A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
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Positive Messages
very little
No notable positive messages here. Bad things happen to good people for no reason. Family members are sometimes not very communicative with each other.
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Positive Role Models
very little
No clear role models. Characters, including family members, can act somewhat detached from one another. Supporting characters sometimes try to be helpful in vague ways, but main characters are merely struggling.
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Violence & Scariness
some
Child falls from high place (briefly seen in background); sound of bones cracking. Child in peril. Dead bodies. Bodies hanging from nooses. Some blood. Scary stuff/jump scares. Scary sounds, screaming. Gross vomiting. House on fire.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
none
Young girl references "getting married and having lots of babies."
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
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Language
some
A few uses of "s--t." Also exclamatory use of "Jesus" and "Jesus Christ."
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
a little
A supporting character is drunk in one scene; nearly empty bottle of vodka shown. Another character asks her to "clean yourself up." (Alcohol dependency is implied.) Characters occasionally drink wine at dinner or around the house. Characters share a cigarette. Prescription pills for a child are chopped up and put into milk.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Z is a horror movie about an 8-year-old boy's imaginary friend gone wrong. A child falls from a high place (briefly seen in the background), and cracking bones can be heard. Another child is in peril. Scenes show dead bodies, and bodies hanging from nooses, as well as some blood smears. There are plenty of other scary things, as well as creepy noises and jump scares. Language includes a few uses of "s--t" and exclamations of "Jesus" and "Jesus Christ." A supporting character is very drunk in one scene (a nearly empty bottle of vodka is shown); another character tells her to "clean yourself up." Other casual drinking is shown, two characters share a cigarette, and prescription pills for a child are chopped up and put into milk. Sex isn't an issue. The characters are sometimes frustrating, but the movie is so cleverly constructed that the scares really work. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
What's the Story?
In Z, 8-year-old Josh Parsons (Jett Klyne) is a good kid who's dreamy and shy. One day he starts playing with an imaginary friend he calls "Z." His mother, Beth (Keegan Connor Tracy), is concerned, but his father, Kevin (Sean Rogerson), shrugs it off. Psychologist Dr. Seager (Stephen McHattie) says that Josh will outgrow it but seems shocked when the name "Z" is mentioned. Things get worse as "Z" seems to spur Josh on to worse and worse behavior, to the point that he's expelled from school. Then, when Beth's mother dies and she starts going through boxes of old things, she finds something startling. This isn't the first time "Z" has been around ...
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Z's violence. When is it shocking, and when is it scary? How do the filmmakers show these things? What kind of impact does death have on the characters?
What makes scary movies appealing? Why do people sometimes want to be scared?
How is drinking depicted? Is it glamorized? Are there consequences? Why does that matter?
How is the communication in your family different or similar to this family's?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: September 1, 2020
- Cast: Keegan Connor Tracy, Jett Klyne, Stephen McHattie
- Director: Brandon Christensen
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studios: RLJ Entertainment, Shudder
- Genre: Horror
- Topics: Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- Run time: 83 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: June 20, 2023
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