While adults might pay for a ticket to experience the strong, gory horror of films such as Longless or Evil Dead Rise, they aren’t the only audience for horror at the cinema. Films aimed at children have their fair share of scary moments, and always have. So how does the BBFC treat horror aimed at younger audiences?

For the lower age rating categories, our Classification Guidelines note that there may be some unsettling and frightening sequences at U or PG, but we consider the duration, frequency, intensity and context of these scenes for younger audiences.

Coraline first arrived at the BBFC in 2009 with a PG category request. The film is based on the popular, award-winning, children’s book by Neil Gaiman and uses the stop-motion animation technique similar to The Nightmare Before Christmas and The Corpse Bride.

Coraline was also released in a 3D version, and our compliance team watched and classified this too, as sometimes the format of a film may change the viewing experience. In the case of Coraline, both versions were rated PG.

Behind the age rating

The film tells the story of Coraline, a feisty young girl whose busy parents often leave her on her own. One day, whilst exploring her new house, she finds a door that takes her to another world, an alternative universe where she lives with her ‘Other Mother’ and ‘Other Father’. These ‘Other’ parents seem perfect – they cook delicious food and lavish attention on ‘their’ daughter, and yet they are also slightly sinister with their buttons for eyes and desire to keep Coraline with them.

BBFC examiners noted a general air of creepiness or spookiness running through the film. The eeriness starts in the opening credits which show close-up images of a raggedy doll being taken apart with medical precision and continues with the first sight of the ‘Other Mother’ and her button eyes. They also noted that as the film progresses the slight creepiness becomes increasingly menacing. Coraline is asked to consider replacing her own eyes with buttons so she can stay with the ‘Other Mother’ forever and when she refuses the ‘Other Mother’ reveals her true self, the Beldam, a huge spider-like creature. As Coraline tries to escape, everything becomes scary and dark – the garden full of snapping plants, her friendly Circus Master revealed to be a bundle of clothes filled with rats.

At PG our guidelines allow some element of ‘horror’ provided it meets the criteria that ‘scary scenes’ are not ‘prolonged or intense’. Our current guidelines, updated in 2024, go into even more detail about scary moments in children’s films:

‘Where content is targeted at a younger audience, classification decisions will take into account factors such as frequency, length and detail of scary and otherwise unsettling scenes as well as factors such as the impact of music and sound, and whether there is a swift and reassuring outcome.’

Despite the scariness, Coraline features a number of ‘mitigating factors’ – elements which lessen the intensity of the more frightening scenes. These included moments of comedy and fun like silly songs, performances by dancing mice and the strange behaviour of the amusing and colourful neighbours. Additionally, a lot of emphasis is placed on the reassuring happy ending.

The characterisation of Coraline also offers a strong argument for the PG rating. Coraline is shown to be a resourceful, courageous girl who, although she may occasionally be scared, always manages to find a way out of a tricky situation and eventually succeeds in not only defeating the ‘Other Mother’ but also saves her own parents and returns home safely. The biggest consideration, perhaps, was the fact that in Coraline some of the scares come from people or places that should feel safe to children, for example their homes and parents. This was one of the reasons the examiners felt the U category would not be suitable.

At PG our guidelines also state that: ‘Fantasy settings or the inclusion of humour may lead to a lower age rating.’ Coraline certainly fits into the category of a fantasy film. The examiners recognised that the film’s central idea of a parallel world would be a familiar idea for a child audience well used to similar plot devices in fairy tales. The film’s fantastical elements: the talking cats, performing mice, and mothers with buttons for eyes, plus the fact that Coraline features animated models rather than human actors, all make it very clear that Coraline’s world is very different from the real world of the audience.

As well as the scary moments, examiners also noticed that there was one use of mild language as Coraline’s mother describes some rat droppings as ‘rat crap’ and scenes in which retired burlesque dancers have accentuated breasts and buttocks.

A film with a PG classification is suitable for ‘general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children. A PG should generally not unsettle a child aged around eight, although parents and caregivers should be aware that some scenes may be unsuitable for more sensitive children.’

Bearing this in mind, our content advice for Coraline offers enough detail to warn parents about elements that might scare younger, more sensitive viewers. At PG, our content advice notes ‘mild scary scenes, rude humour, language’. You can view our full content advice for the film on our website.

At the time, not all parents agreed with the PG classification for Coraline, and we did receive complaints upon the film’s initial release about children being scared by the film –  some of them to the point of having to leave the cinema. Everyone who contacted us about our age rating and content advice for Coraline received a reply explaining all the reasons for the PG classification.

It is still the case today that we take into account public opinions on the classification of films. The Classification Guidelines themselves are a product of extensive research with people from across the UK. Check out the BBFC Guide to Threat and Horror to find out more about our research and how this shapes our age ratings.