Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children looks like a kids' movie. It stars a cast of child actors and teens, with only a few adults appearing in the film's trailer. Based on the trailer, the movie also has fantastical elements, which are more popular in films aimed at younger audiences than at adults. However, Miss Peregrine 's also features creepy children — I'm sorry, but, those little ones covered in white sheets are terrifying — and a scary Samuel L. Jackson character set on killing them. So, for those of you babysitters, aunts, uncles, big siblings, or parents out there trying to decide if Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is good for kids, here's your answer: probably not.
Miss Peregrine's was never made for young children, but for young adults. The film is based on a book written by Ransom Riggs that is listed by Barnes & Noble as intended for ages 13-17, landing it squarely in the YA section. And, while I don't usually put much faith into MPAA ratings, it is relevant to note that the movie is rated PG-13, which means parental guidance is required for those under 13. Granted, these age recommendations are just that — recommendations. There's no reason to believe that a younger kid, maybe a tween, wouldn't enjoy Miss Peregrine's just as much as an adult would. In fact, adults might actually enjoy it more than teens. In a New York Times article from 2013, a publisher, Jason Rekulak, who worked with Riggs to publish the book, told Riggs that his manuscript could work as both an adult novel and a YA.
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is not for the faint of heart. The film follows Jacob, a 16-year-old boy who just lost his grandfather, as he travels to Wales to search for the tales his grandfather used to tell him — tales of peculiar children with abilities, and stories of the long-limed, no-eyed hollowgast monsters who threaten their existence. Needless to say, with director Tim Burton at the helm, Miss Peregrine's doesn't shy away from showing these terrifying hollowgasts, and the image alone is enough to scare anyone, let alone a little kid.
If you're still wondering whether or not Miss Peregrine's is a good movie for kids, consider this: the film features a scene in which hollowgasts feast on eyeballs. If that sounds like something a kid in your life would enjoy, they have fun at the movies!
Images: 20th Century Fox (2)
