The BBFC - Age Ratings for Films in the UK

In the UK, the BBFC control the certificate or rating a film receives when it is released in the cinema or in a tangible format, such as DVD or Blu-ray. 

The ratings range from those which are advisory - U, PG, 12A - to those which are restrictive - 15, 18. Horror films occasionally receive a 12A certificate ('The Woman in Black', for example, or the remake of 'The Wicker Man') but more commonly recieve 15 or 18 certifcates. 'The Woman in Black' was recently re-released, with an upgrade to a 15 certificate.

The BBFC Website

On the BBFC website, consumers can see exactly what certificate each film receives, and the reasons behind that rating. 

18 Certificate Guidelines

An 18 certificate would be given if a film contains excessive, sexualised nudity and the extreme use of violence, which lingers on gore and injury detail. A film mat also gain an 18 for the use of excessively bad language (in specific contexts) and the glamourisation of drug use. 

15 Certificate Guidelines

However, a 15 certificate would indicate a less extreme portrayal of sex, nudity, violence, language and the use of drugs. 15 certificate films can still be violent and scary, but the portrayal of that violence is unlikey to be sadistic or linger on detail in the way it might in an 18 certificate film.