The Running Man (1987)

The Running Man parents guide

No surprises for an R: some innuendo or implied sex and brutal violence.

Scare

Mildly scary

A few tense or eerie moments.

Jump scares

A couple

One or two sudden jolts.

Gore

Graphic gore

Blood and wounds shown clearly.

Violence

Brutal violence

Our top level for violence.

Sex and nudity

Mild

Mild means innuendo, or sex implied off screen, with no nudity.

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 The Running Man scary?

Only a little. The Running Man has a few tense moments, nothing that follows you to bed.

How gory is The Running Man?

Graphic gore and brutal violence. If graphic gore is a dealbreaker, skip it.

What is The Running Man rated, and is it OK for kids?

It is an R, with brutal violence, some strong language and graphic gore. Keep it for adults.

What is The Running Man about?

By 2017, the global economy has collapsed and U.S. society has become a totalitarian police state, censoring all cultural activity. The government pacifies the populace by broadcasting a number of game shows in which convicted criminals fight for their lives, including the gladiator-style The Running Man, hosted by the ruthless Damon Killian, where “runners” attempt to evade “stalkers” and certain death for a chance to be pardoned and set free.

Cast and crew

More like The Running Man

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The Running Man is on our Prison, Thriller on Paramount+, Sci-fi on Paramount+, Thriller on Starz and Sci-fi on Starz lists.

More like this feeling

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

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

Lists with the same feel: Most violent and Edge of your seat.