Certificate Ratings Research

The U symbol stands for universal, and means that the film is suitable for anyone over the age of four. only mild bad language such as damn, hell, bloody or bugger are allowed and this must be with a suitable and justifiable context. If there are any moments of emotional stress or threat they must be quick and have a reassuring outcome.

PG stands for parental Guidance and so it is acceptable for general viewing but the minimum age is around 8. It allows mild bad language but stresses the importance of the context, and it does not allow for detail in violence or fighting.

Anyone aged 12 or over can see the film unaccompanied (12a for films at the cinema only). In this the tone is considered, so if it is particularly dark or has an unsettling tone it will probably not get this rating. There may be strong language but infrequently again taking into account the context. Moderate physical and psychological threat is permitted but disturbing scenes cannot be frequent or sustained.

This is very similar to 12A only for films on DVD and Blu-ray.

no-one under 15 is allowed to watch. it may contain strong violence and frequent strong language. No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds, so it cannot necessarily endorse themes such as racism or discriminatory language.

18 rated films are for adults, so no-one below the age of 18, no theme is prohibited as adults by law are free to pick their own entertainment, but this means no 18 works are suitable for children.

The restricted 18 certificate  is only to be specially licensed cinemas as it is restricted classification primarily for explicit works of consenting sex or strong material involving adults.






I believe that our film would have a rating of 15 as it shows scenes of blood, knives and allusions to violence but it does not contain any bad language or sexual scenes so may not be an 18 certificate