Is it normal to allow an eleven year old to watch "the grudge"
I have recently posted, asking if it is normal for my nine-year-old son to be obsessed with scary stories and films. One factor that contributes to this obsession, and is rather annoying for me, from a parental standpoint, is that my eleven-year-old nephew is allowed to watch various films and television programmes that my son is not.
We are currently in a phase where my son is lobbying to watch scarier films. His cousin recently was allowed to watch "The Grudge," "The Shining," "Shaun of the Dead," and "Army of Darkness". This of course, fueled my son's desire to watch these films and every few days I have a debate over the merits of "The Walking Dead," or yet another assurance that zombies and ghosts are not even actually scary.
I feel (possibly unreasonably) irritated that my nephew's parents allowed this, as I have seen the films in question and think they are all a bit much for an eleven-year-old, let alone my nine-year-old son. I personally think "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is on the right level of thrilling-but-not-too-scary for my son, just to illustrate what level of scariness he is ready for.
I made a few critical remarks about my nephew's viewing habits, and his parents have taken offense. I think they are being a bit lax with regards to his viewing habits. They assert that they are not, as he is eleven, and does not have nightmares.
Am I completely out of touch, and is the general consensus now that this sort of film is fine for eleven-year-olds? In the interests of full disclosure, I confess that I probably won't change my mind regardless, I am just curious.