It
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Screen for YOUR familyParent's Guide to It
The media under review consists of two R-rated supernatural horror films, "It" (2017) and "It Chapter Two" (2019), both based on Stephen King's renowned novel. The story centers on a group of childhood friends, the Losers' Club, who must confront an ancient, malevolent entity known as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, which preys on the fears of children in their hometown of Derry, Maine. The first film depicts their struggle as children, while the sequel portrays their reunion as adults to face the creature once more after it resurfaces decades later. Both films are intended for mature audiences due to their graphic violence, pervasive strong language, and disturbing themes, including implied child abuse and intense horror sequences. They delve into themes of fear, trauma, friendship, and overcoming personal demons.
Things to Consider
LGBTQ & Gender Identity
While the first film does not explicitly feature LGBTQ+ content, 'It Chapter Two' introduces prominent LGBTQ+ themes. This includes the brutal hate-crime attack and murder of an openly gay man, Adrian Mellon, by homophobic thugs in Derry, which serves as a catalyst for Pennywise's return. Additionally, a central character, Richie Tozier, is depicted with unrequited romantic feelings for his male friend, Eddie Kaspbrak, which is a significant emotional arc.
In 'It Chapter Two', the film opens with Adrian Mellon and his partner being violently assaulted by homophobic attackers, leading to Adrian's death by Pennywise. Later in 'It Chapter Two', Richie Tozier's secret and unrequited homosexual love for Eddie Kaspbrak is revealed and explored as a significant emotional and narrative element, with Ritchie visiting a memorial for Eddie.
Violence
Both films contain consistently high levels of graphic, bloody, and disturbing violence. This includes the mutilation and murder of both children and adults by the demonic entity Pennywise, as well as brutal human-on-human violence, often in gruesome detail. The intensity and explicit nature of the violence remain high across both installments.
Romance and Sexual Content
Both films feature suggestive sexual content and implied themes of child sexual abuse, which become more explicit in the sequel. The first film contains crude sexual jokes among the children, while 'It Chapter Two' includes explicit same-sex kissing, brief nudity, and continued allusions to Beverly Marsh's traumatic past involving her father.
Profanity
Both films contain pervasive and strong profanity, with an exceptionally high frequency of explicit curse words. 'It' (2017) features numerous 'f-words' and other strong language from the young characters, while 'It Chapter Two' escalates this, including over a hundred 'f-words' and the use of homophobic slurs.
Witchcraft & Occult
Witchcraft and occult themes are central to the narrative of both films. The antagonist, Pennywise, is an ancient, demonic, shapeshifting entity that draws power from fear. The characters engage directly with supernatural forces, including performing an ancient ritual in the sequel to confront the creature.
Scary & Intense Content
Both films are intensely frightening, featuring a consistent stream of jump scares, disturbing imagery, grotesque creature designs, and psychological horror. The horror elements are central to the plot and are designed to evoke strong fear and distress, depicting life-threatening situations and severe trauma.
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Additional Context
Best For Ages
Not recommended for anyone under 18 years of age due to consistent extremely graphic violence, pervasive strong profanity (including homophobic slurs), explicit sexual content and references (including themes of child abuse and same-sex intimacy), and intense, disturbing horror imagery that can be psychologically unsettling. The themes are mature and often traumatic, making them unsuitable for children and younger adolescents.
Good to Know
The films contain numerous disturbing psychological elements, including depictions of child abuse (implied and explicit), severe bullying, and characters grappling with deep-seated fears and trauma, which could be highly triggering for some viewers. The narrative frequently uses grotesque imagery and body horror to enhance its frightening atmosphere. The runtime of 'It Chapter Two' is considerably longer than the first film, extending the exposure to intense content.
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