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Parents' Guide to

Haunted

By Jenny Nixon, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

"Real" ghost stories are dramatized with graphic violence.

TV Netflix Drama 2018
Haunted Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 17+

Based on 2 parent reviews

martineque
martineque Parent of 14-year-old
May 18, 2021
age 17+

Poor acting and gratuitous female nudity

I agree with previous review!
maurdaw
maurdaw Adult
April 5, 2020
age 17+

Nudity and blood

Started off like it might be okay, with a group of friends in a large house telling stories, but within 15 minutes there was a graphic sex scene with a fully naked woman. It didn’t last too long ( a minute or so) but then they were disturbed. About 5 or so minutes later there was another scene where a young woman walked down stairs with a night dress on and danced provocatively round a man sat on his bed. She dropped the shoulders off and revealed her naked body, then there was close- up images of her breasts as she danced. Thought this was totally out of place and decided that if already there had been quite a lot of female nudity, then how much more was to follow? I can handle nudity in context, but this was gratuitous!
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

HAUNTED is a docudrama series that features first-person accounts of supernatural happenings that are re-enacted by professional actors. The subject sits in a room with friends, family, and witnesses to the events and then emotionally recounts his or her story, which is intercut with spooky dramatizations full of blood, sinister images, violence, and creepy music. The stories cover the paranormal gamut and feature subjects such as haunted houses, poltergeists, demonic possessions, alien abductions, and more.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (2 ):

This is hardly the first haunted house-type show inspired by "true events" that strains credulity, but what is notable about it is the graphic and excessive violence used in the dramatizations. The stories being recounted in Haunted are upsetting enough -- children being forced to watch their father murder people and perform "demonic" rituals, a young boy tormented by the ghost of a woman who murdered her kids -- but the show amps up the ick factor with unnecessary violence and an excess of blood and guts. Child abuse is a running theme and is unflinchingly depicted. Drug and alcohol use is frequently mentioned and seen. The show's darkness isn't only in the subject matter. Though the production values and acting are notably better than most other shows in this genre, many of the episodes are unrelentingly dark and murky, lighting-wise. One of the participants says he's telling his story in hopes of "healing" from his experiences, which may be the case, but it's a bit hard to swallow considering the exploitative and sleazy feel of the show's re-enactments.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the use of dramatic re-enactments in shows like Haunted. Does it make a story more believable when you see it acted out by a professional? Is the way they portray these acts scary to you, or is using your imagination even scarier?

  • Have you or has someone in your family ever had a spooky experience that couldn't be explained? How did you deal with it?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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