✓ age 15+ ★★★★☆
Gritty 1990s supernatural thriller mixes occult danger with strong family ties.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Bloodbound: Covenant is a Young Adult supernatural thriller set in 1996 Pasadena that pairs high school life with dark occult threats. Sofia, a teen still grieving her police officer father’s 1987 murder, teams up with Montana ranch transplant Caleb and her best friend Ava to uncover the truth behind his last case involving missing children. The danger gets intense: an occult group kidnaps Ava, ties her inside a ritual circle, and cuts her throat before Sofia rescues her, leaving Ava in a medically induced coma. Flashbacks show a father willingly dying on a stone altar in 12,000 BC to pass strength to his daughter, plus a 1970 Laos recon mission where a soldier fights shadow creatures with a knife and loses a teammate. Teens also steal store receipts and break into a school office and a principal’s house looking for clues, and a traumatized classmate smokes pot to quiet his nightmares. Balancing out the dark material are warm, grounded family dynamics between the teens and their single mothers.
Why Age 15+?
Violence & Scariness ●●●●●
A teen girl is tied up in a warehouse ritual and has her throat cut, landing her in a coma. Flashbacks include a ritual sacrifice on a stone altar, monsters hunting villagers, and fatal knife combat in the Vietnam War. Fistfights involve broken bones and dislocated knees.
Sex, Romance & Nudity ●●●●●
Slow-burn teen romance includes holding hands, a quick glance at a boy’s jeans, slow dancing at a school gym dance, and a sweet first kiss. Men in a passing car catcall Sofia on the street.
Language & Swearing ●●●●●
Moderate swearing in English and Spanish includes an interrupted “f–k,” plus “sh-t,” “b-stard,” “ass,” “crap,” “damn,” “hell,” “pendejo,” and “que se jodan.”
Drinking, Drugs & Smoking ●●●●●
A traumatized teen rolls and smokes weed in his room and at a scenic overlook to cope with nightmares. An older detective drinks bourbon in the afternoon, and adults use cigarettes and chewing tobacco.
Products & Purchases ●●●●●
Period 1996 references to Wranglers, Dr. Martens, JanSport, Drakkar Noir, Louis L’Amour books, and 1980s arcade games (Pac-Man, Zelda, Galaga) help set the scene.
Any Positive Content?
Diverse Representations ●●●●●
Natural depiction of a Mexican American home in Pasadena, blending Spanish phrases, food, and Catholic faith into daily life, alongside a Montana ranch kid and a smart Black best friend.
Positive Messages ●●●●●
Focuses on loyalty to friends, standing up to bullies, and the idea that real strength comes from your actions and self-control rather than raw power.
Positive Role Models ●●●●●
Sofia and Caleb are protective of their friends and respectful of their hardworking single mothers (a calculus teacher and a trauma nurse), who are both tough, caring parents.