As well as classifying new films for release in cinemas, on DVD and on streaming services, the BBFC is often required to review existing age ratings when films are resubmitted to us. When this happens – typically ahead of a cinema or home entertainment re-release – we apply our current standards, as set out in our published Classification Guidelines. These guidelines evolve over time, informed by large-scale research (most recently involving 12,000 people) to ensure they continue to reflect the expectations of UK audiences. As a result, films may require a higher or lower age rating than we gave them in the past.
Threat and horror are key classification issues in our guidelines. Scary scenes may occur at U or PG, such as in Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs or Coraline. At 12A/12, such scenes may engage with horror more directly, as seen in films like The Others or Gremlins. In the case of Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One, there is even an extended homage to Stanley Kubrick's 15-rated The Shining, complete with an elevator of blood and nightmarish zombies, but reframed in a fantasy computer-game world. These films were rated 12A/12 because the horror scenes are not frequent or sustained. When scares and the intensity of horror sequences become more sustained, content is likely to be rated 15, or even 18 if it is especially violent or gory.
Just as our standards continue to evolve, so too do the techniques and technologies that filmmakers use to push the boundaries of violence, horror and gore. While many horror films are still classified 18 (recent examples include Immaculate, Thanksgiving, Saw X and MaXXXine), some earlier titles no longer require an 18 rating under our guidelines today.
At 15, our current guidelines state that there may be strong threat and horror, though a sustained focus on sadistic threat is unlikely to be acceptable. Violence may be strong but there should not be sustained focus on the infliction of pain or victims’ suffering. The strongest gory images may occur if justified by context (for example, war, medical detail) but prolonged sadistic violence is unlikely to be acceptable.
Here are ten examples of classic horror films that we've reclassified from 18 to 15 since the turn of the millennium.
Carrie
strong horror, violence, bloody images, domestic abuse, nudity
Returning to UK cinemas later this year, Brian De Palma’s 1976 adaptation of Stephen King’s chilling debut novel sees bullied teenager Carrie White take bloody revenge on her tormentors at the school prom. Classified with an X rating (a historical rating that is no longer in use) upon its original cinema release, the film has been rated 18 for home entertainment since 1987. It was resubmitted to the BBFC in August 2024 and classified 15 for strong horror, violence, bloody images, domestic abuse and nudity. The strongest scene in the film is Carrie’s telekinetic rampage at the school prom, but while the sequence features many violent deaths, the violence is neither prolonged nor sadistic and therefore is acceptable at 15 under our current guidelines.
A Nightmare On Elm Street
strong horror, gore, violence
2024 saw another horror classic reclassified at 15 from its original 18. In A Nightmare On Elm Street, directed by Wes Craven, Robert Englund plays supernatural killer Freddy Krueger, who targets the teenagers of Elm Street in their dreams. Scenes of bloody violence occur in a fantastical context, without any extended focus on serious injury detail and gore – for example, a young woman being hurled against the walls and ceiling of her bedroom by an invisible force, or a geyser of blood exploding from a character’s bed. As such, the film does not exceed our guidelines at 15 and we reclassified it accordingly, for strong horror, gore and violence.
violence
An injured teenage girl is brutally hurled against the walls and ceiling of her room by supernatural means. Characters shove, strangle and grapple with one another. There are brief, undetailed slashings. A man is hit in the chest with a mallet and a character is set alight. A teenager is strangled with a noose. There are undetailed verbal references to the serial murders of children.
threat and horror
There are sustained sequences of intense threat and horror as a supernatural killer stalks his terrified victims in their dreams, forcing them into nightmarish situations they fear they cannot escape. There are scenes of knife threat and sequences in which characters desperately try to keep themselves from falling asleep.
injury detail
Strong gory images include a large quantity of blood supernaturally spewing from a mattress, covering the room's ceiling and walls. A badly injured character is thrown against walls, causing blood to splash and soak into their surroundings. A character pulls the face off another, revealing a bloody skull beneath. A supernatural character slices his own finger off and slashes his chest, resulting in spurts of yellow goo and sight of maggots. There is sight of slash marks on people's flesh and blood in the aftermath of violence.
There is infrequent strong language ('f**k') along with milder terms such as 'dickhead', 'shit', 'asshole', 'ass', 'bastard', ''screw', 'Jesus', 'Christ', 'God', 'damn' and 'hell'. A supernatural character menaces a teenage girl over the telephone by telling her he is her boyfriend and sending his tongue lashing at her from the receiver. Police believe a murdered character has taken his own life. It is implied a teenage couple have had sex when we see them in bed together. There are brief verbal references to sex, including comic mention of an orgy.
Halloween
strong threat, violence, nudity
John Carpenter popularised the ‘slasher’ genre with his low-budget classic in which masked killer Michael Myers stalks Jamie Lee Curtis’s resilient babysitter Laurie Strode. Rated X in 1978, then subsequently 18 for home entertainment, the film was resubmitted in 2018 ahead of a cinema re-release to tie in with David Gordon Green’s new sequel also called, simply, Halloween. Applying our guidelines at the time, we determined that the film was now a straightforward 15 for strong threat, violence and nudity. There is very little blood or gore on screen, nor much in the way of sadism, with the film’s effectiveness depending much more on its atmosphere of slowly building dread. The considerably gorier 2018 film and its follow-ups, Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends, are classified 18.
violence
Strong violence includes stabbings, stranglings and shootings, as well as the implied killing of a dog. There is also defensive violence such as a woman stabbing her attacker with a knitting needle and a wire hanger in attempts to fend him off. Although the violence is relatively undetailed, and with only occasional bloody injury, the killer's relentlessness gives it an intense edge.
threat and horror
There is strong threat as the killer stalks his victims, making sudden appearances behind them and then disappearing from sight. One intended victim is chased through a house and hides in a closet, cowering in terror as the killer attempts to batter through the doors. A woman is attacked in her car but manages to escape. The threat is sometimes sustained and accompanied by sudden 'jump' scares.
nudity
Strong nudity includes shots of women's breasts.
There is scene of moderate sex, as well as occasional moderate sex references. Two women smoke a marijuana joint in a car. Mild bad language includes uses 'asshole', 'ass', 'shit', 'screw around', 'jerk', 'damn', 'God' and 'Jesus'.
Friday The 13th
strong violence, bloody images, threat, sex
A group of summer-camp counsellors are picked off by a mysterious killer in this US slasher, which – like A Nightmare On Elm Street and Halloween – spawned a long-running series. Originally rated X for cinemas in 1980, the film was classified 18 for home entertainment in 1987. When it was resubmitted to the BBFC in 2023, we noted that while the film’s kill scenes featured lots of bloody detail, there was a lack of lingering focus on realistic wound detail or strong gore when compared to more recent horror films classified 18. Accordingly, Friday The 13th was classified 15 for strong violence, bloody images, threat and sex.
violence
Scenes of strong violence include a bloody throat slashing, a decapitation, an axe to a woman's head and a man stabbed in the neck.
threat and horror
People are stalked by an unknown killer at a campsite in the woods. The killer's presence is conveyed through frequent point-of-view shots, occasionally witnessing young people who are engaging in sexual activity (which lacks explicit detail).
language
Bad language is mild ('shit', 'piss'), accompanied by other milder terms ('Jesus', 'hell', 'God', 'damn' and 'jerk').
sex
There is a scene of sex featuring breast and buttock nudity. There are also other sexual references, including to a game of strip Monopoly.
drugs
There are brief references to the smoking of marijuana.
injury detail
Bodies of a serial killer's victims are often found with fatal bloody injuries, with bladed weapons still sticking out of them. In one scene, a man is found hanging from a door with blood seeping from wounds from multiple arrows piercing his face and body. However, detail of injury is not graphic. In another scene, a real snake is killed with a knife.
The Terminator
strong language, violence, sex
Arnold Schwarzenegger is an unstoppable cyborg sent back in time to assassinate unsuspecting waitress Sarah Connor in James Cameron’s iconic sci-fi horror. The film was classified 18 in 1984, and maintained that rating for home entertainment until 2000, when it was resubmitted for a new viewing. The film’s action sequences feature various shootings, slashings with knives and punches, and in one scene the Terminator punches through a man’s chest and is subsequently seen holding his bloody heart. There are also gory sequences, including the Terminator cutting into his own arm and removing his eye to reveal the machinery beneath. In 2000, however, these images were judged to be acceptable at 15 under the guidelines in use at the time. The Terminator now sits at 15 for strong language, violence and sex.
violence
There are scenes of moderate violence, including shootings, slashes with knives, and punches and other blows. Blood is seen in the aftermath of violence. In one scene, the cyborg punches through a man's chest and is subsequently seen holding his bloody heart. There are gory sequences, including a cyborg cutting into his own arm, and removing his eye, to reveal machinery beneath.
language
There is use of strong language ('f**k' and 'motherf**ker').
sex
There is a sex scene with breast nudity.
There is moderate threat and horror.
The Shining
strong violence, language
Stanley Kubrick’s chilly adaptation of Stephen King’s novel stars Jack Nicholson as a man driven insane by the ghosts that haunt the isolated Overlook Hotel. Released in UK cinemas with an X rating in 1980, the film was later released for home entertainment rated 18. When it was resubmitted in 2007, we applied our standards at the time and determined that the film could be reclassified at 15 for strong violence and language. Bloody moments are relatively infrequent across the film as a whole, and its scenes of supernatural menace don’t exceed what is acceptable at 15 or what is expected by audiences in a horror film classified at that level. A belated sequel, Doctor Sleep, was also classified 15 in 2019.
violence
There are a number of scenes of violence or violent threat in which the increasingly deranged central character chases after his wife and child with an axe. In one scene he also kills a man who is trying to help his family, burying the axe in the man's chest. This is not shown in any great detail, however, with the axe wound only visible through the man's coat.
language
There is strong language ('f**k') which is sometimes used aggressively by the central character towards his wife. There are also uses of moderate and mild bad language, including 'bitch' and 'son of a bitch'.
The film also contains sight of nudity, but without strong detail or sexualisation. In one scene, a naked woman is shown with rotting sores all over her body.
The Omen
strong violence
Richard Donner’s film introduced cinema fans to the devilish Damien Thorn in 1976. Originally classified X for cinemas, the film was subsequently given an 18 rating for its first home entertainment release in 1987. Resubmitted for its thirtieth anniversary in 2006 – around the same time as a new remake was released – the film was reclassified 15 for strong violence. This includes scenes in which a woman hangs herself while under the influence of supernatural forces, a man is impaled by a piece of metal, and another man is beheaded by a sheet of glass. These sequences do not feature the strongest gory images, especially when compared to more realistic gory moments in 18-rated horror films today. A prequel – The First Omen – was classified 15 in 2024.
violence
Scenes of violence include a woman hanging herself, a man being impaled by a piece of metal, and a character being beheaded by a sheet of glass.
Scenes of threat include characters being chased by dogs, and sequences in which characters fear the influence of supernatural powers targeting them.
Candyman
strong violence, horror, gory images
A woman researching a local Chicago legend inadvertently summons a hook-handed killer in Bernard Rose’s haunting 1992 film, based on a short story by Clive Barker. Originally rated 18 for UK cinemas, the film was resubmitted ahead of a new home entertainment release in 2018. The film’s scenes of violence and bloodshed include various slayings by the titular villain, who uses his hooked hand to stab and mutilate his victims. In 2018, however, we determined these sequences to be acceptable under our guidelines at 15 at the time, which allowed for scenes of strong violence provided they did not dwell on the infliction of pain and injury or contain the strongest gory images. Accordingly, Candyman was reclassified 15 for strong violence, horror and gory images. The latest sequel – also called Candyman – was also classified 15 when it was submitted in 2021.
violence
There are scenes of strong violence as the Candyman appears and kills a number of people using his hooked hand to stab and mutilate his victims.
injury detail
There are a number of scenes showing the bloody aftermath of the Candyman's attacks. A boy lies in a public toilet, awash with blood after his genitals have been cut; a woman lies dead in a large pool of blood with her stomach cut open; a woman is severely burnt as the Candyman holds her inside a large pile of rubbish that has been set on fire.
Night Of The Living Dead
strong injury detail, threat, violence
Director George Romero invented the modern concept of the flesh-eating zombie with this black and white chiller, first released in UK cinemas with an X rating in 1969. Images of undead ghouls devouring their human victims and a zombie child killing her mother with a garden trowel would have been viscerally shocking to audiences more than half a century ago, though these relatively bloodless and undetailed sequences have been far surpassed by grislier horror spectacles in the years since – not least Romero’s own sequels, including 1978’s Dawn Of The Dead and 1985’s Day Of The Dead. We classified Night of the Living Dead, 18 for its first UK home entertainment release in 1987 but considered the film to be acceptable at 15 when it was resubmitted in 2007. The film was most recently reviewed for a fiftieth anniversary cinema re-release in 2018, when it was once again classified 15 for strong injury detail, threat and violence.
violence
Zombies are shot or struck with weapons including a tire iron, occasionally resulting in blood spurts and moderately bloody aftermath images. Others are set on fire. A character is stabbed to death, resulting in bloody detail. Milder violence includes heavy punches. Other people are shot, without clear detail.
threat and horror
There are scenes of strong and sustained threat in which people are surrounded and attacked by zombies.
injury detail
Occasional gory images include scenes of zombies consuming human remains.
Other issues include mild bad language ('bastard', 'shit', 'damn', 'hell') and brief female rear nudity.
The Wicker Man
strong threat, sex, nudity
A police sergeant visits a Scottish island in search of a missing girl in this 1973 landmark of the folk horror genre, which is remembered for one of the bleakest endings in British cinema. Originally classified X for cinemas and 18 for its first home entertainment release in 1990, we were given the opportunity to reassess The Wicker Man under contemporary standards when it was resubmitted in 2002. The film contains scenes of strong threat in which a terrified man realises he is set to become a human sacrifice, as well as strong sex and nudity – for example, during a sequence depicting a fertility ritual. Under 2002 guidelines, however, the film was determined to be acceptable at 15. It was noted that the human sacrifice sequence, for instance, ‘has its impact on the psychological front rather than (dwelling) on graphic details’. The Wicker Man remains a 15 to this day, for strong threat, sex, nudity.
violence
A pagan community burns a virgin alive, but there is no injury detail.
threat and horror
With growing terror, a prisoner realises that his captors mean to burn him alive.
language
There is use of very mild bad language ('hell', 'damn').
sex
A dimly-lit sequence reveals from a distance couples engaged in sexual activity, the scene being presented in the context of a fertility ritual. Verbal sex references and innuendo are mild.
nudity
Nudity includes sight of a bare-breasted woman dancing provocatively alone in her room.
For a deeper dive into some of the above, join two members of our team as they discuss the reclassification of classic horrors on the BBFC podcast.
Check out the BBFC Guide to Threat and Horror to find out more about our research and how we classify these areas and others from U to 18.
