M. Night Shyamalan’s Old Gets Official Rating

Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan has delivered horror fans a variety of adventures over the years, some more gruesome than others, though his upcoming film Old looks to be keeping the terror a bit more tame, as it has officially earned a PG-13 rating. Of course, the film won’t necessarily be a family-friendly experience, as it earns its rating for “strong violence, disturbing images, suggestive content, partial nudity, and brief strong language.” Throughout his career, only 2008’s The Happening secured an R rating, due in large part to a variety of gruesome deaths.

The new film is described, “This summer, visionary filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan unveils a chilling, mysterious new thriller about a family on a tropical holiday who discover that the secluded beach where they are relaxing for a few hours is somehow causing them to age rapidly … reducing their entire lives into a single day.”

Old stars Gael García Bernal (Amazon’s Mozart in the Jungle), Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread), Rufus Sewell (Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle), Ken Leung (Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens), Nikki Amuka-Bird (Jupiter Ascending), Abbey Lee (HBO’s Lovecraft Country), Aaron Pierre (Syfy’s Krypton), Alex Wolff (Hereditary), Embeth Davidtz (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Eliza Scanlen (Little Women), Emun Elliott (Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens), Kathleen Chalfant (Showtime’s The Affair), and Thomasin McKenzie (Jojo Rabbit).

Much like how the new film will lean into suspense more than gore, the first trailer for the new film has kept the plot mysterious, another trend that fans have come to expect from the filmmaker.

One thing audiences can’t expect, however, is how much they’ll enjoy the movie, as reactions to his films have been all across the board since his acclaimed The Sixth Sense hit theaters in 1999.

Shyamalan’s earlier efforts, including Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and Signs, all have 70% positive reviews or higher, according to aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, with later efforts The Visit and Split earning 68% and 77% positive reviews, respectively. Other films, however, haven’t fared quite as well, with The Village sitting at 43% positive, The Lady in the Water sitting at 25% positive, and the aforementioned The Happening only scoring 18% positive. His latest film, 2019’s Glass, sits at 37% positive reviews.

Old lands in theaters on July 23rd.

Are you looking forward to the new film? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!