British Board of Film Classification

The British board of film classification is an independent, non government-body, which has classified cinema films since it was set up in 1912. They must consider various UK laws when classifying a film to help them conclude as to what certificate the film aught to be. They would need to take the following areas into consideration when deciding the rating of the film. These are:

- Discrimination

- Drugs
- Nudity
- Horror

- Imitable behaviour

- Language

- Theme
- Violence

- Sex

Here is the definition of each classification:

U

The 'U' stands for Universal. This means it is suitable for ages from 4 and above. It will contain very mild sexual reference and if violence is seen, it will be for a very short period of time and the situation will soon be resolved for reassurance.

PG (Parental Guidance)
A PG film should not disturb a child aged 8 or above but it might contain mild language, nudity, violence and sexual reference. It is advised that the parent/carer of the child should decide whether the film is suitable for their child to watch.

12 and 12A

A film rated 12 is considered to have mild language, some violence, and scenes that wouldn’t be suitable for ages 11 and under. However a 12A is for cinema use only and a child aged 12 can only see the film when accompanied by an adult. This is because the use of nudity, language, sex references, drugs, horror and violence would be a lot higher compared to a normal film rated 12.

15
A film that is rated 15 would have a substantial amount of violence, horror, nudity, sexual activity, drugs and overall adult theme. Most horror films are rated 15 as they contain mild disturbing contents or strong language.






18
An 18 film would contain extreme sexual activity, very strong language throughout, drugs and graphic content. It would also have very strong violence, blood and gore, discriminatory language and behaviour.







R18

These films are strictly for adults. These films would contain pornographic content and will not be accessible by postal order. These films are only allowed to be shown on licensed cinemas and licensed sex shops.







We are aiming for our film to be a 15 as we would like it to contain strong language, horror, drugs, and an overall suitable for an older audience. As most psychological thrillers are either 15 and above we would like to aim for this theme and have the similar content as them.