World War Z (2013)

World War Z parents guide

Brutal violence and graphic gore, which is more than most PG-13 titles carry. Beyond that, real scares and several jump scares.

Scare

Properly scary

Frightening, not just tense.

Jump scares

Several

More than a couple of sudden jolts.

Gore

Graphic gore

Blood and wounds shown clearly.

Violence

Brutal violence

Our top level for violence.

Sex and nudity

None flagged

It is a horror title, so treat our zero as unconfirmed.

Language

Mild

Mild words like damn, hell or crap.

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 World War Z scary?

Yes, properly. World War Z is the real thing without being an endurance test.

How gory is World War Z?

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

What is World War Z rated, and is it OK for kids?

For teens, mostly: it is rated PG-13, with real scares, several jump scares and brutal violence.

What is World War Z about?

Life for former United Nations investigator Gerry Lane and his family seems content. Suddenly, the world is plagued by a mysterious infection turning whole human populations into rampaging mindless zombies. After barely escaping the chaos, Lane is persuaded to go on a mission to investigate this disease. What follows is a perilous trek around the world where Lane must brave horrific dangers and long odds to find answers before human civilization falls.

Cast and crew

More like World War Z

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• Edge of Tomorrow (2014)Suspenseful · full attention · brutal violence · emotionally heavyA soldier relives a brutal alien invasion day by day, growing more lethal with each relentless death.
• Avengers: Infinity War (2018)Dry wit · epic · party watch · brutal violenceA cosmic despot gathers artifacts of unimaginable power, forcing heroes to fight a relentless, high-stakes battle for all reality.
• Dawn of the Dead (2004)Properly scary · extreme gore · brutal violence · emotionally heavySurvivors barricade inside a mall, battling relentless, flesh-eating zombies with gritty, pulpy horror.
• Resident Evil (2002)Properly scary · graphic gore · brutal violence · relentlessA relentless, high-octane fight for survival unfolds against hordes of zombies and mutated creatures.
• Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)Suspenseful · party watch · strong violence · emotionally heavyPeter Parker faces relentless, high-octane action and an invisible threat while grappling with a world that forgot him.
• The Dark Knight (2008)Suspenseful · light gore · strong violence · emotionally heavyA relentless, gritty crime thriller where a hero's war on chaos takes a darkly comic and epic turn.

World War Z is on our Zombies, Dystopias, Disasters, Horror on Paramount+ and Sci-fi on Paramount+ lists.

More like this feeling

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

• “scary but not gory”
• “a horror movie that's actually scary”
• “a fun halloween movie, not too scary”

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