Parents need to know that this movie does include occult material, including a Ouija board and a seance, which may be upsetting to some children. There is an attempted murder of a child, and another character is murdered. Some families may be uncomfortable with the father's irresponsibility about money.
Violence: A few scary surprises and special effects, child in peril, not very intense.
Why is this rated R?? There's nothing really wrong with it- except for some mild scary scenes and frightening images.
Certainly nothing worse than what's shown on tv now.