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Making good PG or PG-13-rated horror is tricky. Movies don't need to be graphic in order to be scary, but working within the bounds of a PG-13 rating significantly reduces the horror filmmaker's toolkit. They cannot rely on gore or explicit content for their scares and must tread a fine line between frightening and disturbing. It's something many of them fail to do.

The worst PG-13 horror films often suffer from watered-down scares, predictable plots, and uninspired storytelling. Whether they rely too heavily on clichés or lack the necessary tension to truly terrify, these movies leave audiences feeling disappointed rather than unnerved. They chase a broad audience, but often wind up pleasing no one; too intense for younger viewers, too tepid for adults. With this in mind, here are the ten most egregious examples of ten PG-13 horror movies missing the mark...

Life on a farm is hard. Despite all the great things about the countryside--the fresh air, the beauty of nature, the close-knit community--there are major downsides. For one thing, too much isolation can lead to loneliness and a twisted worldview. Remote places can also nurture a sense of lawlessness, providing cover for corruption and violent deeds. And, of course, there's all the manual labor required for daily survival, which leads to mental and physical exhaustion.

Because of all these issues, a farm is a near-perfect location for a horror movie. The characters are usually so far from civilization that no one can hear them scream when things go wrong, which they usually do--very, very wrong. Whether it's mutilation by equipment, attacks by livestock gone wild, or the madness of too many long nights alone, horror movie protagonists can suffer all kinds of terrible fates on a farm. These horror movies are the perfect representations of the dangers of farm life, using their agrarian settings to tell stories of solitude, dread, and terror...

In 2019, Guillermo del Toro and André Øvredal thrilled generations of horror fans with a big-screen version of the classic collection Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark. The film's success proved that viewers of all ages still love the terrifying tales presented in Alvin Schwartz's book series — no matter how often they've been banned. Though readers still love these books with their stunning Stephen Gammel illustrations, not everyone knows the history of the series...but a captivating documentary, simply called Scary Stories, can change that.

This film offers three histories in one: First, a survey of the books' ever-expanding fandom featuring the stellar artistry of the most passionate admirers; second, the story of the controversy over whether the series should be allowed in school libraries; and third, the story of one man's path to understanding his estranged father, author Alvin Schwartz. Scary Stories is a powerful and hopeful examination of one of the most embattled and beloved book series ever made, and it is streaming now on Prime...

A camp excursion takes a deadly turn in Lore, a gruesome and acclaimed anthology horror film from directors James Bushe, Patrick Ryder, and Greig Johnson.

Premiering at last year's FrightFest, Lore is now available to stream exclusively on the Icon Film Channel and will be shown in select theaters in the United Kingdom beginning on Friday, September 27. For those unable to access the movie via those two methods, it will be available on home entertainment in October in the UK.

Starring Richard Brake (Hannibal Rising), Andrew Lee Potts (The Witcher), Bill Fellows (Ted Lasso), and Rufus Hound (Hounded), Lore centers on a group of friends on a fun and fright-filled camping excursion led by their mysterious guide, Darwin (Brake). Around the campfire, Darwin encourages everyone to exchange scary stories, but they're unaware that telling tales about demons and spirits could have dangerous repercussions for them all.

Based on the trailer and early photos, it looks like Lore will feature popular folk horror tropes, menacing stalkers, ghostly hauntings, and more. Some reviewers have compared it to classic Hammer horror films mixed in with a dash of Black Mirror.

Check out the full-length trailer...

A camp excursion takes a deadly turn in Lore, a gruesome and acclaimed anthology horror film from directors James Bushe, Patrick Ryder, and Greig Johnson.

Premiering at last year's FrightFest, Lore is now available to stream exclusively on the Icon Film Channel and will be shown in select theaters in the United Kingdom beginning on Friday, September 27. For those unable to access the movie via those two methods, it will be available on home entertainment in October in the UK.

Starring Richard Brake (Hannibal Rising), Andrew Lee Potts (The Witcher), Bill Fellows (Ted Lasso), and Rufus Hound (Hounded), Lore centers on a group of friends on a fun and fright-filled camping excursion led by their mysterious guide, Darwin (Brake). Around the campfire, Darwin encourages everyone to exchange scary stories, but they're unaware that telling tales about demons and spirits could have dangerous repercussions for them all.

Based on the trailer and early photos, it looks like Lore will feature popular folk horror tropes, menacing stalkers, ghostly hauntings, and more. Some reviewers have compared it to classic Hammer horror films mixed in with a dash of Black Mirror.

Check out the full-length trailer...

Back in 2020, Collider did a deep dive into the artistic work of Didier Konings, an accomplished concept artist, digital painter, and visual effects artist whose work featured in the likes of Wonder Woman, Rampage, Stranger Things, and Mouse Guard, to name just a few. Since then, Konings has been a busy man, and there have been exciting developments in his career. Last year, Konings teamed up with Make Way Film for his first feature-length project, Heresy, which Collider is delighted to reveal, is set to have its U.S. premiere this week at Fantastic Fest. Since relocating from his native Netherlands, Konings has spent the last ten years working as a concept and VFX artist and, as we've previously noted, his contributions to major studio projects shouldn't be ignored.

His extensive experience in VFX and design played a critical role in Heresy, where he personally handled much of the visual effects work. After directing two award-winning short films over the last four years, Heresy (also known as Witte Wieven) serves as a return to his native Dutch roots, bringing audiences a gripping folk tale of revenge and redemption, mixed with just the right amount of horror thrills. The film received critical and audience acclaim at its world premiere in Rotterdam during IFFR this past January.

The official description of the project gives you an indication of what to expect from the Folk Horror:

"Didier Konings’ simmering medieval horror Witte Wieven explores the confluence of religion and patriarchy in an excessively puritanical Dutch village. Blamed by her community for being childless, Frieda immerses herself in prayer and ritual. When she returns unscathed from the forbidden forest surrounding the village, having evaded a lecherous butcher, she is condemned as an agent of the devil. Frieda, however, finds new faith in the dark powers that inhabit the woods. Shot in a reduced color palette at the edge of visibility, Konings’ gripping film constructs a convincing pre-modern society whose practices it elucidates with patience and attention. Although set in the Middle Ages, Witte Wieven displays an unmistakably contemporary spirit, crafting a feminist parable about women discovering new ways of understanding their lives and the world"...

The Alien franchise is back on the big screen with Alien: Romulus, which is currently the highest grossing horror movie of the year with $101 million made here in the United States and $331 million scared up worldwide. The film is still going strong at the box office with no at-home release announced at this time, and in fact Romulus just passed another huge milestone.

IMAX has announced today that Alien: Romulus is now IMAX’s highest grossing horror of all time at the global box office, with $40 million in ticket sales for IMAX theaters alone...

Hugh Grant’s upcoming horror movie Heretic has unveiled yet another trailer, and whilst this one is only a minute long, it gives us a better look at Grant’s Jigsaw-like sadistic homeowner.

The trailer opens with 'The Air That I Breathe' by The Hollies playing in the background whilst the camera pans to a framed picture of a young Grant alongside a number of various religious artefacts. In the rest of the clip, we see Grant’s villain setting up what looks like various traps around his house, even going as far as to build a model of the home and write 'Belief' and 'Disbelief' on two doors as it was an escape room of sorts. All the while, two young female missionaries are on the way to his house. We can only imagine what horror lies ahead for them there. Watch the full trailer...

In a new interview, retired NASA astronaut and current Arizona senator Mark Kelly insisted that the US government could be doing much more to investigate credible claims about unidentified flying objects.

Speaking to GZero founder Ian Bremmer, the former twin astronaut didn't scoff at the idea that the truth may be out there.

"I've seen some compelling testimony from navy fighter pilots who... in a position of leadership in a squadron, have seen something very compelling," Kelly said.

As video from the GZero interview suggests, the senator and prior commander of the Space Shuttle was likely referencing ex-Naval pilot Ryan Graves' Congressional testimony last summer in which he described seeing a craft so strange while flying off the coast of Virginia a decade ago that his flight commander "immediately" called the mission off.

As Bremmer noted, that pilot was convinced that the unexplained object he saw flying over the water near Virginia Beach was "technologically not possible" by any known American or adversarial craft.

"In one case," Kelly said, "that is true"...

NeoWiz has teased Lies of P’s DLC with an image that’ll give H.P. Lovecraft fans the shivers. It also confirms that we’ll be playing as P himself rather than a new fairytale character.

The Lies of P Twitter account posted a single picture to give us a peek of the upcoming DLC, which showcases Pinocchio, aka P, standing in a gloomy coastal town with a large lighthouse looming ominously in the distance, its light like an eldritch eye against the dark. The town looks much like a snowier version of H.P. Lovecraft’s infamous and iconic Innsmouth.

In fact, given that Lovecraft’s work is public domain, it wouldn’t be surprise me if NeoWiz was also mining that slimy, fictional seam. Puppets aside, Lies of P also had you taking on Carcasses, gruesome, formerly-living enemies, and I can well imagine those crawling up the beach under the gaze of the lighthouse.

All theorizing aside, NeoWiz has confirmed, in another tweet, that the dev is hard at work on the DLC, in the middle of a hot Korean summer. “For the DLC of the Lies of P and the sequel, we aim to do better on what we did well and improve in areas we have room to grow,” NeoWiz director Jiwon Choi explains.

Choi also shared a new track from the game, dubbed “Lisrim”, but he didn’t reveal when the DLC will be arriving or what it’ll be called. So for now, fans will just have to stare at the teaser image and hope it doesn’t move. If you’ve yet to tackle Lies of P, a game KC Nwosu called “gorgeous, challenging, absorbing, polished, and an absolute must play.”

Three members of a black metal band ‘Invoking Yell’ venture into the woods to shoot a demo tape. What begins as a relatively innocent trip into the woods turns into a dark and satanic love letter. They hope to record paranormal phenomena as part of their album. The trio goes to unusual lengths to achieve this process and, as a result, tap into sinister forces. Invoking Yell is a found footage horror film that is slow to start but does find its footing to unleash a chill-inducing and downright creepy tale.

The setting and story of Invoking Yell are confined and straightforward. Three members of a metal band, Ruth (Andrea Ozuljevich), Andrea (María Jesús Marcone), and Tania (Macarena Carrere), venture into the woods with the hopes of recording a phenomenon for their band. Right off the bat, thanks to the found-footage narrative, the movie creates an immediate claustrophobic intimacy. The deeper the characters venture into the woods, the more the feeling takes hold. While short on outright scares, the film excels at building tension through atmosphere in both sound and sight...

Plot: On the eve of being ordained, three young priests, Paul (Austin Freeman), John (Charlie Prince) and Mark (Sam Sneary), are given one final test. They are surprised and question what the test could be but decide to ignore the warning. However, on their journey, they stumble upon a woman in need. She invites them into her home to help her possessed daughter by carrying out an exorcism.

The three priests must deal with something unexpected as they are put through a series of trials. Each trial tests their faith as the men decide whether they are ready to graduate.

Reviews: “This movie dives into religious connection right down to having the priests named John, Paul and Mark. It plays into the sensitive subjects revolving around how priests get ordained, almost like a hazing process. This becomes a very interesting concept and one which has surprises along the way. the best way to describe this movie is, a religious escape room.” Movie Reviews 101

” …The Final Pact is an interesting film that plays out more as a supernatural drama than a fright flick. It benefits from some strong performances and interesting ideas. There isn’t much in the way of effects, but the cinematography, also by Rabbath, looks great and nicely frames the effects the budget allowed for. As long as you realize you’ll spend more time thinking than jumping out of your seat, you should enjoy the film.” ★★★½ Voices from the Balcony