Parents' Guide to

The Moth Diaries

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Angst-ridden teen horror movie has suicide themes.

Movie R 2012 82 minutes
The Moth Diaries Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 16+

Based on 1 parent review

wonder dove
wonder dove Adult
March 23, 2013
age 16+

Disappointing.

For some reason, I really wanted to like this movie. The trailer seemed interesting but the film turned out dull and didn't make much sense. The theme felt like it's been done before, I can''t put my finger on which movie. I almost didn't watch it all but managed to get through it. It's slow moving. Violence is pretty gory. Language isn't too bad for cursing, but there's one "f" word and several sex-related words. Sexual content includes a few dream-like scenes. A quick scene of nudity (bare breast) during sex and partial nudity, a teacher kisses his student, lots of sex talk, two females appear in bed together but nothing is shown. Pot is used in a couple scenes by a group of girls with some bad reactions. Not recommended for young teens.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

Recovering from her father's suicide, Rebecca (Sarah Bolger) attends an all-girls boarding school. She looks forward to seeing her best friend, Lucie (Sarah Gadon), again. But as they prepare for the best year ever, a new girl, the creepy Ernessa (Lily Cole), turns up and begins stealing Lucie away from Rebecca. Rebecca notices that Lucie has stopped eating and looks rather weak and sick, but no one listens to her. Not even handsome poetry teacher Mr. Davies (Scott Speedman) can help. Worse, Rebecca begins seeing creepy things, visions and other weird events, involving Ernessa -- including a bloody rainstorm and a glimpse of Ernessa passing straight through a glass window. Can Rebecca get to the bottom of these mysterious events?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (1):

Coming from the intense, button-pushing director Mary Harron -- of American Psycho and The Notorious Bettie Page -- THE MOTH DIARIES is a disappointment. Ostensibly made as an angst-filled teen horror movie in the vein of Twilight, it doesn't really have an idea of its own identity. For example, the boarding school is supposed to be on the site of an old hotel, but this isn't really used in any interesting physical way.


Despite an interesting, hushed atmosphere, scenes start arbitrarily in various locations throughout the school, with no real sense of place or time. As a result, the characters seem lost. Likewise, The Moth Diaries fails to balance its vague vampire themes and more overt themes of suicide. However the movie makes good use of Cole (also in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus), an actress with a truly unique look who, like Elsa Lanchester or Barbara Steele, seems destined for a great career in genre films.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how the movie presents suicide. Is it realistic? Does it romanticize it at all? What makes some people think that it's their only option? What impact does their decision have on their friends and family? Where can kids in despair turn for assistance?

  • In the story, one of the teen girls has sex with a boy for the first time. How is it presented? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships.

  • Is this movie scary? What are the scariest parts, and why do they or don't they work?

Movie Details

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