The Thing: parents' guide

Extremely gory practical effects: people and dogs are torn apart and transform into tentacled monsters, a chest splits open and bites off a man's arms, and a severed head appears. Characters are shot, strangled and burned with flamethrowers.

Strong language comes in bursts as tension rises, including several f-words and "motherf---er," plus s-words, "bastard," "hell," "damn" and misuse of God's name. Common Sense rates the language as heavy.

None. The cast is almost entirely male, and there's no romance, sexual content or nudity.

The hero drinks whiskey heavily to cope, others drink as tension rises, and one crew member smokes a marijuana joint. Drinking continues right up to the final scene.

Relentless paranoia and dread in an isolated setting, with sudden, shocking transformations, an autopsy of a mangled creature, and grotesque body horror that many adults still find hard to watch.