It's pretty scary, but it is not *gory* if that's what you mean. I think a 13-year-old is old enough not to go to bed afraid of ghosts, or at least, old enough to KNOW they're not real. It does have a rather convoluted plot, and I had to look stuff up on the web. Tell you what - it's on the scare level as Blair Witch. If he's old enough for Blair Witch, he's old enough for "The Ring".