Five Nights at Freddy's parents guide: Is this a movie to watch with the kids?

Five Nights at Freddy’s is coming to Prime Video during the month of March. This is listed as a PG-13 movie, and I know a lot of teenagers who went to the theaters to see it. This isn’t one that I’d recommend to everyone, though.

PG-13 means that it should be okay for teenagers. Those younger than that could be okay with some of the material, but it’s better to have a parent around or it’s better for a parent to watch it first.

Usually, with a PG-13 movie, it’s the level of gore or the suspenseful moments that take it over the edge. That’s certainly the case with Five Nights at Freddy’s, even if your kids love the video game.

The suspense and violence may be a little too much in Five Nights at Freddy’s

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that the violence and suspense are too much for the movie as a whole. I’m saying they may be too much for your kids. You know your kids well.

There is some heavier violence than you would expect for a PG-13 movie in this. It’s rated a 15 in the UK, and that—as a Brit living in Canada—usually tells me a lot. You see, a PG-13 movie in the UK can end up being either a 12A or a 15. The difference will depend on the level of violence in the majority of cases. Once I saw that, I knew what to expect going into Five Nights at Freddy’s.

There is a moment where we see the aftermath of a character getting their face eaten off by one of the creatures, and a woman is stabbed with a large knife. If your kids get squeamish, this isn’t for them. However, most of the gore happens off-screen. The deaths are all off-screen, so I can see why it’s a PG-13 and not R rated.

There are some intense and frightening scenes. This is one of those movies that I’m on the fence about when it comes to my 11-year-old and she loves horror. She adored M3GAN. I just don’t want her to have nightmares.

I think the scariest party is just how amazing the animatronics look. They did not disappoint.

Five Nights at Freddy’s is coming to Prime Video on Tuesday, March 5.