IT (2017)

Asher Gammage
Jul 19, 2021
3 min read

Updated: Mar 7, 2022

IT is a 2017 horror movie starring Bill Skarsgård.

RUNTIME

135 minutes

RATING

R (Restricted) for violence/horror, bloody images, and for language.

MY AGE RATING

13+

REVIEW

So, it took my parents 4 years to finally let me watch IT. And I have to say, it was worth the wait. This movie was awesome and I would definitely recommend to any teenager that wants to watch something a little scary. One of the main reasons why I wanted to watch this movie for so long is because of the kids. Almost every main character in this movie is a kid my age and this movie has a good representation of teamwork, friendship, and fighting evil. Now parents, I know you probably looked at this movie and thought, "Oh, a rated R horror movie? No way! I will never let my kid watch that!" But please read this review and guide and you might change your mind. This movie can be a little disturbing at times but if your kid can handle it, it's a must-watch. This movie is also loaded with positive messages! And this isn't one of those movies that will turn your kid into a serial killer, though I don't think those movies even exist. Now, just because I say that doesn't mean that this movie lacks in scares because it doesn't. Though they are quite predictable and usually not disturbing. Read the parents guide below to know what I'm talking about. Warning: this parents guide might give minor spoilers but will not make the movie any less entertaining to watch.

PARENTS GUIDE

Violence and Scary Elements - 8/10

In the first 5 minutes of the film, a kid's arm gets bitten off and is soon pulled into a sewer. We see trails of blood in the street. A bully starts to carve his name into a kid's stomach, but doesn't get far. A kid deploys his switchblade (knife) into his father's neck, causing him to bleed out on-screen and die (most disturbing part in the movie by far). A girl's head is yanked into a sink and blood starts flooding out of the drain (not graphic though it may sound it). A dad threatens his son with a gun. Pennywise (in his various forms) is stabbed through the face, shot with a bolt gun to the head, and beaten up in many different ways, though it's weirdly not disturbing. A father is sexually and psychologically abusive to his daughter, though nothing explicit happens. Character hit across the face with a toilet tank lid. That same character is later seen on the ground with a pool of blood around his head. We see demonic versions of kids moving in jerky manors and vomiting things. The top half of a kid swings down from the ceiling. Kids get in a rock fight. We see pennywise creepily snacking on the arm of the kid that died in the first 5 minutes. There are several effective jump scares, though some are predictable and none are graphic. A kid reads a history book that has a poor quality image of an event where a kids head is found in a tree, not graphic in the least. Zombie like creatures are seen in a sewer. Some bullying takes place during this film.

Sex - 6/10

A girl's dad acts sexually creepy and abusive towards her. Innocent kids crack inappropriate jokes and phrases once in a while, though half the time they don't know what they're talking about. This movie is a pretty accurate representation of how teenage boys act around each other so that's one of the reasons why I rated this movie a lower age. A girl is rumored to have slept with a ton of guys, but in reality she hasn't slept with any.

Language - 8/10

Many uses of f--k (40 something uses) and s--t (and their various forms). Other words with not as many uses include d--k, f-ggot, Jesus, damn, ass. A male kid has the nickname t-ts due to his weight. This is another one of the categories which is an accurate representation of how teenage boys act in real life. Also even though they swear quite often, it isn't as much as other R movies. This is nice because you aren't cringing at how many times they say it in the movie and it actually makes sense when they say them. They aren't cursing just to curse.

Drinking/Drugs - 3/10

Empty beer bottles, placebos.

Positive Messages - 9/10

Even though this is a horror movie about a shapeshifting clown hunting innocent kids, it is in fact loaded with positive messages including bravery, teamwork, friendship, and fighting evil.