Has the PG-13 rating become something of a teaser for R-rated content? I’ve had this suspicion for some time now, but I feel it’s confirmed with the new trailer for the Prom Night remake. The horror flick is another PG-13 redo of an R-rated movie, another example of the contrast between the marketing allowances of now and then. But wait, is it just me, or does the Prom Night trailer feature subject matter that is still inappropriate for kids aged 13 to 16 (and younger, since the rating requires no ID)? Maybe there’s none of the soft-core nudity of the original, but there’s still that idea that prom is time for getting it on in a hotel room. Sure, the idea is nothing new to most kids, but that doesn’t mean it has to be encouraged — even if a slasher film like this can be interpreted as a punishment to those sex-having teens.

Regardless, though, of whether or not this movie features anything graphically or thematically inappropriate (disclaimer: I am no puritan nor censor; I saw the original Prom Night when I was some single-digit age, and I came out just fine), the point is that it’s something of a lie to act as though kids under 17 are not going to be attracted to those graphics and themes that are being hinted at. Even if the kids don’t end up seeking out the real-deal, they’re likely to imagine their own interpretations of what falls between the lines. Plus, isn’t it possible that a movie can communicate or stimulate a falsely tame image of sex and violence by presenting tamed-down sexual and violent material?

The debate is out there for discussion, as it has been for years. But lately with red-band trailers for both R-rated and PG-13 movies, with more and more Unrated cuts of R-rated and PG-13 movies being released on DVD (so much for the theatrical lobby to squash them), it seems more now than ever that movies like Prom Night are simply a lengthy teaser for what the kids will eventually see later on — and I don’t mean when they’re grown-up. And this trailer is a teaser to that teaser. I doubt any 13-year-old is dumb enough to really think he’s going to see that hotel-room make-out turn into a full-on sex scene, nor should he even expect to see much gore in the killing scenes, but let’s say a kid is attracted to the promise of those images, then is disappointed with the actual content in the film and so feels more strongly the urge to see that stuff. Isn’t that the same as marketing an R-rated film to teens and permitting them to see said film? It’s almost as hypocritical as releasing a PG-13 sequel to an R-rated franchise.

At least there’s one thing parents don’t have to worry about. Their kids should have no interest in seeing the R-rated original Prom Night if they catch sight of it’s disco-centric trailer (below), even with that hot butt-grab shot.