Blow Out (1981)

Blow Out parents guide

Nothing past what an R promises: moderate sex and nudity, and strong violence.

Scare

Mildly scary

A few tense or eerie moments.

Jump scares

A couple

One or two sudden jolts.

Gore

Light gore

Some blood or injury, briefly.

Violence

Strong violence

Violence is frequent or intense.

Sex and nudity

Moderate

Moderate means a sex scene or nudity on screen, even brief, or sexual violence that is described or implied but never shown.

Language

Moderate

Some strong profanity, a few f-words.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

Is Blow Out scary?

Only a little. Blow Out has a few tense moments, nothing that follows you to bed.

How gory is Blow Out?

Light gore and strong violence.

What is Blow Out rated, and is it OK for kids?

Moderate sex and nudity, strong violence, and some strong language. The R is earned, so not for kids.

What is Blow Out about?

While recording sound effects for a slasher flick, Jack Terry stumbles upon a real-life horror: a car careening off a bridge and into a river. Jack jumps into the water and fishes out Sally from the car, but the other passenger is already dead — a governor intending to run for president. As Jack does some investigating of his tapes, and starts a perilous romance with Sally, he enters a tangled web of conspiracy that might leave him dead.

Cast and crew

More like Blow Out

• L.A. Confidential (1997)Gritty · graphic gore · brutal violence · emotionally heavyThree Los Angeles detectives navigate 1950s corruption and pulpy violence to expose a dark conspiracy.
• The Batman (2022)Gritty · light gore · strong violence · emotionally heavyA measured, gritty mystery unfolds as Batman confronts Gotham's corruption and a darkly-comic serial killer.
• Se7en (1995)Properly scary · extreme gore · brutal violence · emotionally devastatingTwo detectives hunt a serial killer whose gruesome crimes are meticulously based on the seven deadly sins.
• Chinatown (1974)Gritty · light gore · strong violence · emotionally devastatingA private eye navigates sun-drenched 1930s Los Angeles, uncovering a pulpy web of crime and deceit.
• Zodiac (2007)Suspenseful · light gore · strong violence · emotionally heavyJournalists and an amateur cartoonist obsess over an elusive serial killer, even as the public forgets.
• The Maltese Falcon (1941)Gritty · measuredA cynical detective navigates a shadowy world of criminals and a deceptive woman, all seeking a fabled statuette.
• Psycho (1960)Properly scary · light gore · strong violence · emotionally heavyA woman on the run finds a chilling, atmospheric motel where dread steadily builds to a shocking twist.
• Reservoir Dogs (1992)Gritty · graphic gore · brutal violence · emotionally heavyA botched jewel heist unravels into a darkly comic, bloody standoff among double-crossing criminals.

Blow Out is on our Whodunits, Noir and neo-noir, 1980s, Thriller on Prime Video and Mystery on Prime Video lists.

More like this feeling

Prompts we typed into CouchRot, and the lists that share its tags.

• “a thriller with a twist, no spoilers”
• “a horror movie that's actually scary”
• “scary but not gory”

Lists with the same feel: Late night.