The Strange House

A family is told of a double murder and suicide that supposedly took place long ago in their house. The victims are buried in a cemetery next to the house. Ghosts appear, sometimes in a surprising or menacing way. Two brothers are regularly possessed by two other, dead brothers -- one is said to be a good ghost and the other bad. When they are possessed, including once when a group of teens holds a séance, their eyes turn black and they speak another language in a voice that echoes. A ghostly woman screams in someone's nightmare and slugs slide out of her mouth. A bully teases a new teen in town in one scene and punches his nose in another, resulting in a bloody nose which a female friend plugs with two tampons. A younger friend faints at the sight of blood. Henrik and Ida put themselves at risk when they sneak into people's houses, and they are chased through the woods at night by a man with a rifle, taking refuge in a cave that turns out to be treacherous for them.

Teens flirt and two kiss.

"F--k," "s--t," "s--tty," "damn," "dumbass," "stupid," "shut it," "shut up," "piss off," "jerk," "heck," "dork," "Kraut" (derogatory term for Germans). The film was reviewed in German with English subtitles.

Adults drink alcohol and smoke. A teen's mom comes home visibly drunk and says she won't drink Schnapps again. A kid offers her his mom's hangover remedy of water and aspirin. A teen spikes the punch at a community event and gives the drink to younger kids.

Parents need to know that the scares in The Strange House (Das Schaurige Haus) won't frighten older teens, but the murder mystery could be upsetting to younger kids. There are creepy ghosts and a couple of jump scares as well as kids possessed by other dead kids, which makes their eyes go black and their speaking get strange. Kids and teens appear to be in peril in some sequences, either by malevolent ghosts and shadowy figures, or because they have put themselves into dangerous situations, sneaking into houses and getting chased by a man with a rifle through the woods at night, winding up in a treacherous cave. Some of these scenes could be scary for younger viewers. The teens also show ingenuity, courage, and teamwork in trying to solve the murder mystery and confront ghosts and suspects alike. Two teens share one kiss and adults drink alcohol, sometimes to excess. A teen's mom comes home visibly drunk and says she won't drink Schnapps again. A kid offers her his mom's hangover remedy of water and aspirin. A teen spikes the punch at a community event and gives the drink to younger kids. Language includes "f--k," "s--t," "s--tty," "damn," "dumbass," "stupid," "shut it," "shut up," "piss off," "jerk," "heck," "dork," "Kraut" (a derogatory term for Germans). The film was reviewed in German with English subtitles.

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