Handpicked by Our Editors

Matilda
Age 8+
5

Matilda

Why We Recommend It

Clever Matilda handles bullying kids and berating adults with fantastical solutions that bend slightly dark and surreal.

Read our full review
Can a movie review make your life better?

Absolutely! While most movie reviews tell you about how good a movie is (we do that, too), our family movie reviews do more. Common Sense reviews give you what you need to know to make a great choice for your family. They also offer ways to talk to your kids about the movies they see. Our users tell us that our movie reviews even settle arguments about what's appropriate! So read, decide, and enjoy.

Movie Reviews

Browse Genres

Show Reviews for:

Movies New in Theaters

showing: horror
saw_vi.jpg
Saw VI (2009, Rated R)
Parents Need to Know...

that this "torture porn" film, like all of the movies in the Saw series, revolves around cruelty, gore, and diabolical deathtraps -- all smothered in horrific make-up and special effects. A person is injected with acid until ... read more

No Kids
Saw VI
2
stepfather_poster.jpg
The Stepfather (2009, Rated PG-13)
Parents Need to Know...

that this thriller/horror remake of 1987's The Stepfather has plenty of tension, scares, and violence, though most of it is relatively bloodless. Three murders take place on screen (as well as fighting, attacks, etc.), and several other ... read more

Age 14+
The Stepfather
3
zombieland_ver2.jpg
Zombieland (2009, Rated R)
Parents Need to Know...

that, in keeping with its title, Zombieland is full of zombie violence, whether it's the zombies dispatching humans or being dispatched themselves. Although much of the mayhem is played for laughs and the film's overall tone is ... read more

Age 16+
Zombieland
4
paranormalactivity.jpg
Paranormal Activity (2009, Rated R)
Parents Need to Know...

that Paranormal Activity is a real chill-up-the-spine movie that's bound to induce nightmares in plenty of young moviegoers -- even though, as with The Blair Witch Project, the big buzz around the movie (and the prospect of testing their ... read more

Age 16+
Paranormal Activity
4
jennifers_body_ver2.jpg
Jennifer's Body (2009, Rated R)
Parents Need to Know...

that while teens will be clamoring to see this darkly funny horror movie -- which stars Transformers' Megan Fox and was written by Juno's Diablo Cody -- it's full of gory demonic violence, sex (including partial nudity, same-sex kissing, ... read more

Age 16+
Jennifer's Body
3
sorority_row_ver2.jpg
Sorority Row (2009, Rated R)
Parents Need to Know...

that this college-set slasher bloodbath is full of gory deaths, mainly impalements. Sexual and erotic elements are graphic and lurid, beginning with a drugged-up "date rape" situation and continuing with casual references to sex ... read more

Age 16+
Sorority Row
1
final_destination.jpg
The Final Destination (2009, Rated R)
Parents Need to Know...

that this 3D horror movie is full of bloody, bleak, and violent deaths -- including dismemberment, disembowelment, explosions, impalements, brutal mutilations, crushing blows, and more. Although we rated earlier entries in the franchise ... read more

No Kids
The Final Destination
2
H2.jpg
Halloween II (2009, Rated R)
Parents Need to Know...

that this sequel to 2007's Halloween remake is brutally violent, grotesquely explicit, and terrifyingly violent. There are innumerable scenes of killing, and it says a lot about the movie's savagery and viciousness that they're still grim ... read more

No Kids
Halloween II
1
theCollectorPoster.jpg
The Collector (2009, Rated R)
Parents Need to Know...

that this exceptionally grisly "torture porn" movie is steeped in gore and full of grotesque cruelty perpetrated against both adults and children. While the movie does depict a character making a positive choice (he tries to ... read more

No Kids
The Collector
1

New on DVD

showing: horror
Picture_3.png
Orphan (2009, Rated R)
Parents Need to Know...

  that this is a review of the movie shown in theaters and not the unrated version with an alternate ending available on DVD. Parents also need to know that this gory horror movie centers on extremely violent, sexual acts carried ... read more

Age 16+
Orphan
1
drag_me_to_hell_DVD.jpg
Drag Me to Hell (2009, Rated PG-13)
Parents Need to Know...

that this is a review of the movie seen in theaters and not the unrated version available on DVD. Many of the scares, jumps, and jolts in this horror/action movie from Spider-Man director Sam Raimi are played for comic effect. Still, it's ... read more

Age 13+
Drag Me to Hell
4
last house on the left dvd.jpg
The Last House on the Left (2009, Rated R)
Parents Need to Know...

that this gory remake of the 1972 exploitation horror "classic" is absolutely not for kids (or anyone with a weak stomach), whether you watch the unrated version available on DVD or the theatrical version reviewed here. It's a ... read more

No Kids
The Last House on the Left
4
haunting in ct.jpg
The Haunting in Connecticut (2009, Rated PG-13)
Parents Need to Know...

that this is a review of the movie shown in theaters and not the Unrated Special Edition, which is sure to have scarier, raw content. This "based on a true story" horror film, while milder than movies like Saw, is still too ... read more

Age 14+
The Haunting in Connecticut
1
the unborn2.jpg
The Unborn (2009, Rated PG-13)
Parents Need to Know...

that this is a review of the PG-13-rated movie and not the unrated DVD version. This horror film, while relatively bloodless, is still totally frightening (as in NOT for younger kids). It's full of freaky, scary stuff like monsters, ... read more

Age 15+
The Unborn
3
Friday the 13th.jpg
Friday the 13th (2009) (2009, Rated R)
Parents Need to Know...

that this slasher remake is a never-ending series of bloody, brutal, violent murders perpetrated by a mutilated sociopath. There are several explicit sex scenes, as well as scenes that mingle sexuality and violence -- like when a topless ... read more

No Kids
Friday the 13th (2009)
1
my bloody valentine dvd.jpg
My Bloody Valentine 3-D (2009, Rated R)
Parents Need to Know...

that this ultra-gory slasher/horror remake is full of foulmouthed, unsavory characters, many of whom end up getting speared by pickaxe blades, shot, dismembered, and/or eviscerated. Human hearts are torn out and put inside chocolate ... read more

No Kids
My Bloody Valentine 3-D
2
underworld lycans dvd 2.jpg
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009, Rated R)
Parents Need to Know...

that teens might be clamoring to see this movie after the succcess of Underworld and Underworld: Evolution -- not to mention the increased interest in all things vampire thanks to Twilight -- but this is no angsty teen love story. It's ... read more

No Kids
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
2
uninvited dvd.jpg
The Uninvited (2009, Rated PG-13)
Parents Need to Know...

that this moody supernatural horror movie is very gory and violent, with everything from mutilated corpses and lots of flowing blood to contorted human bodies speaking and moving. The story revolves around a widowed father whose ... read more

Age 15+
The Uninvited
2
house dvd.jpg
House (2009, Rated R)
Parents Need to Know...

that this horror movie -- which was adapted from a best-selling novel by Christian authors Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti -- has adult themes like repentance, sin, and suffering. The violence isn't as over-the-top as in many other horror ... read more

Age 15+
House
1
last house left dvd.jpg
The Last House on the Left (1972) (2009, Rated R)
Parents Need to Know...

that the savage violence in this film -- conveyed mainly in reaction shots and quick cutaways, but still intense -- includes close-range shooting, knifing/slashing, a castration-by-biting (you read that correctly), and an attack with a ... read more

No Kids
The Last House on the Left (1972)
1
haunting of molly dvd.jpg
The Haunting of Molly Hartley (2009, Rated PG-13)
Parents Need to Know...

that teens may be drawn to this horror movie by co-star Chace Crawford, who's part of the cast of Gossip Girl. There's some violent, scary stuff, but it's also mostly bloodless (particularly when compared to movies like the Saw franchise) ... read more

Age 14+
The Haunting of Molly Hartley
2
midnight meat train dvd.jpg
The Midnight Meat Train (2009, Rated R)
Parents Need to Know...

that horror-loving teens may want to see this movie based on a short story by Clive Barker, but there's enough here to test even the strongest stomachs. The movie is literally drenched in blood from the opening moments to the finale. It's ... read more

No Kids
The Midnight Meat Train
1
quarantine dvd.jpg
Quarantine (2009, Rated R)
Parents Need to Know...

that this horror movie is absolutely terrifying, full of gore and terror and violence. Grisly wounds are shown in great detail, and tension builds to a fever pitch. The victims -- hungry, angry, mindless zombie-like creatures -- are the ... read more

No Kids
Quarantine
4
saw v dvd 2.jpg
Saw V (2009, Rated R)
Parents Need to Know...

that this "torture porn" horror movie is full of graphic, grisly violence that combines sadistic terror with state-of-the-art makeup and effects. Lots characters are killed in lots of ways, all very graphically and all shown on ... read more

No Kids
Saw V
1
repo_the_genetic_opera.jpg
Repo! The Genetic Opera (2009, Rated R)
Parents Need to Know...

that this offbeat horror movie/musical -- which is set in a near-future where people can buy plastic surgery and genetically engineered replacement organs on credit -- is extraordinarily violent (in some cases, the organs are ... read more

No Kids
Repo! The Genetic Opera
2
mirrors_dvd.jpg
Mirrors (2009, Rated R)
Parents Need to Know...

that this brutal horror movie is graphically, grotesquely, and grimly violent, featuring extensive sequences of special-effects gore. Disturbing, gory images are lingered over, and the film's magical-mirror plotline -- in which mystical ... read more

No Kids
Mirrors
2
the strangers.jpg
The Strangers (2008, Rated R)
Parents Need to Know...

that plenty of blood is spilled in this grisly, tense, very scary horror movie. Characters are stabbed, beaten, and shot, often very graphically. That said, unlike many others in the horror genre, the film doesn't sexualize its terror, ... read more

No Kids
The Strangers
3
stuck.jpg
Stuck (2008, Rated R)
Parents Need to Know...

that this film uses violence, blood, and gore -- along with graphic sex and drug use -- to make the point that, in one character's words, "anybody can do anything to anyone and get away with it." A man is stabbed in the face with a pen, a ... read more

No Kids
Stuck
3
8843_orig.jpg
The Happening (2008, Rated R)
Parents Need to Know...

that this tense horror film is the first one from writer-director M. Night Shyamalan to earn an R rating -- and for good reason. It's loaded with violent, bloody images and is much more graphic than the PG-13 movies that have earned him a ... read more

Age 16+
The Happening
2
8526_orig.jpg
Pathology (2008, Rated R)
Parents Need to Know...

that this brutal horror/thriller is definitely not for kids, despite the presence of Heroes star Milo Ventimiglia in the lead role. It's full of calculated, ingenious, premeditated murders that are performed as an intellectual and moral ... read more

No Kids
Pathology
3
more new on DVD

Recommended Movie Lists

See more lists >

Find Movies by Title


A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 0-9

About Our Reviews

Common Sense Media's movie reviews and ratings for all ages are based on child development principles. We give you trustworthy information so you can pick what's best for your family. We may know media, but you're the expert on your kids.

Give Us a Minute, Get a Lot of Common Sense!
  • Age-appropriate best bets for your kids
  • Weekly email alert with the latest picks, reviews & advice
  • Post your own reviews and share them with friends
This will never be displayed to others.
Your email will never be displayed to others.
Your password should be 6-10 characters long.
A screen name protects your privacy
(It's free!)

Already a member? Log in
Your family's privacy is our highest priority.
See our privacy policy, community guidelines, and terms of use.
To post a review or comment you must become a Common Sense Member. It's easy!
Set-up your account
This will never be displayed to others.
Your email will never be displayed to others.
Your password should be 6-10 characters long.
Choose a screen name
It will appear when you post your own reviews and recommendations.
A screen name protects your privacy
Tell us your children's ages
You'll see the movies, games, books, shows, music, and sites our editors select just for them. As your children get older, our picks will grow with them!Why we ask for this
We never display your children's names, (or nicknames) to anyone, but you. Providing your children's ages allows us to personalize information on our site, so you get better information, faster.
is
until
(optional)
is
until
is
until
is
until
is
until
is
until
Add another child

Already a member? Log in
Your family's privacy is our highest priority.
See our privacy policy, community guidelines, and terms of use.
We can make Common Sense just right for you. With a little info about you and your family, you'll get the most out of our site.
Set-up your account
This will never be displayed to others.
Your email will never be displayed to others.
Your password should be 6-10 characters long.
Tell us your children's ages
You'll see the movies, games, books, shows, music, and sites our editors select just for them. As your children get older, our picks will grow with them!
Why we ask for this
We never display your children's names, (or nicknames) to anyone, but you. Providing your children's ages allows us to personalize information on our site, so you get better information, faster.
is
until
is
until
is
until
is
until
is
until
is
until
Add another child
Choose a screen name
It will appear when you post your own reviews and recommendations
A screen name protects your privacy
Already a member? Log in
Your family's privacy is our highest priority.
See our privacy policy, community guidelines, and terms of use.
Register to add this school to your profile. You'll be able to see and share reviews from parents, teachers, and kids at your child's school.
I'm already a Common Sense member.
Kids under 13 must use a screen name
Your family's privacy is our highest priority.
See our privacy policy, community guidelines, and terms of use.