It Chapter Two
It Chapter Two is a supernatural horror film that serves as the conclusion to the adaptation of Stephen King's iconic novel. Set 27 years after the events of the first film, it reunites the adult members of the Losers' Club as they return to their hometown of Derry, Maine, to confront the ancient, evil entity known as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. The narrative explores themes of trauma, memory, friendship, and overcoming fear as the protagonists grapple with their past and face terrifying manifestations of their deepest anxieties. Directed by Andy Muschietti, the movie aims to provide a definitive end to Pennywise's reign of terror. It is a visually intense and emotionally charged horror experience, targeting mature audiences who are familiar with the preceding installment and the broader horror genre.
Concerns
LGBTQ & Gender Identity
HighThe film explicitly features a prominent LGBTQ storyline involving one of the main characters, Richie Tozier, who grapples with his unrequited love for Eddie Kaspbrak. The movie opens with a brutal hate crime against a gay couple, showcasing physical violence and homophobic slurs. This content is central to character development and thematic elements, with the narrative presenting a pro-homosexual viewpoint.
The movie opens with two young gay men, Adrian Mellon and his boyfriend, being brutally attacked by homophobic bullies; Adrian is then thrown into a river where he is killed by Pennywise. Richie Tozier's adult storyline revolves around his hidden, unrequited homosexual love for Eddie Kaspbrak, which is a significant emotional anchor for his character throughout the film. Homophobic slurs like 'f-g' and 'f***ing fairies' are used by bullies in the film.
Violence
HighIt Chapter Two contains extensive, graphic, and bloody violence throughout, including gruesome creature attacks, dismemberment, and implied acts of cannibalism. Both adults and children are victims, and the depiction of injuries is often explicit and disturbing. The film features scenes of domestic abuse and suicide.
Pennywise is depicted biting off the heads of children, including a young girl, with visible blood and gore. A character, Stanley Uris, commits suicide by slitting his wrists in a bathtub, showing bloody water and blood dripping onto the floor. Other graphic instances include a character having their heart ripped out and crushed, and another being stabbed through the cheek and eventually dying from a chest wound. An abusive husband brutally beats and chokes his wife, leading to a violent struggle.
Romance and Sexual Content
HighThe movie includes crude sexual material, suggestive language, and brief nudity. A significant concern is the strong implication of child sexual abuse (incest) involving one of the main characters. Sexual jokes and references are made by characters, contributing to the crude nature of the content.
It is strongly implied that Beverly Marsh was sexually abused by her father, with the monster Pennywise echoing her father's possessive phrase 'always her little girl'. Characters make crude jokes about having intercourse with another male's mother. Richie Tozier mentions his girlfriend catching him masturbating, and makes a crude joke about 'measuring dicks'. There is brief non-explicit nudity, including a man's bare rear in a suicide scene and a grotesque naked elderly woman with 'gray, swinging breasts' as a monster manifestation.
Profanity
HighThe film features pervasive strong language, with an exceptionally high frequency of explicit curse words. This includes the repeated use of the F-word and S-word, as well as homophobic slurs and the misuse of religious terms. The language is often used aggressively and intensely throughout the dialogue.
The movie contains over 120 instances of the F-word and nearly 40 uses of the S-word. Homophobic slurs such as 'f-g' and 'f***ing fairies' are used, particularly during the opening hate crime scene and in flashbacks. God's name is misused approximately eight times, and Jesus' name is abused three times.
Scary & Intense Content
HighAs a horror film, It Chapter Two is extremely scary and intense, filled with jump scares, grotesque monster designs, and psychological torment. The movie features numerous life-threatening situations, graphic violence, and disturbing imagery designed to induce fear and distress in viewers. The film's prolonged runtime allows for ample space for these horrifying sequences.
The film contains numerous jump scares and terrifying manifestations of Pennywise, including a scene where an old woman strips off her clothes to reveal a towering, hideous monster. Characters face intensely frightening situations, such as Beverly nearly drowning in a bathroom stall overflowing with blood and Bill chasing a child lured by Pennywise through a hall of mirrors. The adult Losers' Club members are relentlessly psychologically tormented by Pennywise, who preys on their deepest fears and childhood traumas.
Witchcraft & Occult
MediumOccult elements are central to the plot, as the protagonists engage in a mystical ritual to combat the demonic entity Pennywise. The creature itself possesses supernatural powers, including shape-shifting and inducing hallucinations. While the pagan ritual is portrayed as largely ineffectual on its own, its presence as a primary method for confronting evil places this content at a medium severity level.
The Losers' Club performs an ancient 'American Indian ritual' to destroy Pennywise, requiring them to gather individual artifacts from their past. Pennywise is depicted as a 'demonic alien entity' with supernatural powers, capable of shape-shifting and creating terrifying illusions based on fears.
Substance Use
MediumThe film shows adult characters frequently consuming alcohol, often as a coping mechanism or in social settings. Smoking of cigarettes is also present, both in flashbacks and by adult characters. Additionally, a scene depicts one character intentionally inducing a hallucinogenic state in another using drugs.
Adult characters are shown drinking wine and beer socially and to deal with stress. Richie Tozier is given and drinks bourbon before performing on stage. Beverly Marsh is seen smoking cigarettes as both a child and an adult. Mike Hanlon gives Bill Denbrough a 'microdose' of a drug to induce a hallucinogenic vision for a 'dream quest'.
Disrespect & Rebellion
MediumThe film contains instances of adult characters displaying open disrespect and defiant attitudes. A notable element is the film's contradictory stance on bullying, where it initially condemns homophobic bullying but then shows the protagonists using bullying tactics against the main villain, which is seen as promoting moral relativism by some reviewers.
Richie Tozier, as an adult, delivers a profane outburst to elders and his family, stating they will always be disappointed in him before walking away defiantly. The movie is critiqued for a contradictory worldview where, after depicting brutal homophobic bullying, the 'heroes' resort to 'bullying and ridiculing' Pennywise to defeat him, which is described as a 'moral relativism'.
Anti-Christian Themes
MediumThe film is identified as having a 'pro-homosexual viewpoint' that is described by some Christian review outlets as celebrating 'sinfulness,' and presenting a 'politically correct, leftist worldview.' This worldview implicitly condemns those who hold traditional biblical views on homosexuality, framing them as 'bullies.' The inclusion of a pagan ritual by the protagonists to combat evil, though ineffective on its own, is also noted as a concern for a Christian audience, despite a brief reference to a Christian church and the idea of mercy.
Movieguide states that the film has a 'strong... pro-homosexual worldview' that 'celebrates such sinfulness and everyone who opposes it is depicted as a really mean bully'. The film is also noted for implicitly condemning 'social conservatives, whether Christian or Jewish, who believe that homosexuality is evil and loathsome,' by portraying such individuals as 'bullies'. The Losers' Club engages in a 'pagan, mystical ritual' to try and defeat Pennywise, which is ineffective until they realize their combined strength is key.
Other Notes
Target Demographic
Not recommended for viewers under 17 years old due to pervasive disturbing violent content and bloody images, strong sexual themes including implied abuse and crude humor, pervasive strong language, and intense scary sequences. While the MPAA rates it R, sources like Common Sense Media and the Australian Council on Children and the Media suggest that even those 15-17 may find it profoundly disturbing.
Additional Notes
The film's runtime of approximately 165-169 minutes allows for prolonged exposure to its intense content. While 'It Chapter Two' continues the story from 'It Chapter One,' it significantly increases the intensity and graphic nature of violence, gore, and sexual themes, particularly with the explicit depiction of the homophobic hate crime and implied incestuous abuse. Parents should be aware that the overall tone is darker and more mature than its predecessor.
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