That 12/13 year olds shouldn’t be watching Scream?

[Mull]

How would you feel if your DD (13) went to a birthday party and they watched Scream, an 18 rated film? This was with full knowledge of the birthday girl’s parents.

DD has never even watched a 15, let alone an 18. I looked on common sense media which suggests it’s 16+. I watched the film years ago and remember it being quite funny (slasher parody?) but also scary and gory.

I’m furious about it but DH thinks I’m over reacting a bit. I’m biased as watched a lot of films I shouldn’t have when I was too young (IT, Chuckie and Silence of the Lambs spring to mind) and had nightmares for years.

Should I let it go or speak to the parents? DD doesn’t seem bothered by it, but I am!

I watched it not long after it came out when I was about 12. Did me no harm and was good fun watching it with my friends. All kids are different I guess and some may be a bit more frightened of it, but in the great scheme of things they could have watched, it’s not all that bad. Pretty sure that my dd2 had watched far worse at that age (without my knowledge) and she is fine and loves a good horror

I would have asked the parents so you aren’t BU there, however I don’t think scream is that extreme (my 14 year old has seen it), there are far worse things they could have watched. If your DD isn’t upset I’d let this one go

I have watched them. Men and women get killed

Ok. Well I suggest you go and look it up - I’m not having my brains picked by someone who is either looking for a fight or is too obtuse to see the intentional overt messages in the storyline.

Wouldn’t bother me, my 12 year old (Y8) has seen it but the parent should have asked.

12 year old went to a friends on Halloween and parents had to message that we were ok for them to watch a 15- which is the sensible thing to do.

I would let it go.

They shouldn't, just like they shouldn't drink or smoke but most will do

Well firstly you came to me, I asked another poster why it was. Secondly I wasn’t looking for a fight or being obtuse I was asking the question because I hadn’t thought that! Thirdly after a quick look online there are arguments for and against misogyny in the films

I let all of mine who are into horror watch it at that age, along with ones like Halloween, Friday 13th. If it was planned at a sleepover I would have asked them to get all people sleeping over to check with their parents though and made sure there were back up movies. If the kids chose to lie, I’d put it in the ‘not my problem’ basket. I have such fond memories of horror movies and a group of screaming girls at sleepovers when I was that age, and never did us any harm. But then, things were rated much differently, AND parents took their kids to inappropriate movies at the drive-in frequently, on the basis ‘the kids will be asleep in the back’ by the time the movie comes on😁.

I would say there is more damage to your daughter if you contact the parents/stop her/show her how cross you are.

You need to keep communication open during the teen years, overreact and she will shut down.

Also, the sad reality is that movies like scream are tame compared to what she would already have seen on the internet. No that doesn't mean parents shouldn't stop parenting but it just changes things from when we were kids.

Scream is a bit of a tongue in cheek, campy slasher type film, rather than complete horror. Obviously there is gore, but it doesn’t really play on your psychologically.

I watched The Exorcist with a friend and her mum when me and friend were 13.
My mum really wasn’t concerned when I got home and she asked what we’d done 😂Thinking back she was surprisingly liberal about that kind of thing!

She wouldn’t have dreamed of complaining to the parent. I’d have been mortified! Kids have watched unsuitable things at sleepovers for decades 😅

I’m afraid I don’t have patience for people who can’t put some thought into things.

The misogyny in the films is DELIBERATE - Wes Craven was calling out the typical gendered tropes in the horror genre.

It is indeed misogynistic, for the purpose of turning the usual tropes on their head.

Im neither arguing for or against the misogyny - simply pointing out the ridiculously obvious intention of the way the story was set up and executed. The characters even have several scenes where they point out the rampant misogyny in the horror genre. ‘The Rules’.

If all one can see is that both men and women are killed as ‘evidence’ of ‘equality’ then it’s hardly worth the time trying to explain as reading past the very surface of a story isn’t your strong point.

Makes life easy for them. Kids are occupied.

WTF?

we told parents before sleepovers, etc. that our kids weren’t to watch films/play games beyond their age. Never caused any issues.

Certificates are there for a reason. Don’t you care what your kids see?

I would speak to the parents. I have a 15 year old and I would feel uneasy about them watching Scream. Its quite violent. Is nearly called it abusive. It was a birthday party of a very young teen, it is obviously inappropriate and no thought was put into whether the kids parents would mind. I'd feel the same way. You should definitely speak to them or get your kid involved with other kids instead. It's a good time to teach your kid their own boundaries too. Tell them that you would find it too violent and that you would have told them that you didn't want to watch it

Jaws was a PG FFS. It’s been changed to a 12 more recently but still a perfectly reasonable film for a 12 year old to watch.

I’d let a 13-year-old watch Scream because I’ve seen it and it’s basically a cartoonish comedy-horror and I watched a lot of that kind of thing at that age. It’s Scream, not Henry Portrait Of Serial Killer.

However, I wouldn’t show it without the permission of the other parents.

Clearly it's not cut and dried at that age. The most important factor is what your daughter personally thinks. Which I don't believe you've mentioned at all?

There's loads of discussions that if it was re-released it would probably get a 15 rating

Its quite mild for a horror. I would be fine with it

I assume people are getting scary movie and scream mixed up.

I watched Scream at about 12/13 with a bunch of friends on a sleepover not long after it first came out. Parents didn’t know, I think the video belonged to our friends older brother.
Back in those days our parents were way less concerned about this sort of stuff. Ours were, not saying everyone’s!

Hmm my DD 2 LOVED horror films. And tells me Scream wasn't even scary. I hate them so not shown in my house She watched them with my mother who is another fan. Not left with issues over it

When I was a young teen I was in a friend's house and the parents had borat on the TV it was the scene with his d*k spinning propelling around in a circle and there were like toddlers in the room watching it. I was just frozen completely stunned while the parents just looked at the tv expressionless

I watched the first Scream movie and a lot worse before I was even 10 so at 13 it wouldn’t bother me. I watched Jeepers Creepers when I was about 7 and although it terrified me at the time, no lasting damage and I’m now a huge fan of horror/slasher movies.

Unless your child is very sensitive or has no friend group, they’ve likely seen way worse already. Some of the Scream edits on TikTok are incredible!

I think it’s irrelevant that some 13 year olds would be fine with this. If yours is, and you let them watch it fine. But you can’t make the decision on behalf of someone else’s child! I remember around that age watching that film about the 7 deadly sins- I hated it! But was too swayed by peer pressure to admit to not wanting to watch it. Bad parenting decision in my opinion.