The Bride!
NZ release: 05 March 2026
Violence, sexual violence, and offensive language Rated on: 04 February 2026
The Bride
What’s it about?
The Bride! is a horror-romance reimagining of Mary Shelley’s The Bride of Frankenstein. Set in 1930s Chicago, USA, a mad scientist resurrects a dead woman to serve as a companion for Frankenstein’s Creature. Instead, she asserts her autonomy and inspires a revolution.
The facts
- Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Lost Daughter)
- Stars Jessie Buckley (Hamnet), Christian Bale (The Dark Knight), Jake Gyllehaal (Nightcrawler), Peter Sarsgaard (Jarhead)
- English language
- Runtime: 126 minutes
- Inspired by Mary Shelley’s book The Bride of Frankenstein
Why did it get this rating?
This film was classified by Te Mana Whakaatu, Classification Office. You can find out more about classification process and ratings here.
Violence
There are some strong violent moments in the film, which include sound design to enhance the impact. The most notable scenes include:
- A man’s face is stomped on while they are on the ground. We see the action, hear crunching sounds, and later see the resulting gory mulch of the person’s head.
- A woman is shoved down a staircase and we see in slow motion her head and face striking the stairs. We see her body where it lands, with limbs and head at awkward angles.
- A man’s head is slammed against a wall, leaving a bloody smear.
- A character is shot and shown face-down in a growing pool of blood.
Sexual violence
Despite her protests, a woman is surrounded by a group of men and groped while dancing. Someone slaps her and someone’s hand lands on her buttock.
Men chase a woman, holding her down and grabbing at her clothing. One tells another to force her legs apart.
Under the guise of a pat down, an officer gropes a woman and presses his groin against her back side. She retaliates by biting the officer’s tongue and spitting it out. While not shown in detail, enough is conveyed to make the act clear.
Sex scenes
We see two characters engage in passionate sex, briefly seeing hands moving over clothed body parts with glimpses of bare skin including nipples. In one scene oral sex is shown from a distance with the position and movement of one character on their knees in front of another.
There are sexual references and language used including ‘You’d f*ck a man if he’d have you’, ‘getting your dick sucked’, and ‘wet pussy’.
Offensive language
Strong language used occasionally throughout the film include ‘f*ck’, ‘motherf*cker’, ‘c*nt’ and ‘sh*t’.
Content that may disturb
We see a dead woman being dug up from her grave and brought back to life through the use of strong electrical currents. As she struggles to understand how and where she is the other characters continue to lie to her as a form of manipulation.
A ghost repeatedly possesses a character, causing them to act erratically and aggressively.
The film depicts sexist behaviour towards women that reflects attitudes of the 1930s. A female investigator is repeatedly overlooked and dismissed by her male colleagues. There are references to the assault and murder of several women, cases the police failed to investigate properly, and does so in a way that explicitly condemns these failures and the violence itself.
Youth Advisory Panel
Three members of Te Mana Whakaatu’s Youth Advisory Panel attended the film. They identified the most impactful moments as:
- a detailed scene where a woman is pushed down a staircase,
- the scene involving a man’s tongue being bitten
- the curb-stomping of a man’s face.
Overall, they felt the violence was purposeful rather than gratuitous. They appreciated that female empowerment was shown through the ‘movement’ that The Bride invokes.
They also noted themes of sexual assault, the undermining of women, and patterns of manipulation, deceit, and exploitation.
Helplines:
The sexual violence could be upsetting for some viewers, especially for those who have gone through similar experiences. If you are struggling with what you have seen on-screen please reach out for help. If you or someone you know needs to talk:
