Why More Horror Movies In 2020 Are PG-13 | Screen Rant – Screen Rant

2020 horror movies have been going strong in the early months of the year with some major releases, but a noticeable trend has been carrying through with the majority: most share a PG-13 rating.

Though the first release of the year, The Grudge, was rated R, the ones to follow - and many that are yet to release - have been slapped with the lesser rating. Even toward the end of 2019, this trend continued with Blumhouse'steen slasher,Black Christmas, being PG-13 despite both other iterations being rated R. The Kristen Stewart ledUnderwater was reminiscent of Ridley Scott's claustrophobic 1979 sci-fi/horror classic,Alien, but pulled away from the truly visceral realms of terror instead of going for the gut.

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WhileThe Grudgewas certainly the more harshly criticized of the two 2020 horror movies so far, one of the stronger facets of it was that it brought violence where supernatural horror typically does not. Director Nicolas Pesce might not have been able to fully capitalize on what worked with the franchise's PG-13 counterparts, but he provided some disturbing imagery and violence that pushed boundaries in a genre that is slowly becoming known for sanitized scares and restraint.

A PG-13 rating does not immediately mean a horror movie will be less effective. The choice to aspire to a lesser rating is, often, for a chance at a wider (and younger) audience. However, not all horror sub-genres workwellwith a PG-13 rating. Supernatural and paranormal horror films can typically get away with a PG-13 rating without sacrificing anything that makes them effective. As they rely more on jump scares, they can be reasonably bloodless and still manage to terrify. Slasher films usually bank on blood and nudity, which is prominently featured in franchises likeFriday the 13th.Though it could be argued that John Carpenter's 1978Halloweenwas also bloodless, its restraint was part of the film's overall tone, but the franchise has evolved with time. The 2018Halloween showed more gore, brutality, and a completely uncaged Michael Myers, which was a smart decision.

While this isn't to say that horror movies should all take note from the early and mid-2000s "torture porn" films likeSawandHostel, the former franchise has been a long-running success for a reason. As a new decade gets underway, it's interesting to see the tone that will be set, and is already being set by upcoming releases.The Turning, a supernatural horror film based on the Henry James novel,The Turn of the Screw, is from the Victorian era, despite the film being set in the '90s. Its PG-13 rating is sensible, and the updated setting an intriguing take. Ari Aster's 2019 folk horror,Midsommar, set a high bar, yetGretel & Hansel, which appears to take a page from Aster and Robert Eggers (The Witch) adapts what is arguably one of the Brothers Grimm's darkest fairy tales about a cannibalistic witch who preys on children and makes it PG-13.

Brahms: The Boy 2got its expected rating, but being rated R has worked for franchises likeAnnabelle, so even though Brahms isn't the traditional "haunted doll", it might be worth considering.Blumhouse'sFantasy Islandgot a PG-13 rating, but appears like a slasher film with deep-seated, mysterious danger on a tropical island. Though the original TV series wasn't horror, it posed a neat opportunity to resurrect the style of '90s ensemble slashers like I Know What You DidLast Summer.Leigh Whannell'stake onThe Invisible Man,also from Blumhouse, received an R rating for "strong bloody violence", which works well with its story update that recreates the character as a violent sociopath.A Quiet Place 2will likely get a PG-13 rating, though as of this writing, that has not been announced. 2020 horror movies will likely be a mix, but nowadays, the genre seems to target a wider audience instead of sticking with what might scare them the most.

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Jack Wilhelmi is the horror features editor at Screen Rant, and has been with the site since 2019. He is a lifelong fan of the horror genre, and loves any excuse to discuss genre-related topics, since none of his friends dare challenge him in horror trivia. He has been published on the independent horror blog Morbidly Beautiful, and has covered major genre film festivals such as Cinepocalypse in Chicago. He has also served as a judge for the Ax Wound Film Festival.In his free time, he is a devoted dog dad to a high-spirited rescue pup named Peter Quill and enjoys volunteering with various animal rescue organizations. Jack likes to travel and explore dark tourism-related and other various haunted locations. He enjoys studying psychology, the paranormal, and will watch literally any schlocky B-movie on the planet for a laugh. Follow him on Twitter @JackMacabre or his dog on Instagram @quillthethrill.

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Why More Horror Movies In 2020 Are PG-13 | Screen Rant - Screen Rant

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero