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Skinwalkers

(2007, Rated PG-13, Horror, Starring Elias Koteas, Jason Behr, Rhona Mitra)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 14, age appropriate for kids over 99; suggested age 14.

  • Is it any good?

    1.0

  • Common Sense says

    Silly werewolf tale is violent but boring.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 14–18

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    The difference between the good and bad werewolves is that the first group represses their urges by chaining themselves up once a month, while the bad ones want to eat everyone.

  • Violence:

    Lots of insinuated, darkly shadowed, silhouetted violence, with dripping blood a repeated effect. Wounded bodies appear in various contortions, including hanging upside down and arrayed as if crucified. Boy has repeated nightmare flashes (a "home invasion" scenario in which his father is dragged away). Werewolves attack victims with lots of growling, leaping, and flesh-ripping sounds. Shooting sprees galore: When werewolves aren't tearing at human flesh, they're shooting at one another. Werewolves' transformations (hair sprouting, noses growing, etc.) are violent and alarming to a young boy who witnesses them changing. Heroes' truck flips over violently. Following her kidnapping, Kat is left hanging in the woods, emulating a bloody crucifixion.

  • Sex:

    Female werewolf shows cleavage and midriff; sex scene between Sonja and Varek might be a transition from a rape/attack on a female saloon patron, but the scenes are poorly edited, so it's hard to tell -- at any rate, the sex shows sweaty-chested, bloody-faced Varek looking triumphant.

  • Language:

    Mild and pretty infrequent language includes "goddamn," "s--t," "screw this, "little prick," and "What the hell is happening?"

  • Consumerism:

    GMC pickup truck.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Bar scene shows beer and liquor being served.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Skinwalkers

Parents need to know that this dark, poorly edited horror movie has plenty of violence, including multi-gun shootouts, careening cars, and werewolf attacks (bloody, shredding flesh, usually in deep shadow). The narrator, a nearly 13-year-old boy, has a difficult relationship with relatives that he's just discovered are werewolves (the fact that they've lied to him his whole life creates a lot of tension). A female werewolf shows cleavage and midriff as she chomps on her victims; some beer and liquor is shown in a bar scene. Language is relatively mild, including several "hells" and fewer uses of both "s--t" and "damn."

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the movie's family dynamic. How does his relatives' lifelong lie affect Tim? Does it have a greater impact on him because of his age (13 is tricky even without monsters)? What kinds of revelations could affect real-life kids just as much? Families can also discuss the differences between the male and female werewolves. What sets them apart from each other? What characteristics are typical for TV and movie werewolves? Do these werewolves stick to the pattern?
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