mins and am surprised that people on this thread let their 4yos watch this! I'm quite happy being a bore. My son usually just watches things like 'up' and toy story!

OP posts:
Dacadactyl · 10/02/2023 20:10

No, absolutely not. I think it was a huge overstep on your friends part to allow this. The only circumstances in which it would even vaguely be ok would be if she texted you to ask permission first.

bingobanjo · 10/02/2023 20:11

It depends how sensitive your child is. I vividly remember seeing the beginning of it around 7 years old and being absolutely viscerally horrified of the scarab beetle scene for a long time. It bothered me for years, but I still don’t like horror at all as an adult and am quite sensitive.

Original poster
TetherEndOfMy · 10/02/2023 20:11

There's now a man saying 'where is the map' to a woman holding a knife to her face and another man 'saving the day' by shooting everyone.

OP posts:
Pinkbananas01 · 10/02/2023 20:12

No

watchfulwishes · 10/02/2023 20:12

I'd be pissed off if another parent showed a 12 to my 4yo without checking. Hopefully he will forget quickly, but it is too old for 4, it has the rating it does for a reason.

When it comes to watching films, those who were allowed themselves tend to think it's fine. It is the same with smacking, if it was done to you you have a different view to if it wasn't.

ToriLynn · 10/02/2023 20:15

Depends on the child, but I wouldn't let someone else's cold watch it in my care, I personally feel that any film over a U rating should be the parents decision. My uncle put it in when I was 9 and my sister was 14, she was terrified as she had a fear of death and bugs, but I loved it.

PlaitBilledDuckyPuss · 10/02/2023 20:16

I found it pretty gruesome when I saw it in my 20s, so nope!

househunting123 · 10/02/2023 20:17

I can't believe some people are saying this is fine. I got this out from blockbusters to watch with my mum when I was 12 and was terrified within a few minutes, my mum took it back and complained that the 12 rating wasn't suitable 🤣🤣

Figgygal · 10/02/2023 20:18

Not suitable at all
I dont think my 11 year old would like it

StBernie · 10/02/2023 20:20

I wouldn’t say it’s mild at all. Isn’t there a scene where a man’s eyeballs and tongue gets removed?! I love the films myself but wouldn’t let a 4 year old watch it…

smilingthroughgrittedteeth · 10/02/2023 20:21

DS would have been fine with it at 4, DD1 i wouldnt let watch it now at 6 as she is very sensitive and DD2 who is 4 would be ok watching it with a couple of the gorier bits fast forwarded through. I wouldnt put it on for someone elses child though.

riotlady · 10/02/2023 20:24

I remember being scared by the bugs under the skin when I was 8 or 9!

GlamGiraffe · 10/02/2023 20:28

No, because the concept of a mummy is beyond children that age's comprehension (being dead even usually is) so a mummy being a dead person that is then alive again am could send many little minds into into overdrive and end up causing nightmares and all kinds of odd thoughts. Children that she have e tempt strong imaginations and aren't sure always what is real and what isn't, so why would you. It's not too say some children wouldn't be bothered but I think many would so it would definitely be wise to err on the side of caution with someone else's children

Icecreamandapplepie · 10/02/2023 20:35

I wouldn't show it to an under 10 and I'm pretty lax.

frenchnoodle · 10/02/2023 20:35

Which version of "the mummy"?
Knowing the actual version will affect my answer.

frenchnoodle · 10/02/2023 20:37

For xeample, the Hammer film from the 70s is PG and my 7 year old has seen it.
Knowing the actual version is important here.

OneTC · 10/02/2023 20:37

It's about the least scary scary film ever but I wouldn't let a 4yo watch it. I watched about 10 seconds of a werewolf movie when I was about that age and had nightmares for fucking years!

It's a running family joke now for years Grin