Psycho film being shown to 14 year old in English class

[Emydan83]

I’d like some opinion or advice for this situation I find myself, my partner and my 14 year old daughter in. In a council school in Scotland my daughter, who is 14 and in 3rd year , the English class were shown the film “Psycho” from the 70’s, then asked to write a critical essay from the view point of either the murderer or the victim. No parental consent was asked before they began this topic , now roughly 2 weeks later we have contacted school to make a complaint after realising the full scope of this topic. Not only is this film rated a 15 in the uk, no authority seems to have been given from any senior member of the school or any parents contacted. I truly believe a 14 year old child should not be subjected to this emotional torment to imagine themselves either committing murder or being murdered in the name of learning English.
I would be grateful for any feedback, thank you.

We wrote an English essay about Psycho in the late 1990s. We would have been GCSE age though, so 15. I am surprised the teacher showed them a film with a higher age classification, that is a massive no no is schools! I wouldn't have an issue with the task as such.

I really remember the task, not because I was disturbed by it, but because I went above and beyond to research it in the early days of home internet. My dad was a media studies teacher and was really proud of me!

‘Emotional torment’ ? I can hear the teacher eye rolling from here

I'd be amazed if you'd managed to shelter your 14 year old so well that this was the worst she'd seen? If she's truly suffering emotional torment though perhaps you have!

It's a beautiful, highly intelligent piece of art, not a horror film. Everything from the lighting to the score, acting and direction is superlative. And it's far less 'horrific' than most thrillers today.
I really wouldn't worry.

Wouldn't bother me at all. It's really not a very scary film from a modern perspective, most 14 year old's will have watched more graphic and scary things aimed at teens on Netflix.

In s3 they will all be 14 now and beginning to turn 15

I think the school have handled this very badly. 14 is a tricky age and I definitely would have felt anxious watching this film in class at that age.

At the very least they should have asked parental permission.

I wouldn't be remotely bothered about my child seeing this film, but ideally yes I suppose the teacher should have asked parental permission. Seems like a massive faff though when almost no parents would object in reality....

The task would bother me more. Firstly it makes no sense - how is it a critical essay if they have to write as if they are victim or murderer? A critical essay would mean analysing the film, the camera angles etc - this sounds like they are writing a creative piece. And no I have never thought it's good practice to compel anyone to imagine they are either a violent criminal or a victim of violent crime - you do see it used a lot as a creative task in schools tho, so it's not something I would go to the length of complaining about....

What outcome do you want OP? Do you want the teacher to get into trouble, or the school? And if so why? Is your daughter genuinely disturbed or upset in a significant and lasting way by this experience?

We studied Macbeth at GCSE and I seem to remember having to write an essay as Lady Macbeth, is that really any different.
Saying that I also remember the teacher wanting to show a 15 film directly related to something we were studying, and having to get permission from all the parents. Lots of complaints from the kids who were already 15.

My 14 year old niece watched it at school recently. She was really impressed, it really piqued her interest and we went on to watch a few more Hitchcock films at her request.

I would not have any issue with kids this age watching it.

So you don't watch anything actually aimed at adults? Or anything with adult themes, not necessarily violent/gory?

no, never.

If it is rated 18 I know I won't enjoy it, and might be upset by it

It isn't compulsory to watch 18 rated films, you know

We studied it in the 80s for O'levsl English. It was standard back then as an example of ground-breaking cinematography. (We also studied Planet of the Apes and Apocalypse Now)
If @Emydan83 Psycho worries you OP, studied in a classroom with well-trained adults present and appropriate critical activities aligned to it, PLEASE for the love of God, never take your child's phone and look at what they are voluntarily exposing themselves to every day.

You'd never cope.

I think a lot of posters are missing the point, whether you would find it upsetting or not, is irrelevant, the only relevance is if this child is finding it upsetting

I wouldn't be bothered about her seeing the film (she's 14, not 4) but I can see how the assignment might be a little inappropriate, purely because of the whole having-to-empathise-with-a-murderer thing, that sounds really weird? Are you sure that was the assignment? To imagine yourself as Norman Bates?!

I think the OP is missing the point that this is a standard "text" (as in audio-visual) that has been shown and worked around in secondary schools, with students of that age, for at least 40 years.

If her child is genuinely concerned by watching a fairly tame (in comparison to the shit on Netflix etc) film and applying critical thinking to it, then that is a problem. Just not for the pearl clutching reasons given.

I think 14 is too old to never be exposed to anything even mildly upsetting, tbh.

14 is too young to be exposed to a 15 rated film, by definition

Film classifications only apply in cinemas, not in schools.

Of course it's not compulsory! It's not compulsory to actually watch anything! Just seems odd to me to actively decide to and deliberately not watch anything 'adult' at 60

why is it odd, I know what I enjoy and don't enjoy.

If I am scrolling through any sort of streaming service looking for something to watch, I use certain criteria to discard various options, as everybody does. One of my criteria is I know I wont enjoy anything rated 18.

It is a but worrying if we have reached a point of such insensitivity in society that this can be considered odd.

It's a great film. And pretty tame. Yabu.

OP, you are not being unreasonable

It is a 15, that is a fact

your daughter is 14, that is a fact

It doesn't matted what opinion anyone has, the facts are, this film is too much to assume a 14 year old will be ok with

If it is rated 18 I know I won't enjoy it, and might be upset by it

Things are rated 18 for a huge number of reasons. You couldn't possibly know whether you'd lie or based on that alone after one poor experience with an 18 film decades ago!

What teenagers watch really varies though. My teenagers (now 15 and 18) have never seen anything like Psycho. We have watched several other Hitchcock films together, I really like his films so started with The Lady Vanishes, the first one my Dad showed me.
I have been really careful with what they watch, and they both have avoided anything very frightening or violent when with friends. Both are nightmare prone and so sensible about what they see. Now that the youngest is nearly 16 there are some things that she has watched that she wouldn’t have a year ago.

We use Common sense media as a rough guide.
Psycho is a very well made film, but no teacher should show a class a film with an older age rating.