ParentGAF: What is the right age to show a kid Jaws?

Captain Zyrain

Captain Zyrain

Member
Self explanatory.

It's rated 'PG' but that's early 80s PG.

I remember seeing it when I was like 7 or 8 and it literally traumatized me for life. I couldn't go in the deep end of a swimming pool without hearing the theme. To this day it's in the back of my mind whenever I'm in the ocean.

One of my kids loves sharks and shark week and I'd love to show him Jaws but can't think when the right time would be. What say you, GAF?
 
My son loved Jaws at like 3. He also loved the old school Godzilla movies as well as Jurassic Park around the same age.
 
As a kid when I watch it, the shark bits were scary, but everything else was REALLY fucking boring.

Show them Duel first, same thing, much better (for kids).
 
My biggest dilemma I guess is how scary is it to a first time viewer in the year of our lord 2020.

Feels like the stuff we see on the daily now is scarier than the movie, but I'm not sure.
 
My parents showed it to me 1 week before our first trip to Florida (I was probably 5 or 6). My parents were sick that way.

Another terrible one was when I was about 10 or 11 one of our neighbors got a little capuchin monkey. So naturally the day before we went to see the monkey they showed me Outbreak.
 
They are probably at about the right age to see it.

It's supposed to scare you and if you wait until they are 12 or 13 they are probably going to see worse things that will make them immune to it.

If they have seen other creepy kids stuff like Corpse Bride or Coraline and they are OK with it they would probably be OK with Jaws.

I had seen Psycho, Childs Play (That one got me), Lots of Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street already when I was that age.

Keep the hardcore gore stuff away until they get older, but Jaws is fairly tame as far as horror goes.
 
That's probably about the right age for it. Any older and it wouldn't have the same effect on them.
 
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I saw Jaws when I was 6. I was scared of going to the lake for like a full year. I would wait at least a bit.
 
Depends on the kid. If they can take it I think as young as five. One of mine is nine though and she'd be terrified.
 
I feel like some of you are missing the point, it was supposed to terrify you.

Later in life it's funny to look back on as schlock, but as a kid you were meant to be scared by it.

Also,I'd they do seem freaked out you can show them the sequels which will dilute their fear after they see how stupid it gets.

It's like they baked the antidote in.
 
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Kagey K said:
I feel like some of you are missing the point, it was supposed to terrify you.

Later in life it's funny to look back on as schlock, but as a kid you were meant to be scared by it.
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True words, but you do still have to be able to sleep at night. Don't want the kid coming crying to you all night because they're scared.
 
BigBooper said:
True words, but you do still have to be able to sleep at night. Don't want the kid coming crying to you all night because they're scared.
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I edited my post right before you replied, but the sequels will eliminate the fear, if they really get that scared.
 
I dunno, 6-7 maybe if they understand it's not real and you explain to them that sharks don't attack humans aggressively usually. That they have no hands and that is how they check what something is.
A bit like Edward Scissorhands.
 
SpartanN92 said:
My parents showed it to me 1 week before our first trip to Florida (I was probably 5 or 6). My parents were sick that way.

Another terrible one was when I was about 10 or 11 one of our neighbors got a little capuchin monkey. So naturally the day before we went to see the monkey they showed me Outbreak.
Click to expand...
Your parents are smart. No animals. If you wanted a dog they'd probably show you cujo the next day.
 
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It's hard to know...

I saw Jaws at age 9 and it scarred me for years. I never learned to swim, and sharks still freak me out to this day.

On the other hand, I saw Predator just a couple of years later and it became one of my all-time favorite movies. 🤷‍♀️
 
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Captain Zyrain said:
Self explanatory.

It's rated 'PG' but that's early 80s PG.

I remember seeing it when I was like 7 or 8 and it literally traumatized me for life. I couldn't go in the deep end of a swimming pool without hearing the theme. To this day it's in the back of my mind whenever I'm in the ocean.

One of my kids loves sharks and shark week and I'd love to show him Jaws but can't think when the right time would be. What say you, GAF?
Click to expand...

You wanna entertain them or fuck with them?
 
I saw it when I was seven. Still dont go in the ocean. Great movie though. Better than pretty much most of the garbage released now.
 
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