Although the first few months of 2020 have been marked by a slew of poorly received PG-13 horror movies, John Krasinski’s sequel to sci fi horror, A Quiet Place 2, looks to change the tides and remind audiences that high quality horror can still be produced under a PG-13 rating.
The original box office hit, well-received by critics and audiences alike. Hitting theaters in 2018, its post-apocalyptic tale of a family trying to survive in a world overtaken by aliens who hunt via sound captivated audiences.
With the original’s wild success, it didn’t take long for a sequel to be confirmed and announced. Its first trailer came out right at the beginning of 2020, announcing a premier date of late March of that year. However, A Quiet Place 2 took a little longer in getting a rating, announcing its PG-13 rating with just over two weeks to premiere.
Why 2020’s PG-13 Horror Movies Have Been Bad
Most of the Fantasy Island, another Blumhouse attempt at PG-13 horror in 2020, which was met with a dismal 9% on Rotten Tomatoes. While PG-13 ratings open up the possibility of greater audience attendance, they often come at the cost of quality, especially for movies like Black Christmas that, as slashers, come packaged with expectations of gratuitous gore.
The trouble with a PG-13 rating is its requirements towards more sanitized scares; guidelines outline restrictions such as not showing “both realistic and extreme or persistent violence.” Claustrophobic Alien homage, restrictions of a PG-13 rating.
Why A Quiet Place 2 Looks Good Even With A PG-13 Rating
Not all horror needs an R rating to be successful. Supernatural horror often gets more of a , with movies like The Ring extremely popular even with a PG-13 rating. This can come in part from a greater reliance on jump scares but doesn’t all fall down to cheap tricks. The original A Quiet Place had a PG-13 rating, understanding that successful horror doesn’t rely solely on disturbing imagery, but on the potency of a suspense. From its trailers, A Quiet Place 2 looks to follow the same avenue as its predecessor, reminding 2020 moviegoers that PG-13 is not a death sentence to successful horror.
