Cape Fear (1991)

Cape Fear parents guide

The thing to know: strong sex and nudity, more than an R usually carries. Beyond that, real scares and a jolt or two.

Scare

Properly scary

Frightening, not just tense.

Jump scares

A couple

One or two sudden jolts.

Gore

Light gore

Some blood or injury, briefly.

Violence

Brutal violence

Our top level for violence.

Sex and nudity

Strong

Strong means explicit or repeated sex, extended nudity, or sexual assault shown on screen, attempted or completed, even partly off screen. Any one of these is enough.

Language

Strong

Frequent strong profanity or slurs.

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 Cape Fear scary?

Yes, properly. Cape Fear is the real thing without being an endurance test.

How gory is Cape Fear?

Light gore and brutal violence.

What is Cape Fear rated, and is it OK for kids?

No. It is rated R, with real scares, strong sex and nudity, and brutal violence.

What is Cape Fear about?

Sam Bowden is a small-town corporate attorney. Max Cady is a tattooed, cigar-smoking, Bible-quoting, psychotic rapist. What do they have in common? 14 years ago, Sam was a public defender assigned to Max Cady's rape trial, and he made a serious error: he hid a document from his illiterate client that could have gotten him acquitted. Now, the cagey Cady has been released, and he intends to teach Sam Bowden and his family a thing or two about loss.

Cast and crew

More like Cape Fear

• The Silence of the Lambs (1991)Properly scary · graphic gore · strong violence · emotionally devastatingA brilliant, imprisoned psychopath offers chilling insights into a serial killer's mind, if a young agent dares to listen.
• Prisoners (2013)Suspenseful · light gore · strong violence · emotionally devastatingA father's desperate search for his missing daughter descends into a bleak, gritty, and atmospheric nightmare.
• The Departed (2006)Gritty · graphic gore · brutal violence · emotionally devastatingUndercover lives collide in a gritty, relentless game of cat and mouse within Boston's criminal underworld.
• The Usual Suspects (1995)Suspenseful · light gore · strong violence · emotionally heavyA low-level con man's intricate tale of a mythic crime lord unravels with gritty, suspenseful precision.
• Joker (2019)Bleak · graphic gore · brutal violence · emotionally devastatingA measured descent into madness unfolds as a comedian's dark satire fuels Gotham's gritty, bleak chaos.
• The Night of the Hunter (1955)Properly scary · light gore · strong violence · emotionally heavyA chilling Depression-era fable unfolds as children flee a murderous preacher obsessed with their dark secret.
• Misery (1990)Properly scary · light gore · strong violence · emotionally devastatingA famous author's biggest fan holds him captive, forcing him to resurrect a beloved character.
• The Godfather (1972)Gritty · full attention · brutal violence · graphic goreA crime family saga unfolds with measured, gritty suspense, building an epic and melancholy atmosphere.

Cape Fear is on our Scary, not gory; Whodunits; Revenge; Courtroom; and Prison 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 movie that will make me cry”
• “scary but not gory”

Lists with the same feel: Tearjerkers and Most violent.