The Happening (2008) Poster

(2008)

Parents Guide

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Certification

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MPAA Rated R for violent and disturbing images
Certification

Sex & Nudity

Violence & Gore

  • As some construction men talk, there's a loud bang near them and they realize it's one of their crewmembers who's fallen a long distance to the street below, dead from the impact (we see his twisted and somewhat bloody body). Another construction worker then similarly hits the street, followed by the sound of others doing the same. Many men flinging themselves off a building and plummeting toward the street.
  • A man shoots himself in the head: we hear the gun go off, we see the bullet hole, and we see blood ooze out of the wound; another man picks up that same gun and shoots himself in the head, we see the bullet wound and blood and a woman also shoots herself in the head. A man shoots himself, we then we hear multiple gunshots and it is implied that others are killing themselves as well.
  • We see video footage on a cell phone that shows a man standing in a zoo's lion exhibit, walking over toward them, etc. The camera then moves about during the first attack, but we then see the man standing there, missing one arm (with bloody results), followed by a lion grabbing and yanking off his other arm (also with bloody/gory results).
  • A man watches from a distance as an infected man starts a large, industrial lawn mower, sets it into motion, and then lies down in front of it. We see the spinning blades then come into contact with the man, with blood spraying out (seen from a distance).
  • With a man and the others pulling up the rear of a group traveling on foot, we see the front section come to a halt, with an Army private now under the spell. He removes his handgun, and we later hear a gunshot, and then several more (as people apparently commit suicide with it).
  • We hear a girl jump out of a window (nothing is shown).
  • As a woman sits on a park bench with her friend in Central Park, she hears a distant scream and then notices that everyone is frozen in their tracks, save for her and a few people who are slowly walking backwards. Her friend then slowly removes a long hairpin from the back of her head and equally slowly drives it into her own neck, pushing it in (we see blood around the insertion point).
  • After a boy kicks at the door of some holed-up people, a shotgun blast rips through this torso (with bloody results). We then see a shotgun or rifle barrel sticking out and aiming at another boy. A man sees that too late as the shot hits that boy (we don't see the impact, but do see the body).
  • A man shoots himself. We hear the gun go off, but we do not see this action happen.
  • Several gunshots are heard in the background of a scene. It's implied that it was people shooting themselves in the head.
  • A group of bodies are seen hanging. Done in a non-graphic way
  • A jeep slows down and then purposefully speeds up and rams into a tree, with two people ejected hard from the vehicle. Another gets out and seems unscathed, but he sits down in the road, grabs a shard of glass, and proceeds to slice his wrist several times (seen from a distance, with no blood).
  • A car is seen driving past dead bodies. We only see the clothes of the bodies, no blood.
  • After hearing a loud thump on an outside wall, a man spots a woman with some blood on her face. She then smashes her head through a closed window, shattering it and severely cutting her face (including with a shard of glass stuck in her eye).
  • One man describes seeing bodies wrapped in barbed wire.
  • People talk about seeing dead bodies in different towns and areas.
  • A woman asks if something she sees is blood.
  • There are many discussions of the happening. Not graphic
  • A woman smacks a child's hand.

Profanity

Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking

  • A man holds a fake glass of wine in his hands.

Frightening & Intense Scenes

  • The movie has some brutal and graphic scenes
  • The film is unsettling and dark, though not horrifying.
  • The film is about an unexplained virus which makes people commit suicide. It is like an actual virus in which people would slowly die when they catch it.
  • A group of people and a soldier get killed off-screen.
  • Realizing the toxin is in the air, a man and the others try to flee from the wind blowing their direction.
  • People suspect and discuss the possibility of a biological terrorist attack.

Spoilers

The Parents Guide items below may give away important plot points.

Violence & Gore

  • After a car crash, Julian slits his wrists but shown in the distance, therefore not graphic or bloody.
  • A boy is shot with a shotgun by a man (the boy is lifted off the ground and we see blood and bullet holes).

See also

Taglines | Plot Summary | Synopsis | Plot Keywords


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