Is this film suitable for my child?

The question we get asked most about our films (after 'how much is it?') is usually "Is this film suitable for my child?" It's a very difficult question to answer, so we thought we'd post up some thoughts on it here.

As parents, you'll know better than anyone what might be likely to scare your child. It's different for everyone, and sometimes even a film that's rated U can cause some children to be frightened, or likewise, a fairly young child could sit supervised in a 12A and be completely fine. So from our point of view it's very hard to tell parents when they ask whether a film is likely to scare a child or not.

The BBFC ratings (U, PG, 12A, etc.) give you some guidance on the content of a film; a U film contains no material which is unsuitable for any age child, though of course that doesn't guarantee that they won't be frightened by it. You can find more information about BBFC ratings here: http://www.bbfc.co.uk/

For more information about the content of a film, the Internet Movie Database is a good place to start. They have a parent's guide for most films, compiled by parents and fans, which lists all of the things that children may find scary (or parents might find inappropriate) within the film. Here are the imdb parent's guides for the remaining CineMonkeys films in our August programme and our special free showing of Singin' in the Rain:

The Lion King (U)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (12A)
Singin' in the Rain (U)

You can find the link to the parent's guide about half way down on a film's listing page on imdb, if you'd like to look up any other films.

Lastly, our CineMonkeys films are designed to be family showings, so we won't mind at all if you need to take your child out of the cinema during the film for any reason. Our ushers will guide you back to your seat by torchlight if you want to come back in as well, of course.

If these thoughts don't help and you'd still like to talk it over with us, you can get in touch with us by emailing hao@tenburytown.org.uk. Otherwise, we hope that this has been useful, and that we'll see you at a film with us soon!