Misery (1990) - Parents Guide Movie Rating

MPA: R BBFC: 15 Maturity Rating 16+

BBFC Reason: Contains strong violence and threat and infrequent strong language

BBFC Ratings info: MISERY is a psychological thriller in which a successful writer is held captive by an obsessive fan. Violence: Scenes include a man's ankle being broken with a hammer, a bloody shooting, and a character being bludgeoned to death. Language: There is infrequent use of strong language ('c**ksucker', 'f**k'). Prolonged sequences of threat occur in which a man is detained in a house against his will.

Sex & Nudity

none

Pretty much no sex or nudity at all in this movie.

Violence & Gore

severe

Although some parts sre violent, none of the scenes are gruesome and disgusting. The sledgehammer scene is not depicted in detail but is frightening to watch. Not many jump scares. This is not a supernatural movie. A man is shot in the back with a shotgun, and a bloody exit wound appears in his chest. A man is shown in very deep pain throughout the entire film, and his legs are shown injured. A Man's ankles are broken through torture methods. One of the most iconic moments in the movie A man is in a car crash; his car rolls down a hill and he is knocked unconscious. His face is bloody and we later learn his legs are severely broken. A woman breaks a man's ankles with a sledgehammer. We see her place a block of wood between his ankles and then hit one of them with the sledgehammer. It snaps around the block of wood and we hear a disturbing sound as his ankle breaks, and we see it bend around the block. We see her raise the sledgehammer to do the second one but the camera cuts away to the mans screaming and pained face. No blood or gore A psychotic woman attacks a severely injured man in a wheelchair. She beats him and shoots him in the shoulder (with some blood), he shoves burnt paper down her throat and gouges her eyes with his thumbs (blood is shown coming from her eyes). The woman stands and the man trips her up. She falls and hits her head on the corner of a type writer. Some blood is shown. The man drags himself out of the room, but the woman suddenly jumps on top of him and tries to strangle him. He grabs a concrete ornament and hits her in the face with it, killing her. There is some blood, although the scene isnt too graphic. A woman acts violently towards a man in a wheelchair on occasion, including spraying lighter fluid on him while holding a box of matches, injecting him with a sedative, tying him to his bed, and occasionally slamming something on his legs or otherwise harming him. Annie is hit over the head with a heavy typewriter, although this pleasant to watch due to how evil she is.

Profanity

moderate

one f-word towards the end In one scene, when frustrated with Paul's writing, Annie repeatedly uses "effing" (only the abbreviation, not the real word). "Fuck" is said once, aggressively as a direct insult towards the end of the movie A man types the f word during one scene whilst writing a novel. This is intended to be comical. Teens should be okay with watching this scene as almost all teen books nowadays have written uses of the f word. "Cocksucker" is said once toward the end but it's easy to miss. The movie is tame in terms of profanity. One use of the middle finger. "Bitch" is said twice. "Bastard" is said a couple of times. About 2 uses of "shit". A few "damn"s and "hell"s.

Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking

mild

A man is given pills several times. A man is injected with a sedative. A man attempts to drug a woman by spiking her wine, however he doesn't succeed. A man and a woman drink wine together. A man is seen smoking a cigarette.

Frightening & Intense Scenes

severe

If this movie were newer it could probably get away with a PG-13 rating since there isn't really anything too explicit in it. Extremely frightening and disturbing movie. Although the actual content on paper is not that inappropriate, the fear factor of this movie and the potential scarring this movie has is enough to make it unsuitable for younger viewers. Teenagers should be able to handle it though. Suggested MPAA rating: PG-13 for frightening moments and disturbing behavior, some violence, and brief language The movie is built on the tension of a person being held against their will without anyone knowing about it, as the movie progresses it becomes increasingly intense as the captor goes to extreme measures to keep her victim, who is injured and has limited movement. This movie doesn't contain jumpscares like a lot of other horror films but is very suspenseful and psychologically frightening. One character has some scenes where she is very violent and temperamental, and some scenes that include her in such a state might frighten younger children. One scene involves a wheelchair bound man trying to get back into a room before his captor arrives home. One character has his ankles broken by another character with a sledgehammer. The final fight scene can be quite intense for some viewers. It's revealed that a woman character has murdered children and other people in the hospital where she used to work.