History WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids / Film

%%ATTENTION EDITORS: Due to overflow, please place examples both in the correct folder and in alphabetical order.
%%Unusual examples (those that cover full series, creators, in-universe examples, genres, etc.) belong in the misc folder.
%%

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:A-F]]
* ''Film/TheABCsOfDeath'': Oh look, a film with a cute cover of a baby reading a book in what appears to be a cool chair, containing 26 shorts ranging from WallaceAndGromit-style claymation to a live-action short featuring cute Japanese schoolgirls! The title should give you a pretty clear clue that it's not for kids, but some people go and show it to their kids anyways. [[http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/6804776 This mindset led to the imprisonment of a high-school substitute teacher.]]
* While it doesn't usually fall under this trope, ''Film/AClockworkOrange'' ''fell'' under this trope--by Regis Philbin, who was babysitting Kelly Ripa's children on air. Wholesome family entertainment! Look, Regis: the fact that a film shows British people in funny hats does not make it ''Film/MaryPoppins''.
* ''Film/{{Airplane}}'' is rated PG despite containing multiple suicides, a character sniffing glue, the [[DeadBabyComedy death of a child played for laughs]], and some nudity. It was released in 1980, predating the PG-13 rating. Newer releases of the film have bumped the film up to PG-13. In the UK, the movie is rated 15. Also qualifies as a case of ValuesDissonance, as a lot of the dubious content that was acceptable at PG in 1980 would be more at home at PG-13 (or R, depending on the MPAA's mood) in this day and age.
* A LampshadeHanging on this trope is hung in the opening of ''Film/{{Alice}}'', the infamous Czechoslovakian adaptation of ''Literature/AliceInWonderland'': "You are about to see a film. Made for children. ''Perhaps.''"
* Don't let the title of ''WesternAnimation/AnimalFarm'', along with its' {{Disneyesque}} animation, the cute animals and it's PG rating fool you-it's a very violent film which has many animal deaths depicted, both onscreen and offscreen.
* ''Atari: Game Over'' is a documentary about the UsefulNotes/{{Atari 2600}}, Atari in general, and mainly the very infamous E.T. game. It's aimed at adult gamers, especially those who were youths in TheEighties, however is regularly aired on Showtime's family geared channel. Despite it being about video games it's TV-14 and contains heavy references to drugs.
* The ''Film/AustinPowers'' films:
** Despite being filled to the brim with sexual innuendo and whose second film has the word ''shag'' (British slang term meaning "to have sex with") right in the title, seems to suffer from this greatly. Not only that, the third movie actually won an award for Favorite Movie at the 2003 Kids' Choice Awards.
** ''TIME'' reviewer Richard Corliss used ''Austin Powers'' as a starting point on an [[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1002940,00.html essay about the PG-13 rating]]. He even states at a certain point: "parents strongly cautioned means kids desperately wanted".
* ''[[Film/{{Avatar}} James Cameron's Avatar]]'' is PG-13 rated and by no means for kids, but due to [[MisaimedMarketing the McDonald's Happy Meal promotion and other toys being made]], parents still took their kids to go see it... Because the [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Na']][[ManiacMonkeys vi]] are just like [[Disney/LiloAndStitch Stitch]]!
* ''Film/BackToSchool'' looks like a funny family comedy about an old man (played by Rodney Dangerfield) who goes back to college. It isn't rated PG-13 for nothing.
* Apparently, an R rating wasn't enough for some parents to understand that the Creator/BillyBobThornton comedy ''Film/BadSanta'' was not for kids. Hey, it's about SantaClaus, so it's for kids, right? So review quotes were added to the TV ads that prominently displayed the words, "ADULTS ONLY". In Ireland, it was responsible for the IFCO creating a new 16s rating as the 15s rating is the equivalent of PG-13.
* ''Film/TheBadNewsBears'', also falls under this. Just because it's about a ragtag kids sports team doesn't mean it's another ''Film/LittleGiants''. It Includes an alchoholic main character, there's a child (Tanner) who spews swears and racial slurs like they are going out of style (and he was probably the most popular character in the film), there are references to the female team members' breast development (although not in any sexual context), and the coach gives his elementary/middle school players beer to celebrate their second place finish.
* In some countries, ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHeadDoAmerica'' was '''marketed to kids'''. ''[[UpToEleven It was even rated G in Canada.]]''
* ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}''
** When you consider that it deals with death, suicide, rather [[RuleOfFunny gruesome yet hilarious depictions of how people look after they die]], and [[{{Squick}} a ghost trying to marry a 14-year-old girl]], this film, despite having a Pg rating in America, is definitely not a kids' film.
** In the UK, ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'' has a "15" rating for that very reason.
** In some cuts of the movie, Beetlejuice has a PrecisionFStrike... accompanied by grabbing his groin.
--> '''Beetlejuice''': Hey, buddy! Nice fuckin' model! 'crotch-grab, accompanied by "honk-honk"'.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Beowulf|2007}}'', yet another movie marketed as another summer action-y film, apparently terrified children taken to see it.
* Hey, ''Film/BlackSwan''! It's an Oscar-winning movie about Natalie Portman as a ballerina, complete with great visuals! [[NightmareFuel What]] [[{{Fingore}} could]] [[SanitySlippage POSSIBLY]] [[BodyHorror go]] [[ParanoiaFuel wrong]]?
* Some may understandably believe that Richard Linklater's ''Film/{{Boyhood}}'' is a film for kids. It's about a boy who grows to become a teenager! It isn't, though. It features a lot of swearing, sex references, drug use and more, so it's certainly not for kids. Rated R for a reason.
* ''Film/TheBreakfastClub'' sounds like a fun movie about the misadventures of teens in high school, but it actually contains drug and sexual reference and tons of swearing! It doesn't help that the film was spoofed by many kids' shows, so parents may be misled into thinking it's a kids' film, especially since the film is rated R.
* ''Film/BruceAlmighty'' got a lot of flack from parents who ignored the PG-13/12 rating and took their kids to see it, because of all the swearing (Plenty of fucks and shits) and sexual content (Bruce blows up a girl's skirt, makes his girlfriend have spontaneous orgasms, and makes her boobs bigger). Apparently because it's a movie about God it should be child-friendly.
* Meet ''Film/{{Chappie}},'' a self-aware, peace-loving robot who just wants to live and be left alone and his scientist friend who's helping him evade the authorities who want to capture him...sounds like the typical family film plot, right? Actually, the movie is rated R for "violence, language and brief nudity." Heaven help any families who mistakenly show it to their kids.
* ''Film/ChildsPlay'' is a movie about a six-year-old and his doll, which comes to life. Nothing could be more innocent, right? WRONG!
* ''Film/{{Cloverfield}}'' may look like another ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'', but it isn't for kids, unless they like blood sucking parasites [[spoiler:whose bite [[LudicrousGibs eventually causes the victim to explode]]]], subplots about unfaithfulness, wreckage evocative of 9/11, a woman impaled on a metal spike, the monster eating [[spoiler:Hud the cameraman]], and [[spoiler:all of New York being bombed, with no survivors.]]
* ''Film/CoolWorld''. And that's ''after'' they changed it from an erotic horror about a half-human, half-cartoon girl becoming a RoaringRampageOfRevenge when she discovers who her real father is (a comic book artist who had sex with one of his drawn creations) to a ''WhoFramedRogerRabbit'' knock-off. Hell, Creator/RalphBakshi's filmography in general...
* ''Film/DropDeadFred'' seems to be harmless, a movie about a woman reunited with her imaginary friend from childhood. Many people remember watching this as kids. However, there's a lot of blatant adult (PG-13) humor, including sex jokes, and a cruel character is nicknamed "Mega-bitch."
* Creator/DavidLynch's ''Film/{{Dune}}'' film had a tie-in ''coloring book''. That's right, the film with the vagina-mouthed monsters and the scene where the pustule-faced man uncorks his sex-slave's heart valve so he bleeds to death as he fondles him. Other merchandise included [[http://www.mindspring.com/~dunestuff/merch.html#Kids a pop-up book, bubble-gum trading cards, ViewMaster reels, and hey kids, comics]]! (This was one of the first films to receive a PG-13, as it was released at the tail end of 1984 -- otherwise, it ''might'' have gone out with a PG, as the ''Franchise/IndianaJones'' films had up to that point.)
* Creator/AdamSandler's ''WesternAnimation/EightCrazyNights''. Yes, it's an animated wacky holiday musical rife with ToiletHumour, but it is most definitely not for children.
* Tarsem Singh's ''Film/TheFall'' is often compared with ''Film/ThePrincessBride''. It's true that both are celebrations of storytelling and fantasy epics... but only one of them has a suicidally-depressed storyteller manipulating a child far too young to understand, or the story-within-a-story ending with the gruesome deaths of the adventurers.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Felidae}}'' is an animated film about cute little cats solving a mystery, right? Yes, and along the way we see graphic disembowelment (in one case involving a pregnant female), a cat with her head torn clean off, sex scenes, alcoholism, cursing, truly horrific animal abuse (involving a cat's skin getting burned off with acid), a suicide cult, a highly disturbing nightmare sequence involving rotting, screaming cat corpses being used as puppets, and at one point, full-frontal human nudity (female AND male). That's an impressive list for a film about animated CATS. Dear. God.
* ''Film/ForrestGump'':
** The early scene where young Forrest overhears his mother sleeping with the principal of his school to guarantee him admission (although that scene tends to leave most kids confused than frightened).
** Jenny's ''entire life'': [[AbusiveParents An alcoholic father, who is implied to be sexually abusive]], drugs, groping by an audience member during a nude stage performance, [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment drugs]], stint as a Playboy centerfold, drugs, physically abusive boyfriend, drugs, contemplation of suicide, drugs, and eventual untimely death (possibly from AIDS). [[OverlyLongGag And drugs.]]
** The gore of the Vietnam scenes.
** Lieutenant Dan's raving depression. Even when Dan gets better, there's a scene that can result in the creeps. When the lieutenant finally lets go of his anger on the shrimping boat and thanks Forrest for saving his life, he dives backward over the side of the boat and goes for a swim toward the horizon. As Forrest's accompanying narration makes it clear that the lieutenant is at peace now, and the way the shot is framed, make it look as if Dan is about to drown himself (the relieved grin on his face reminds more of the StepfordSmiler than anything else).
** The use of various racist and ableist slurs.
** The many references to high-profile assassinations.
** The fact that it looks at American history in a distinctly cynical and satirical, if ultimately optimistic, light - not that there's anything wrong with that, but ''Mr. Smith Goes to Washington'' it ain't.
** All in all, even [[{{Bowdlerise}} censored for TV]], not easily accessible or indeed appropriate for little kids. This seems to have stuck in many people's minds as the wholesome, patriotic tale of a mentally-challenged man with a heart of gold who inadvertently becomes part of American culture (including teaching Elvis Presley how to dance, fighting in the Vietnam War, and meeting John F. Kennedy), which has led to its being shown on family-movie channels at around eight p.m. All of the serious stuff is overlooked.
* Don't be fooled by the fact ''Film/FunSize'' is made by Creator/{{Nickelodeon}}, is marketed by Airheads candy and stars Music/VictoriaJustice; it's not rated PG-13 for nothing. It's doused with a '''lot''' of inappropriate humor (i.e.: a giant automated chicken that humps the main character's car) and some profanity. In Australia, it had to be {{Bowdlerise}}d to escape the M rating (equivalent of PG-13) and thereby earn a PG.
* At first, ''Film/TheFisherKing'' looks like the type of Creator/RobinWilliams comedy that might be targeted at families. But it has outbursts of profanity, some FamilyUnfriendlyViolence, and subplots involving suicide and a mad gunman.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:G-L]]
* Some parents took their children to see ''Film/GetHard'', resulting in some toddlers leaving the theater frightened. Hey, a funny prison comedy with many comedians kids are familiar with! Family-friendly, right? No! It's rated R, and features some crude sexual humor and violence.
* ''Film/{{Ghostbusters|1984}}'':
** Most people think of the original film as a family movie, and why shouldn't they? The famous theme song is popular at kids' birthday parties and Halloween mix CDs, there was plenty of merchandise targeted towards children, it spawned [[WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters a popular cartoon]], it's been shown on the Disney Channel several times, and even been released on home video as part of Creator/{{Columbia|Pictures}}/Creator/{{TriStar|Pictures}}'s family collection. But the truth is, the film was meant for adults. There's blatant sexual references and language throughout the entire film, particularly one brief scene during the montage that played during the theme song that actually went so far as to feature a ghost giving Ray a blow job.
** The original film is rated PG, which might be why people think of it as being for kids. However, if it were being released today, ''Ghostbusters'' would easily earn a PG-13 rating, with all the swearing, sex jokes, and casual smoking. The only reason it wasn't rated PG-13 in 1984 is because the PG-13 rating didn't exist at the time of its release (though it did come along later the same year).
* The original 1954 version of ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'', ''Film/{{Gojira}}'':
** Unlike the later films, this one is ''very'' dark. You get to see people vaporized before your very eyes; a women holding her children assuring them "we will be with daddy soon" (it is assumed they are killed a moment later); people suffering in hospitals with radiation sickness and burns; and a love triangle that ends in a suicide. You know, for kids!
** If you can get your hands on a subtitled version, without Raymond Burr, which is to say, the version that was released in Japan, it is very dark an depressing. If you happen to know that the fake rubber suit the actor playing Gojira wears doesn't read as "cheap" so much as "stylized," to Japanese audiences, then the monster becomes scary. It makes more sense when you realize that the fire, the burning sets, and the radiation victim make-up are very real; the producers probably could have made an FX-y, stop-motion monster if they wanted. It's a horrifying movie. Oh, yeah, most of the people who worked on it actually lived through the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
* ''Film/TheGoodSon'' starred adorable little Macaulay Culkin, known and loved by children at the time for his ''Film/HomeAlone'' series. But this particular R-rated film had him playing a serial killer who [[spoiler: fell to his death, while screaming rather like he did in ''Film/HomeAlone'']]. [[NightmareFuel/TheGoodSon Sweet dreams, kiddos!]]
* ''Film/{{Guardians Of The Galaxy}}'' isn't the worst offender on the list but many people did think this movie was a kids movie, mainly due to the presence of a [[FunnyAnimal Talking Raccoon]]. However, the movie itself has curse words, sexual jokes, and some rather over the top violence (including a scene where Groot impales a group of soldiers, throws them around a spaceship, and then smiles).
* ''WesternAnimation/TheHauntedWorldOfElSuperbeasto''. Despite its animation style and cartoony slapstick, it's definitely adults-only.
* ''Hell and Back'' (2015). Since it's a stop-motion animated movie similar in style to ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'', or the holiday specials made by Creator/RankinBassProductions, it ''must'' be okay for kids, right? [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXIPHaRq6WU Wrong.]]
* ''Immigrants'' is a film made by [[Creator/KlaskyCsupo a company who made a lot of]] {{Nicktoons}}, so it should be great for our kids to watch, right? It isn't - it was originally going to be a series, to air on Spike TV (who at the time had a block of adult-oriented cartoons), but the show was scrapped and turned into a CompilationMovie.
* ''Film/JackTheGiantSlayer'' is based on a fairy tale, so it must be okay for young children, right? Dead wrong. Discretion shots aside, there are some pretty brutal (and often highly original) on-screen deaths. Another PG-13.
* ''[[Franchise/IndianaJones The Indiana Jones series]]'' (yet another Spielberg effort!) is a victim to this. Nothing screams Family Friendly like melting Nazis, [[HelicopterBlender mooks chopped up by aircraft propellers]], and man-eating ants, right? In particular, controversy over the particularly high level of gore and horror in ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom'' strongly contributed to the creation of both the PG-13 rating in the USA and the "12" rating in the UK.
* Everybody likes ''Film/JamesBond'', right? All the kids think he's cool, right? Well then, one is advised to warn them of these bits:
** [[Film/DrNo Bond shooting a defenseless man twice for good measure;]]
** [[Film/{{Goldfinger}} Bond finding a dead, naked girl that he slept with earlier. Her sister later has her neck broken by Oddjob's hat;]]
** [[Film/OnHerMajestysSecretService Bond slowly choking a man to death with a ski, and causing another man to be ground up by a snowplow. And Tracy is shot in the head by Irma Blunt and Blofield... and they get away with it;]]
** [[Film/DiamondsAreForever Two baddies slowly drowning in mud. Also Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd murdering Lord knows how many people (including Plenty O'Toole, who wasn't even involved in the evil plan, simply because she was in Tiffany Case's house at the wrong time);]]
** [[Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe A goon stuck to a giant electromagnet because of his metal teeth, then dropped into a shark tank. The Big Bad murders his secretary for betraying him by feeding her to said sharks, and said henchman gruesomely murders two people offscreen and nearly murders two more onscreen;]]
** [[Film/{{Moonraker}} The villain kills his secretary by having her be eaten alive by his dogs. Bond also murders two scientists with nerve gas for the heinous crime of working for the villain;]]
** [[Film/ForYourEyesOnly An innocent woman brutally run over by a goon who wasn't even aiming for her. Bond also kicks a man inside a car off a cliff, in cold blood;]]
** [[Film/{{Octopussy}} 009 being knifed in the back and slowly expiring. Bond later does this to one of the two knife-throwing brothers responsible. General Orlov is shot in the lungs and slowly expires, Vijay is cut open by a bladed yo-yo, a mook is impaled on a bed of nails, another mook is suffocated by a blue-ringed octopus, and the bladed yo-yo using mook is devoured by crocodiles;]]
** [[Film/AViewToAKill The Big Bad gunning down dozens of his own men for the hell of it and throwing a Russian spy's lover into a turbine for fun;]]
** [[Film/TheLivingDaylights A MI6 official killed by a sheet of glass that stabs right through him. 004 falls to his death after his rapelling rope is cut. Necros is killed by Bond's direct action of cutting his bootlace so that Necros would fall to his death. And General Whitaker is crushed to death by a bust of Wellington;]]
** [[Film/LicenceToKill Felix Leiter mauled horrifically by a Great White shark. Also, a henchman's head explodes, and another henchman is ground up in a rock crusher. The villain has one of his henchmen cut his mistress's lover's heart out and whips her while she begs him not to (in the opening 5 minutes of the movie, no less!);]]
** [[Film/GoldenEye A woman being pressed against a tree and then asphyxiated. Said woman kills countless people with a machine gun and with her thighs during sex, and tries doing this to Bond twice;]]
** [[Film/TomorrowNeverDies A ship is sunk and the survivors are gunned down by the Carver Media Group's security adviser Mr. Stamper in a bid to start nuclear war and profit from reporting on it. Elliot Carver also has his wife killed because she betrayed him for Bond, and is killed by being hit with his own drill;]]
** [[Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough A man slowly dying from a bullet lodged in his brain, who executes a minion for failing him to psyche another one into succeeding, and drugs the crew of a submarine and has them drowned. Also Bond shoots an unarmed woman;]]
** [[Film/DieAnotherDay Bond getting tortured by North Korea in a very disturbing, half-hallucinatory sequence that shows a lot of CGI naked women, the villain's chief henchman is impaled on a chandelier with a spurt of blood, another man has a laser drilled through the back of his head, a female henchman is stabbed in the chest, and the villain kills his father and is electrocuted and ground up in a turbine;]]
** [[Film/CasinoRoyale2006 Bond tied naked to a chair and getting his junk destroyed by the bad guy;]]
** [[Film/QuantumOfSolace Bond finding a dead, naked girl that he slept with earlier, again;]]
** [[Film/{{Skyfall}} A terrorist balancing a shot glass of whiskey on his mistress's head then shooting her to knock it off. Later, he pulls his prosthetic jaw from his mouth to show the damage inflicted by the failure of a Suicide Pill.]]
* At least one Family Home Entertainment release, ''[[http://slasherindex.com/artworkpages/journey_into_the_beyond.html Journey into the Beyond]]'', has explicit blood and violence. Worth mentioning because the distributor is clearly ''Family Home Entertainment'', and not its adult-oriented sister companies U.S.A. Home Video (later International Video Entertainment, Live Home Video, and Artisan Home Video), Monterey Home Video, Thriller Video, Magnum Entertainment, Tenth Avenue Video, Wizard Video, or [[ExplicitContent Caballero Control Corporation Home Video]]. And just so parents get the message, it clearly states on the front that it's not for anyone under the age of 18.
* ''Franchise/JurassicPark'' and its sequels. "[[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs This dinosaur movie]] is so cool, look there's a ''[[TyrannosaurusRex T. rex]]'' and... HE'S EATING PEOPLE! MOMMY! I'M SCAAAARREEED!" Nonetheless, it was still pretty heavily marketed towards kids, with plenty of toys, coloring books, video games, etc. for kids. It was a funny sort of {{defictionalization}} of the Jurassic Park merchandise from the park.
* ''Film/{{Keanu}}'' got this reaction from some people, mainly since the film's advertisements and posters makes it appear that the film is all about a group of gangsters trying to rescue a cute kitten. However just because it features a CuteKitten doesn't mean it's appropriate for children. It's rated R for a reason.
* The movie poster for ''Film/{{Kids}}'' had teens in bright four-color filters laughing, smiling, and otherwise posing in a way that suggested nothing more dangerous than any other movie for late preteens from TheNineties. NeverTrustATrailer, indeed. This was probably intentional - the movie really was for late preteens, because SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped and its anvil falls distinctly into that group. And the MPAA was all set to give ''Kids'' an NC-17 rating, but Miramax (already part of Disney) decided to release the film unrated instead.
%%* ''Film/{{Leprechaun}}'': [[CoversAlwaysLie Don't be fooled by the DVD cover with a wee green man sipping tea.]]
* ''Film/LoveActually'' seems like a nice little family Christmas movie that could be fun to take the kids to, and even gets frequently aired on ABC Family. But then there's the subplot with two stand-ins for a porn movie (complete with nudity) and an implied '''five-some''' with four American girls and one British guy. And the F-words. ''And'' several restrained but emotionally intense scenes about a superficially happily-married father of elementary-school aged children [[spoiler:whose wife finds he's having an affair with another woman]]. Just the thing for Christmas with the kids!
[[/folder]]

[[folder:M-R]]
* ''Literature/MarleyAndMe''
** The [[NeverTrustATrailer trailers and ads were trying to present it as a family comedy about a dog and his mischievous antics]]. But really the movie was actually focused more on the (not-so-comedic) lives of the people and in the end [[spoiler: the dog [[DeathByNewberyMedal grows old and is put down]]]]. Of course, some people just will not listen. A grandmother was informed upwards of 4 times that this movie isn't for kids. She took three kids (aged eight, ten, and thirteen) to see it - and came out very dissatisfied.
** It is worth noting that there are [[http://www.amazon.com/Marley-Me-Meet-Read-Book/dp/0061704393/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291522218&sr=1-3 easy reader books for kids.]]
** The original book ran into the same problem. Author John Grogan eventually had to release a more kid-friendly version, eliminating the sexual content and moments of marital strife, even though [[spoiler:Marley's death remained part of the story.]]
** It doesn't help that they later released a straight to video prequel called ''Marley & Me: The Puppy Years'' where Marley is an adorable talking puppy with adorable talking puppy friends. Any kid who sees that and decides they want to see the original is in for a hard lesson about how Hollywood works.
* The Australian-made claymation film ''WesternAnimation/MaryAndMax'' deals with a fair amount of mature themes such as prostitution, suicide, and alcoholism, and also has brief nudity and references to sex. Despite this, every province in Canada gave the film a '''G''', and in Australia it received a '''PG'''. By comparison, Singapore, who actually likely watched the film, gave it a PG-16. The animation style is very cartoony and cute, and one of the protagonists is a child, which doesn't help. There's also a bit of full-frontal nudity [[spoiler:of the overweight/obese Max]] in an ImagineSpot.
* ''Film/MeanCreek'', despite the young cast, it's clearly not intended for a young audience in mind as is obvious by the R-rating, frequent profanity and in general un-family friendly behavior. Despite all this, reports are that it managed to get shown in quite a few high school and even religion classes.
* ''Film/MeMyselfAndIrene''. Creator/JimCarrey being goofy means it's for kids, right? After all, [[NeverTrustATrailer the trailer didn't show anything inappropriate or foul language]] so it doesn't matter that the movie is [[UsefulNotes/MediaClassifications rated R]]...
* ''Film/MouseHunt'' contains a cute little mouse and plays out like a live-action ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoon, but there are some curse words, [[spoiler: a person who dies from choking on a bug, another whose corpse is thrown into the sewer]], sexual references, and A LOT of {{black comedy}}! What makes this worse is that Creator/TheHub (now Discovery Family), a family channel, aired this movie! And even better is the reviews on the VHS box that say it's "...fun for the whole family".
* Hey, ''Film/AMillionWaysToDieInTheWest'' is a comedy about cowboys! All little boys love westerns, right? Well, if you weren't tipped off by the fact that it's made by the same team behind the aforementioned ''Ted'' (and stars Creator/SethMacFarlane, who, despite working on kids' cartoons[[note]]some of which had risqué content[[/note]] early in his career, has made bank with more adult-oriented animation, like ''FamilyGuy'' and ''AmericanDad''), be prepared for the constant sex jokes, prostitutes, bodily fluids, [[GrossUpCloseUp sheep penis close-ups]], ToiletHumor galore, cartoonishly violent deaths, and drunkenness.
* The Japanese 1957 classic film, ''Film/TheMilitaryPolicemanAndTheDismemberedBeauty'', whose graphic murder scene was definitely not for children, surely shouldn't fall into this trap. ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER}}'' series creator Creator/ShigesatoItoi, however, [[MisaimedFandom was some accidental exception]] for the scene that he saw as a little boy (as he thought he was seeing a rape scene at the time), and that scene, along with the actress in it, would later inspire the last battle scene with Giygas in ''VideoGame/EarthBound''.
%%* ''Film/MysteryTeam'' is about a group of three friends solving a mystery! [[TemptingFate What's the worst that could happen]]?
* Believe it or not, ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968'' qualified when it was first released. Thanks to 3D and other movie gimmicks like those created by Creator/WilliamCastle, [[BMovie B-movies]] were popular among children in the 50s and 60s. So, naturally, kids went to see this flick expecting fun-house thrills and instead saw the undead messily devouring human flesh (for starters). Creator/RogerEbert's first review described children watching the movie, silently crying in genuine fear. Ebert stressed that parents really shouldn't allow their kids to go see a movie called ''NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD''.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Nine}}''. Despite the dark tone of the advertisements, some of which explicitly state it's not for kids, many parents took their kids to see it. Most of the younger ones were in tears by the middle of the film. And to top it off, the official trailers heavily alluded to the deaths of several characters, one of whom dies ''screaming'' in terror right before having his soul sucked out. Yet parents ''still'' took their kids to see it and then complained about the dark material. Insert facepalm here.
* ''Film/NineMonths'' is a funny comedy about a mom having a baby that stars Robin Williams in it, and Robin Williams is considered family-friendly, so it must be for kids! Yeah, no. It has some suggestive themes and a Barney-esque mascot swearing at a mom for not buying its merchandise!
* "Once Upon A Girl" is animated in the style of the family-friendly Creator/HannaBarbera cartoons, but it is absolutely not appropriate for children in any way. It is a collection of fairy tale parodies in which each segment ends with the characters having sex, with plenty of nudity and foul language scattered throughout.
* ''Film/{{Outbreak}}'' may look like a nice family-friendly movie about a man moving to a new town who gets a monkey for a research project...until it scratches him. It just gets bad from there. The title is a dead giveaway that it's not for kids, plus, it has an RRatedOpening.
%%* Some parents have taken their younger children to see ''Film/{{Paul}}'', despite the R (15 in the UK) rating and that the posters and ads clearly state that it's from the director of ''Film/{{Superbad}}''. Sure, it's about an alien, but ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'' this ain't.
* ''Film/ThePassionOfTheChrist''
** It's about Jesus and it's from Literature/TheBible and religious things are definitely family-friendly, so that makes it okay, right? Leaving aside that anyone who has read the Bible should recognize a difference between the real thing and "Bible Stories for Children", some parents still ignored the R rating (or intentionally [[AbusiveParents defied the R rating]]) and [[http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,600221,00.html took their tykes to theaters for this one]]. And it made Stephen King feel ashamed. {{Gorn}} to the point of {{squick}} not withstanding. Hopefully, they learned their lesson and didn't make the same mistake when ''Film/{{Apocalypto}}'' came out. Note that Mel Gibson himself recommended the film for people over 13.
** When ''Series/TheDailyShow'' covered the hype and controversy about the movie, this was spoofed with a shell-shocked correspondent admitting he had taken his little son to see it, not knowing how violent it was, and unable to explain to his child why Jesus was being treated so badly beyond "Because he ''loves'' everybody?" The reasoning from parents who took their kids was that it didn't matter how violent it was, precisely ''because'' it's about Jesus and they needed to understand what Jesus went through on their behalf. Many parents took their kids to see it ''multiple times''. One can only imagine what the kids thought...
* ''Film/{{Poltergeist}}'', another movie famously tied to Creator/StevenSpielberg, is hardly appropriate for kids. Still, slapping the creator of other 80's supernatural flicks such as ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'' is just asking for trouble.
* ''Franchise/{{Rambo}}'' inspired [[WesternAnimation/RamboTheForceOfFreedom an animated series]] with [[MerchandiseDriven a related toyline]]. The first movie is a kind of depressing action-drama with a ShellShockedVeteran fighting ignorant people who reject him, and the sequel (primary influence on the cartoon) goes into full "action movie where a OneManArmy slaughters dozens". Plus, the cartoon inspired in Brazil a [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M38pmN9_SVA song]] by a popular kids TV host (which on the video plays with [[{{Gorn}} the latest Rambo movie]] to show how that's a ''huge'' misfire of an inspiration).
* ''RevengeOfTheRedBaron'' is a comedic horror movie about an evil toy who hunts down a family. Despite its cornball humor, there's quite a few violent scenes and is rated PG-13. So, having a DVD cover [[http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2131661312/tt0110983 like this]] is really misleading.
* ''Film/RoboCop1987'' was a movie filled with over-the-top-violence about a grim future, dominated by corporations. [[Film/RoboCop2 The sequel]] retained the R rating (although the original script by Creator/FrankMiller was far more bloody, explicit, and adult than the real movie, and the ExecutiveMeddling made him disenchanted with Hollywood)... but then they decided to follow it with a LighterAndSofter ''Film/RoboCop3'' and ''WesternAnimation/RoboCopTheAnimatedSeries'', clearly trying to aim the franchise at children.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:S-Z]]
* ''WesternAnimation/SausageParty''.
** Oh look, kids, another film similar to ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' with food that talk, and they are going to someone's home to have a party! But a few trailers or clips on YouTube should indicate it's anything but child friendly. When they get home, [[FamilyUnfriendlyViolence the potato]] [[MoodWhiplash gets peeled]] with a slight JumpScare [[PrecisionFStrike and drops an F-bomb]], and it only goes FromBadToWorse from there. There is violence to the food similar to UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust, [[EatsBabies the lady eats cute baby carrots]], there are tons and TONS of swearing, and at the end, [[spoiler:everyone has sex.]] [[SarcasmMode Just the perfect family outing, indeed!]]
** In Sweden, this movie is rated 11+, despite the heavy cursing, the food getting tortured in shocking ways and [[spoiler: the massive orgy at the end]]. Similarly, in Norway, the movie's rated 12+.[[note]]This is actually because both countries don't have an official rating for movies meant for adult audiences, so they went for the next best thing, which unfortunately happened to be the preteen ratings.[[/note]]
** [[http://time.com/4389758/sausage-party-trailer-finding-dory/ A multiplex in California]] accidentally showed the ''red band'' trailer to moviegoers waiting to see ''WesternAnimation/FindingDory''. To add insult to injury, Finding Dory took [[DevelopmentHell 13 years]] to come out.
** Just in case misinformed parents take their kids to see this R rated animation, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nnVdGQKVPo this commercial had a warning about the film being rated R twice in the ad]] and the rest of the commercials even had to slap a red stamp of the R rating for the film's release date and title!
* ''Film/SchoolOfRock'': A movie about a former rock star who becomes a music teacher and makes music fun for his class? With Creator/JackBlack as the rock star teacher? [[SarcasmMode It's the perfect film to show to your five year old!]] Despite looking perfect for kids, it actually isn't, thanks to scenes with swearing (most of it by children!), a teacher getting drunk, someone stating that another teacher is doing drugs, and a person jumping off of a stage and passing out. It doesn't help that CartoonNetwork, of all channels, [[AdoredByTheNetwork ran this movie frequently in the mid-to-late 2000's]] during its spiral into NetworkDecay[[note]]in fairness, they probably had to {{bowdlerize}} a lot of scenes to make the movie family-friendly, but, considering that this is CartoonNetwork -- the Crown Prince of GettingCrapPastTheRadar -- the edits were either minimal or made the scenes more dubious[[/note]]. As of 2015, it's being adapted into a kids' TV show on Nickelodeon, similar to ''Sam and Max''. To make matters worse, in Norway and South Korea, the movie was given an "all ages" rating!
* ''Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld''. Due to the flashy visuals, toilet humor, and videogame references, IMDB users [[PublicMediumIgnorance passed it off as a "kiddie" movie]]. Need we remind you that this is a movie that has sexual references (although mild), several homosexual scenes/references, Scott accidentally saying that he wants to give Knives a golden shower, [[spoiler:Scott being impaled by the seventh ex (yes, he comes back with a 1-Up, and [[BloodlessCarnage there's no blood]], but still!)]], and one of the exes dying ''from having an orgasm.'' This film actually was not as successful as hoped since it was too "adult" for children and too "kiddie" for most adults.
* ''Film/TheSecretLifeOfWalterMitty'': It's a film about a man who daydreams to help him get out of his everyday problems, so it must be for kids, right? Wrong! It contains some swearing, drinking, sex jokes, [[spoiler: a building catching on fire, and the main character going to Afghanistan and getting arrested for it.]] The film wound up with a PG rating, and little kids still saw it despite the scenes mentioned.
* A little-known comedy called ''Film/ShakesTheClown'' starring comedians Creator/BobcatGoldthwait and Julie Brown was commonly rented by moms who later returned to the video store with the video and a good mad expression on. Despite the R-rating, and Julie Brown being on the cover lying on her stomach [[MaleGaze in a way that allows you to look directly down her cleavage]], many thought this was kiddie fare. (You'd think the cleavage on the cover would clue them in).
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsonsMovie'', similarly to its series, was also assumed to be for all ages. It was even rated U in Malaysia and Japan despite the language, violence, and nudity; this, combined with the vast amounts of more teen-adult humor filling the movie, was apparently shrugged off as [[ParentalBonus subtle adult humor]].
* Jonah Hill's ''Film/TheSitter'', seems like a modern day version of ''Film/AdventuresInBabysitting''[[note]](not a hugely family-friendly movie itself, but still commonly seen as a family movie nowadays)[[/note]] right? WRONG!
* ''Film/ThreeMenAndABaby'' is a wacky, 80s classic about three bachelors who find a baby at their doorstep. It's about a baby so it has to be squeaky clean, right? Not exactly. It has quite a lot of sexual references and drug related plots that might not be suitable for younger viewers, yet is commonly seen as a family film nevertheless.
* Someone on the Malaysian censorship board decided to grant ''Film/SnakesOnAPlane'' the U Rating (Universal rating, ''meaning that it is suitable for everyone, even babies''), apparently because the title of the movie sounds like [[CriticalResearchFailure it's a clean family comedy outing]]. It was eventually reclassified as a 18+ movie, but not before a horde of angry parents wrote in to the local press complaining. The Censor? He's most likely out of a job.
* ''Film/SnowWhiteAndTheHuntsman'': Oh look, another adaption of a fairy tale Disney made by the producer of 2010's ''Film/AliceInWonderland''! First of all, this movie was not made by Disney, and second, it's PG-13, due to some violence. There's also some mild IncestSubtext that could make parents (or really anyone) squirm.
* ''Film/{{Spaceballs}}'' has a PG rating on the DVD cover and was shown on the Creator/DisneyChannel for a while, despite the sex references ("That was my virgin alarm! It's programmed to go off before YOU DO!"), constant bad language ("I knew it, I'm surrounded by assholes!" "We ain't found shit!") and occasional [[FantasticRacism fantastically racist]] remarks ("Funny! She doesn't look Druish [Jewish]!").
* ''Film/{{Stardust}}'' is a modern fairy tale full of [[BreadEggsMilkSquick adventure, wonder, magic, murder]], treason, and sexual innuendos. Not to mention that plot and cultural references would be definitely over the head of an average 12-year-old.
* ''Film/TankGirl''. Had a scene implying that the title character had sex with a mutated kangaroo, one in which a little girl was dropped into a pipe to slowly drown, and some horror in which the BigBad drained the water out of one of his {{mooks}} and drank it. Of course, nobody who was remotely familiar with [[ComicBook/TankGirl the source material]] would have imagined that the film would be family-friendly.
* This Website/{{IMDB}} trivia entry for Creator/TreyParkerAndMattStone's ''Film/TeamAmericaWorldPolice'' says it all: "Despite almost getting an NC-17 Rating in the States, the film was promoted as a 'kids and family' movie in several European countries, and rated fit for all accordingly." Probably because just as in America [[AnimationAgeGhetto animation is automatically for kids]], in Europe puppets must be automatically for kids.
* ''Film/{{Ted}}''
** It seems like a family movie about a teddy bear and a man who have lived together for 20 years by the [[Creator/SethMacfarlane nice man]] who brought us ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' (which isn't family-friendly either, despite idiot viewers who think so and MoralGuardians saying it should be), doesn't it? No! It's rated R and it shows! Just so they would know, Universal made a [[http://collider.com/ted-movie-theater-standee/ standee for the film]] that featured the eponymous bear holding up the R rating and what it's rated R for.
** To give you a hint as to why the movie deserves an "R"-rating, the eponymous teddy bear's personality was perverted and addicted to drugs, and lewd. Since it was rated R, numerous gross-out and adult gags [[NeverTrustATrailer were toned down for TV and advertising]]. For example, one overused clip has Ted showing off to a co-worker, only to weird her out when he starts humping a barcode scanner. In the actual movie? He goes from humping to fellating a chocolate bar. The gross out reaction his colleague gives? ''[[UpToEleven She is disgusted when he uses soap dispensers to simulate being ejaculated on.]]''
** It was rated 16 in Brazil... and yet a deputy who brought his 11-year old son to watch it was outraged and decided to ask the Ministry of Justice to ban it [[MoralGuardians on the grounds that is morally offensive]]. The Internet didn't take this stupidity lightly, and he changed to only upping the rating to 18. The results: the Ministry deferred his request, [[StreisandEffect and the movie topped the box office]].
* The Danish movie ''WesternAnimation/TerkelIKnibe'' (Terkel in Trouble) actually won an ''award'' in Denmark for "Best Kids and Family Film". However, a few clips on YouTube should indicate that it is anything but: there's a LOT of black humor and sexual references, a crazy uncle who swears and beats up kids who tried to steal his liquor, a LOT of swearing, an awfully cruel song about a poor starving kid in Thailand who sniffs glue to dull his hunger pains [[spoiler: a girl who takes her own life because of unrequited love ]] and the fact that [[spoiler: the entire plot is about someone trying to kill Terkel, the main character]]. It was rated 11 in Denmark, but 15 in the UK-- an example of Main/ValuesDissonance, as very dark, cynical comedy (a la Series/{{Louie}}) is much more culturally accepted in Denmark than the UK.
* Although most DVD artworks of the film ''Film/{{Threads}}'' make it clear it's [[{{Understatement}} dark]], don't be fooled by the fact that it has a PG rating in America. '''''[[NightmareFuel/{{Threads}} IT'S. NOT.]] [[PunctuatedForEmphasis FOR. KIDS.]]'''''
* ''WesternAnimation/WhenTheWindBlows'' has an artsyle that wouldn't look out of place in a children's book and stars a friendly old couple. It's actually about said couple trying to survive a nuclear war.
* ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'':
** Besides [[NightmareFuel/WhoFramedRogerRabbit scariness,]] there's the sex-related jokes, a lot of which center on Jessica Rabbit.
** There's a reason Creator/{{Disney}} released it under the Creator/TouchstonePictures label. Touchstone is Disney's brand for more mature films. Though ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'' did "migrate" from Touchstone to Disney for re-releases and even then, that movie had ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' as an excuse for that.
** Disney also would later produce a handful of original Roger Rabbit shorts that were shown prior to movies released under their main title like ''Honey I Shrunk the Kids''.
* In the UK, a number of parents apparently took young children to see ''Film/TheWomanInBlack'' because it starred Creator/DanielRadcliffe and it was rated 12A (albeit edited to tone down the horrific imagery[[note]]mostly remixing the background music to get rid of the scare chords, lowering the volume to half on a scene of a dead boy shown caked in mud and shrieking, digitally darkening any scene showing the rotting corpses of dead children, cutting the scene of a woman on a chair preparing to hang herself, and cutting another scene of a girl being set on fire[[/note]]), so it couldn't be that bad. The resulting protests over the film's terrifying nature and DownerEnding led the [[CensorshipBureau BBFC]] to change its rules about horror to pay more attention to a film's mood and plot, as opposed to simply going by the level of graphic violence and gore.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Series, Genres & Misc]]
* In his book ''The Best Old Movies for Families'', critic Ty Burr complains that many other PG-13 rated films are regarded as family fare thanks to intentional MisaimedMarketing, which means parents will happily take toddlers to films like ''Film/VanHelsing'' without a second thought.
* Parents, just because a film is a musical doesn't mean that it's kid-friendly. ''Film/RepoTheGeneticOpera'', ''Film/{{Chicago}}'', ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow'', ''WesternAnimation/SouthParkBiggerLongerAndUncut'', ''Film/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'' and ''Theatre/LesMiserables'' come to mind. Musicals, yes they are. Kid friendly, far from it:
** For the South Park movie, the creators knew that young people might sneak into the movie (and many did), so in the movie, [[TakeThat they showed the boys going to see "Terrance and Phillip: Asses of Fire", which is rated R]].
** Granted, for ''Sweeney Todd'', some parents may remember the much less gory [[Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet stage version]]. Most performances keep the child molestation, rape, suicide and cannibalism puns--while they aren't graphically shown, it can still be unsettling to hear it described.
** Almost all adaptations of ''Literature/LesMiserables''. Parents should notice the story includes prostitution, extreme poverty, [[KillEmAll massacres]], kids killed off, teens killed off, suicide, and other not-for-children things.
** ''Film/{{Chicago}}'' is no less troublesome for those seeking family-friendly entertainment. After all, it takes place in Prohibition-era Chicago, home of gangsters, flappers, illegal booze, and murder. Several numbers take place in a murderer's prison, and there's cursing in some of the lyrics. This doesn't deter some middle schools from performing it.
** There are many little kids who are fans of Rocky Horror, but there is a ton of sex and several scary scenes, including two scenes involving [[spoiler:four deaths]], but it's not as bad as most R rated movies nowadays. Its sequel, ''Shock Treatment'', although it is rated PG, contains more cursing and suggestive language than in Rocky Horror.
** Speaking of musicals, take the 2000 adaptation of ''Theatre/LovesLaboursLost''. It may be a silly 1930's-esque musical about 3 men and a king trying to not be with women, but the rule of "No Women" is soon broken, and due to this, some sexual jokes are in the movie, including one sexy musical number with people in masks. Plus, the ending has [[spoiler: very disturbing images of World War 2 like burning buildings and concentration camps.]] Despite this, it got a PG rating in America and a U rating in the UK.
** ''Film/TheProducers''. Yeah, the protagonists have also voiced [[Disney/TheLionKing Timon and Simba]],[[note]]Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick play Bialystock and Bloom respectively[[/note]] and it's a wacky musical that also co-stars Creator/WillFerrell; Hell, it's even rated PG-13 in most countries, and was even "suitable for all ages" in Iceland, Norway, Malaysia, and Finland. Did we mention it contains innumerable amounts of sexual innuendos, several [[LastSecondWordSwap implied]] f-bombs, plenty of bad language, [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi and WWII humor]], and [[QueerAsTropes almost every gay stereotype under the sun]].
* ''Film/LittleShopOfHorrors'' is a bunch of fun! Your kids will love the songs, and in the end Seymour and Audrey have a happy ending, right? They're sure to love the DepravedDentist, the protagonist chopping a dead man up and feeding him to a laughing plant, watching a man get chomped and swallowed whole by a plant and the female lead almost getting swallowed herself!
* The various ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' [[Film/{{Batman}} films]] from 1989 on have been prone to controversy over their appropriateness for kids:
** All have had PG-13 ratings, but they were not all created equal in terms of violence and intensity. Creator/JoelSchumacher's films were intentionally LighterAndSofter than Creator/TimBurton's in part because of complaints. Creator/ChristopherNolan's ''Film/TheDarkKnightSaga'' reboot is adult. In some countries like The Netherlands and Germany, ''The Dark Knight'' was rated 16 (no one under 16 admitted) for its psychological horror, [[Main/NightmareFuel Nightmare Fuel]] and gruesome (but implied) death scenes involving pencils, guns and knives.
** In Argentina, [[MisaimedMarketing they heavily marketed]] ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' to children, including coloring books, sticker albums, and action figures based on the movie.
** It's like that in North America, too. There are children's toys and Fruit Roll-Ups themed after ''Film/TheDarkKnight''. There were even ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' happy meal toys!
** ''Film/BatmanReturns'' [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc_XVcIME7Q got]] [[UsefulNotes/McDonalds Happy Meal toys]] too. Look, the Batmobile! [[MisaimedMarketing Follow it dad, before the Penguin kidnaps and drowns all the first-born sons in Gotham!]] (Stuff like this led to at least one daytime talk show that summer covering the complaints from parents over the movie...)
** ''Creator/TimBurton'' [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded this]] during an interview about his movies. He mentioned that executives were very displeased with the film, with comments like "Look, Penguin eating raw fish, spewing black stuff out of the mouth, [[CompletelyMissingThePoint how am I going to put this in a Happy Meal?!?!]]". Fortunately, Creator/JoelSchumacher's films being directly related to [[FranchiseKiller the whole Batman franchise going comatose for almost a decade]] vindicated Tim Burton's movies. Most of the "Batman is for kids" mentality though is because of older generations used to the campy [[Series/{{Batman}} Adam West Batman series of the 60's]] being their only exposure to Batman.
** There have been ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' action figures for kids that must be at least five or six years old. You know, ''The Dark Knight Rises''? That [[SarcasmMode delightfully family-friendly movie outing]] featuring such delights as a [[spoiler: graphic blood transfusion]] ''in the opening scenes'', multiple shootings, one resulting in a hospitalisation, [[spoiler:Bruce Wayne having his back broken]] ''[[spoiler:and]]'' [[spoiler:[[NauseaFuel with the appropriate sound effects]], several other people having bones crushed and necks broken by Bane, including one who has his skull crushed,]] and of course, several realistically-presented bombings. The last of which should not be surprising since some are depicted in the actual trailer. It's PG-13/12A for a reason.
** And in a case of Completely Missing the Point, after the July 20, 2012 mass shooting at a midnight showing of this movie in Aurora, Colorado that left 58 injured and 12 dead, there were people on several forums who were pouncing at the fact that articles were stating that some of these victims were under 10 years old, and were like, "What were these parents doing bringing their young kids who are less than 10 years to a ''midnight showing'' of a very violent movie?!"
* ''Film/KickAss'' got complaints from misinformed parents thinking it was a fun superhero movie despite the '''R''' rating it received. And, you know, the word "ass" right in the bloody title. Amusing because some theaters even censor "Ass" on the ticket stub.
* ''Film/{{RIPD}}'' left children shaking in fear outside of the theater. Hell, it scared quite a few ''grown-ups'' due to having [[PrimalFear "soul-killing bullets"]] - that's right, [[CessationOfExistence bullets that kill you]] ''[[CessationOfExistence forever]]'' - as a major plot point. This wasn't bad parenting - their parents supposedly took them to the film [[AnimationAgeGhetto just because it was based off a comic book]]. Even worse is that it was advertised on channels aimed at kids like Cartoon Network when it came out.
* The [[Film/{{Watchmen}} film adaptation]] of ''Comicbook/{{Watchmen}}'' did not take long at all to fall victim to this:
** Consider: Comic book fans all know this story is by ''[[BlackAndGrayMorality no]]'' [[AnyoneCanDie stretch]] [[WhatTheHellHero of]] [[ShootTheShaggyDog the]] [[RapeAsDrama imagination]] [[EldritchAbomination appropriate]] [[MindRape for]] [[BittersweetEnding children]]. Okay. Now think of all the people out there who are ''not'' comic book fans, have never heard of the novel, and only saw [[http://notalwaysright.com/when-presumptions-meet-postmodernism/4312 an awesome trailer with superheroes doing cool stuff]]. The film does have an "adults only" rating in American and British markets, but we all know how well some adults acknowledge those.
** There is some [[http://www.forbiddenplanet.com/categories/Family/840/Watchmen;jsessionid=DBBDAD31E194686960B34EF0F9FDFC03.bulk merchandising]]. One imagines [[MisaimedMarketing a little kid walking around]] with a Doctor Manhattan or a [[WhatTheHellHero Rorschach]] lunchbox.
** In fact, Debbie Schlussel wrote an entire column bashing ''Watchmen'' as another example of marketing extreme content to children. When she was called out on this, and told that the film was not intended for children, she replied by saying that the existence of merchandise based on this film proved her right, apparently not understanding that the filmmakers and merchandisers are completely separate groups and that the filmmakers likely were ''forced'' to include a merchandising agreement in their contract, despite the film being rated R. For that matter, ''numerous'' films, comics, video games and other things ''very clearly'' not marketed to children still have merchandising, such as the ''Alien'' franchise, the porn-comic ''Morbis Gravis'', etc.
** On a similar note, some DVD covers of the ''Watchmen'' movie don't censor Doctor Manhattan's privates. You can't really tell he's naked since he looks so inhuman and [[BarbieDollAnatomy sort of like a Ken doll]], but he's still naked.
** Parodied in [[http://envyskort.deviantart.com/gallery/#Watchmen-Stuff "G-rated Watchmen comic"]] and [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDDHHrt6l4w "Saturday Morning Watchmen"]].
** The failure of ''Watchmen'' within the US pretty much killed any chance of anymore R-rated superhero movies. [[http://thinkmcflythink.squarespace.com/movie-news/2010/4/25/exclusive-interview-with-bruce-timm.html According to]] Creator/BruceTimm, there were plans for an R-rated [[WesternAnimation/DCUniverseAnimatedOriginalMovies DC animated film]], but the poor box office haul for ''Watchmen'' [[GenreKiller put the kibosh on any future superhero movies with anything higher than a PG-13 rating]]. (not that some DCUniverseAnimatedOriginalMovies don't push the rating as far as it goes).
** Creator/MarkMillar has also said this is why none of the studios were interested in ''Film/KickAss'', which ultimately ended up as an indie production and a surprise success.
** Writer Grace Randolph made a petition to get ''Film/{{Deadpool}}'' released in an alternate PG-13 cut, so that kids who were fans of other superhero movies could go see it. Creator/RyanReynolds said he was sympathetic to her concerns, but that the movie was so raunchy and violent by design that a PG-13 cut would only be a few minutes long.
* Film/HowardTheDuck got a kid-friendly PG rating despite a few scenes of naked or semi-naked women, but apparently it was okay since they were [[NonMammalMammaries ducks]].
* Despite having the same age rating as most other superhero films, an argument can be made that ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'' goes so far with some of the deaths in the BadFuture to the point that it should have received a higher age rating. The opening scene especially is rather disturbing and highly non-child-friendly.
* A lot of old classic cinema films get mistaken for this perhaps unintentionally to introduce children to the most popular cinema that existed from an early age. A lot of people just can't seem to understand that while UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode made films more "wholesome," it did not always make them more soothing for kids. Indeed, the Code was less stringent with horror films than with any other genre. The aforementioned ''Best Old Movies for Families'' book directly addresses this, and except for ''Theatre/HelloDolly'', the films below are described in detail so parents know what they're ''really'' about going in so they'll know if they want their kids to tackle it now or later.
** ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife'', as inspirational as it is as a holiday film, still has a man trying to kill himself.
** ''Theatre/WestSideStory'', featuring a good ol' gang stabbin', attempted gang rape, and the blatant racism of the cops and the Jets.
** ''Theatre/HelloDolly'' The fact that it got a G-rating in America makes this example even worse.
** ''Film/KingKong1933''. The effects might have aged, but the dinosaurs and giant ape are still scary as hell.
** ''Film/TheRedShoes1948''. It's based on a fairy tale! And ballet! High culture! Never mind the ballet-within-a-film is avant-garde expressionist horror where (just like the story) the heroine dances herself to death in the red shoes, and that's before the real-world framing story ends [[spoiler: with the heroine, torn between her love for her husband and her love for ballet, who commits suicide by leaping off a balcony [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill in front of a train]]]].
** Granted, people almost never claim it's a film for children. But a good number of fans of classic comedy and/or Creator/MarilynMonroe seem to like her famous film ''Film/TheSevenYearItch'' because it's supposedly "innocent" and "charming" - not crude like romantic comedies are today. [[PraisingShowsYouDontWatch You have to wonder if such people have actually watched the movie.]] Never mind [[MarilynManeuver the skirt scene]]: ''The Seven Year Itch'' features jokes and innuendoes about adultery, [[BlackComedyRape rape]], murder, [[SuicideAsComedy suicide]], [[DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale spousal abuse]], lung cancer, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking senseless book-burning]] - and all of this in the mid-1950s, no less! ''The Seven Year Itch'' isn't innocent; it's ''seemingly'' innocent, which arguably makes it even edgier than the modern comedies to which it's compared.
* ''Film/{{Hairspray}}'' is somewhat family friendly with its pro-acceptance message, which has led people to pick up other Creator/JohnWaters films thinking they were similar. This has led to Waters getting massive amounts of hate mail despite his reputation as "The Sultan of Sleeze." In one case, a woman made the news when she [[DisproportionateRetribution called 911]] after putting on ''Film/PinkFlamingos'' for her kids.
* "Family" geared channels such as Showtime Fam Zone and Starz Kids tend to show anything under the R rating even if they're not really family friendly. Thus we get more risque PG and PG-13 movies like ''Film/LookWhosTalking'' or ''Film/ThreeMenAndABaby'' alongside more 'kid friendly' material.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: In-Universe Examples]]
* In ''Film/BeingJohnMalkovich'', John Cusack plays a puppeteer who puts on a rather racy puppet show in public, and a clueless dad mistakenly lets his young daughter watch it. This does not end well.
* In ''Film/DunstonChecksIn'', the kid's dad turns on the TV to calm him down and says, "Ah, a nice old black and white movie. You'll be out in no time". Meanwhile, Kong has escaped and is about to abduct the heroine, sending the kid straight into nightmare land.
* In ''Film/JerseyGirl'', the protagonist takes his daughter to see ''Theatre/SweeneyTodd'', (which features a barber who [[VillainProtagonist slits the throats of his customers and bakes them into pies]]) assuming it's just some silly musical.
* In ''Film/MeetTheFockers'', a toddler changes the channel from ''Series/SesameStreet'' to ''Film/{{Scarface 1983}}''. His parents get shocked at this.
[[/folder]]
----

* ''Film/{{Beowulf 2007}}'', yet another movie marketed as another summer action-y film, apparently terrified children taken to see it.

* The ''Film/AustinPowers'' films, despite being filled to the brim with sexual innuendo and whose second film has the word ''shag'' (British slang term meaning "to have sex with") right in the title, seems to suffer from this greatly. Not only that, the third movie actually won an award for Favorite Movie at the 2003 Kids' Choice Awards.

* Despite it having a "PG" rating in America, ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'' is certainly ''not'' a kid's movie, especially when you consider that it deals with death, suicide, rather [[RuleOfFunny gruesome yet hilarious depictions of how people look after they die]], and [[{{Squick}} a ghost trying to marry a 14-year-old girl]].

* ''Film/ForrestGump'' seems to have stuck in many people's minds as the wholesome, patriotic tale of a mentally-challenged man with a heart of gold who inadvertently becomes part of American culture (including teaching Elvis Presley how to dance, fighting in the Vietnam War, and meeting John F. Kennedy), which has led to its being shown on family-movie channels at around eight p.m. This overlooks, oh let's see:
** The early scene where young Forrest overhears his mother sleeping with the principal of his school to guarantee him admission (although, to be fair, that scene tends to leave most kids confused than frightened).
** Jenny's [[AbusiveParents alcoholic father, who is implied to be sexually abusive]].
** Jenny's ''entire life'': drugs, groping by an audience member during a nude stage performance, [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment drugs]], stint as a Playboy centerfold, drugs, physically abusive boyfriend, drugs, contemplation of suicide, drugs, and eventual untimely death (possibly from AIDS). [[OverlyLongGag And drugs.]]

** All in all, even [[{{Bowdlerise}} censored for TV]], not easily accessible or indeed appropriate for little kids.

* Most people think of the original ''Film/{{Ghostbusters|1984}}'' film as a family movie, and why shouldn't they? The famous theme song is popular at kids' birthday parties and Halloween mix CDs, there was plenty of merchandise targeted towards children, it spawned [[WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters a popular cartoon]], it's been shown on the Disney Channel several times, and even been released on home video as part of Creator/{{Columbia|Pictures}}/Creator/{{TriStar|Pictures}}'s family collection. But the truth is, the film was meant for adults. There's blatant sexual references and language throughout the entire film, particularly one brief scene during the montage that played during the theme song that actually went so far as to feature a ghost giving Ray a blow job.

* The original 1954 version of ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'', ''Film/{{Gojira}}''. Unlike the later films, this one is ''very'' dark. You get to see people vaporized before your very eyes; a women holding her children assuring them "we will be with daddy soon" (it is assumed they are killed a moment later); people suffering in hospitals with radiation sickness and burns; and a love triangle that ends in a suicide. You know... for kids!

*** And the immediate inspiration for the film was the horrors suffered by the crew of a fishing boat that got hit by fallout from a US hydrogen bomb test that went rather better than it was supposed to. This is nasty work all around.

* Everybody likes Film/JamesBond, right? All the kids think he's cool, right? Well then, one is advised to warn them of these bits:

* ''Film/{{Leprechaun}}'': [[CoversAlwaysLie Don't be fooled by the DVD cover with a wee green man sipping tea.]]
* ''Film/LoveActually'' seems like a nice little family Christmas movie that could be fun to take the kids to, and even gets frequently aired on ABC Family. But then there's the subplot with two stand-ins for a porn movie (complete with nudity) and an implied '''five-some''' with four American girls and one British guy. And the F-words. ''And'' several restrained but emotionally intense scenes about a superficially happily-married father of elementary-school aged children [[spoiler: whose wife finds he's having an affair with another woman]]. Just the thing for Christmas with the kids!

* Would ''Literature/MarleyAndMe'' count for this? The [[NeverTrustATrailer trailers and ads were trying to present it as a family comedy about a dog and his mischievous antics]]. But really the movie was actually focused more on the (not-so-comedic) lives of the people and in the end [[spoiler: the dog [[DeathByNewberyMedal grows old and is put down]]]]. Of course, some people just will not listen. A grandmother was informed upwards of 4 times that this movie isn't for kids. She took three kids (aged eight, ten, and thirteen) to see it - and came out very dissatisfied.
** Don't forget, the movie also had some sexual content in it. But for some reason, it still got a PG rating.

** The original book ran into the same problem. Author John Grogan eventually had to release a more kid-friendly version, eliminating the sexual content and moments of marital strife, even though [[spoiler: Marley's death remained part of the story.]]
** Of course it doesn't help that they later released a straight to video prequel called ''Marley & Me: The Puppy Years'' where Marley is an adorable talking puppy with adorable talking puppy friends. Any kid who sees that and decides they want to see the original is in for a hard lesson about how Hollywood works.

* ''Film/MysteryTeam'' is about a group of three friends solving a mystery! [[TemptingFate What's the worst that could happen]]?

** This is less all children and more young children. Older children, say ten and up, would quite enjoy Nine.

* Some parents have taken their younger children to see ''Film/{{Paul}}'', despite the R rating and that the posters and ads clearly state that it's from the director of ''Film/{{Superbad}}''. Sure, it's about an alien, but ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'' this ain't.
** In the UK, the trailer was shown before several family films. It was given a 15 there.
* ''Film/ThePassionOfTheChrist'' is about Jesus and it's from Literature/TheBible and religious things are definitely family-friendly, so that makes it okay, right? Leaving aside that anyone who has read the Bible should recognize a difference between the real thing and "Bible Stories for Children", some parents still ignored the R rating (or intentionally [[AbusiveParents defied the R rating]]) and [[http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,600221,00.html took their tykes to theaters for this one]]. And it made Stephen King feel ashamed. {{Gorn}} to the point of {{squick}} not withstanding. Hopefully, they learned their lesson and didn't make the same mistake when ''Film/{{Apocalypto}}'' came out. Note that Mel Gibson himself recommended the film for people over 13.
** The controversy is addressed in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS16E8HomerAndNedsHailMaryPass Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass]]". Ned Flanders, disgusted by the family-unfriendly content of many Hollywood movies (he's particularly disgusted about that series of films about [[Film/HarryPotter "a liberal European wizard school"]]), decides to make his own films based on Bible stories. Problem is, since Ned has become a fundamentalist (earlier episodes had him as religious, but not a Bible thumper; he was more loving and forgiving), he goes out of his way to make his films as faithful as possible to their source (and, sometimes, even ''exaggerates'' how horrific some of the stories were). This results in Marge standing up during one of his screenings and screaming in horror and frustration because she can't stand to see any more gore, and when Ned and Homer mount a SuperBowl halftime show dramatizing the Noah's Ark story but ending it at the point where the world is flooded and most of humanity is dead, it's disastrously received. For example, there's a nice StereotypeFlip as a suburban mother complains that she's trying to raise her children as secular-progressives and is consistently foiled because "those slick Hollywood types" keep injecting religious subject matter into their films.

* ''WesternAnimation/SausageParty''. Oh look, kids, another film similar to ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' with food that talk, and they are going to someone's home to have a party! But a few trailers or clips on YouTube should indicate it's anything but child friendly. When they get home, [[FamilyUnfriendlyViolence the potato]] [[MoodWhiplash gets peeled]] with a slight JumpScare [[PrecisionFStrike and drops an F-bomb]], and it only goes FromBadToWorse from there. There is violence to the food similar to UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust, [[EatsBabies the lady eats cute baby carrots]], there are tons and TONS of swearing, and at the end, [[spoiler: everyone has sex.]] [[SarcasmMode Just the perfect family outing, indeed!]]

** Not only that, [[BannedInChina but it won't even get released in Taiwan]] to avoid angry parents taking their children to the film mistaking it as a "family film".

** A substitute teacher was [[http://www.foxnews.com/story/2008/01/18/substitute-teacher-sues-connecticut-district-after-being-fired-for-showing.html fired]] for showing a pirated version of it to students as young as third grade.

* ''Film/{{Ted}}'' seems like a family movie about a teddy bear and a man who have lived together for 20 years by the [[Creator/SethMacfarlane nice man]] who brought us ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' (which isn't family-friendly either, despite idiot viewers who think so and MoralGuardians saying it should be), doesn't it? No! It's rated R and it shows! Just so they would know, Universal made a [[http://collider.com/ted-movie-theater-standee/ standee for the film]] that featured the eponymous bear holding up the R rating and what it's rated R for.
** To give you a hint as to why the movie deserves an "R"-rating, the eponymous teddy bear's personality basically was perverted and addicted to drugs, and lewd. Since it was rated R, numerous gross-out and adult gags [[NeverTrustATrailer were toned down for TV and advertising]]. For example, one overused clip has Ted showing off to a co-worker, only to weird her out when he starts humping a barcode scanner. In the actual movie? He goes from humping to fellating a chocolate bar. The gross out reaction his colleague gives? ''[[UpToEleven She is disgusted when he uses soap dispensers to simulate being ejaculated on.]]''
** But with all of those inappropriate things, it didn't stop teens from seeing this film with their parents! [[http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/movies/is-crude-ted-really-a-family-film-20120710-21sq5.html Check this out!]]
** It doesn't help that the film was rated 11 in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.

** [[http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2013/01/arnaudville_teacher_charged_wi.html And one teacher]] showed this movie as well as two other R rated films to elementary school students.

* ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit''. Besides [[NightmareFuel/WhoFramedRogerRabbit scariness,]] there's the sex-related jokes, a lot of which center on Jessica Rabbit.
** There's a reason Creator/{{Disney}} released it under the Creator/TouchstonePictures label. (In case you weren't aware, Touchstone is Disney's brand for more mature films. Though ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'' did "migrate" from Touchstone to Disney for re-releases... and even then, that movie had ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' as an excuse for that.)

* In the UK, a number of parents apparently took young children to see ''Film/TheWomanInBlack'' because it starred Creator/DanielRadcliffe and it was rated 12A (albiet edited to tone down the horrific imagery[[note]]mostly remixing the background music to get rid of the scare chords, lowering the volume to half on a scene of a dead boy shown caked in mud and shrieking, digitally darkening any scene showing the rotting corpses of dead children, cutting the scene of a woman on a chair preparing to hang herself, and cutting another scene of a girl being set on fire[[/note]]), so it couldn't be that bad. The resulting protests over the film's terrifying nature and DownerEnding led the [[CensorshipBureau BBFC]] to change its rules about horror to pay more attention to a film's mood and plot, as opposed to simply going by the level of graphic violence and gore.
** In October 2014, the uncut 15 rated version was re-released in cinemas with a preview of the sequel,''Film/WomanInBlackAngelOfDeath'' (which is also rated 15, likely as a result in the BBFC's changing of rating criteria when it comes to horror films).

* Parents, just because a film is a musical doesn't mean that it's kid-friendly. ''Film/RepoTheGeneticOpera'', ''Film/{{Chicago}}'', ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow'', ''WesternAnimation/SouthParkBiggerLongerAndUncut'', ''Film/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'' and ''Theatre/LesMiserables'' come to mind. Musicals, yes they are. Kid friendly, far from it.

*** Depending on the direction and whether they're modeling on the original Broadway run or the rival, the stage version can be ''extremely'' gory for a stage play.

** There are many little kids who are fans of Rocky Horror, but there is a ton of sex and several scary scenes, including two scenes involving [[spoiler: four deaths]], but it's not as bad as most R rated movies nowadays. Its sequel, ShockTreatment, although it is rated PG, contains more cursing and suggestive language than in Rocky Horror.
*** Kidz Bop also had an edited version of the Time Warp from ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow'' on one of their [=CDs=], but some [[{{Bowdlerise}} lyrics were changed]]. For example, "But it's the pelvic thrust...that really drives you insa-yay-yay-yay-yane!" became "But it's the way you shake it...that really drives you insa-yay-yay-yay-yane!"
*** And a British website specializing in children's toys listed figurines from the movie in the same section as toys from preschool shows such as ''Series/{{Rainbow}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/MagicAdventuresOfMumfie''.
*** Believe it or not, the first ever television airing of ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' was on NewYorkState-based cable service Cablevision's Family Channel 10 which is now either public access programming or independent station WLNY.
*** An airing of the movie on LOGO that [[NoHoperRepeat ran opposite the Super Bowl]] in 2015 [[note]] All of Viacom's networks that year decided to counter-program it with films. For example, Nickelodeon showed ''Film/{{Rags}}'', ''[[NickJr NickMom]]'' showed Film/{{Parenthood}} and MTV ran ''Film/SaveTheLastDance''.[[/note]] had an ad for ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobMovieSpongeOutOfWater'' play as the last ad of the break before [[spoiler: Frank, Rocky and Columbia got killed by Riff Raff's anti-matter gun]].

*** The original Creator/MelBrooks film from 1968 isn't exactly wholesome either. Those who watched for Creator/GeneWilder after ''Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory'' were caught by surprise by the [[SpringtimeForHitler trope-naming song]], as well as many sex and drug-related jokes.

** [[Theatre/LittleShopOfHorrors The original stage version]] offers no happy ending for the leads. Terrific!
** In France and Iceland, it was classified as suitable for all audiences, making this trope WORSE!
** Spoofed in-universe in an episode of MuppetsTonight, where Clifford thinks the film is a family movie when it's not.
* The various ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' [[Film/{{Batman}} films]] from 1989 on have been prone to controversy over their appropriateness for kids. All have had PG-13 ratings, but they were not all created equal in terms of violence and intensity. Creator/JoelSchumacher's films were intentionally LighterAndSofter than Creator/TimBurton's in part because of complaints. Creator/ChristopherNolan's ''Film/TheDarkKnightSaga'' reboot is adult. In some countries like The Netherlands and Germany, ''The Dark Knight'' was rated 16 (no one under 16 admitted) for its psychological horror, [[Main/NightmareFuel Nightmare Fuel]] and gruesome (but implied) death scenes involving pencils, guns and knives.

* The [[Film/{{Watchmen}} film adaptation]] of ''Comicbook/{{Watchmen}}'' did not take long at all to fall victim to this. Consider: Comic book fans all know this story is by ''[[BlackAndGrayMorality no]]'' [[AnyoneCanDie stretch]] [[WhatTheHellHero of]] [[ShootTheShaggyDog the]] [[RapeAsDrama imagination]] [[EldritchAbomination appropriate]] [[MindRape for]] [[BittersweetEnding children]]. Okay. Now think of all the people out there who are ''not'' comic book fans, have never heard of the novel, and only saw [[http://notalwaysright.com/when-presumptions-meet-postmodernism/4312 an awesome trailer with superheroes doing cool stuff]]. The film does have an "adults only" rating in American and British markets, but we all know how well some adults acknowledge those.

* Superhero movies are one of the most common targets of this, as mentioned on this trope's front page.
* the ''Franchise/{{Harry Potter}}" series. Contrary to popular belief, the franchise and the brand itself is marketed primarily to an audience of tweens, teens, and adults. That doesn't always stop some people from insisting that the entire franchise is appropriate for the youngest of all kids and that it is in fact "for children" even though of all the entertainment brands in Hollywood today, it's actually marketed, again, to a relatively mature audience, and it's definitely included dark and gritty scenes and themes that other entertainment brands similar to it (Star Wars, Marvel, even DC,) would never think about including into their tent pole productions. The first two films are rated PG in the US and, while violent and dark in their own right, are the safest bets for viewing by children. However, films 3-8 are all rated PG-13 or 12 in the US and the U.K., and 3 of them (films 4, 7, and 8,) had to be edited down to varying degrees from the R/15 ratings. These films in particular contain scenes of violence, often with a fair amount of blood and graphic injury detail, including branding, war violence and injury gore, mass murder, disemboweling and dismemberment, self-mutilation, cannibalism, suicide and assisted suicide, stabbings, explosions, the murder of children and family members, sport murder and torture, strangulation, head-bashing, and a number of other horrific things, psychologically disturbing and frightening scenes and themes, elements of horror, sensuality and lust, complicated adult issues relating to infidelity, insanity, murder, torture, genocide, war, PTSD, and racism, as well as scenes of intense tragedy and emotional strife, trauma, and upset that is unique in modern branded entertainment and best suited for the more mature audience JK Rowling's Wizarding World brand is currently marketed to.
** The various ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' [[Film/{{Batman}} films]] from 1989 on have been prone to controversy over their appropriateness for kids. All have had PG-13 ratings, but they were not all created equal in terms of violence and intensity. Creator/JoelSchumacher's films were intentionally LighterAndSofter than Creator/TimBurton's in part because of complaints. Creator/ChristopherNolan's ''Film/TheDarkKnightSaga'' reboot is adult. In some countries like The Netherlands and Germany, ''The Dark Knight'' was rated 16 (no one under 16 admitted) for its psychological horror, [[Main/NightmareFuel Nightmare Fuel]] and gruesome (but implied) death scenes involving pencils, guns and knives.
*** In Argentina, [[MisaimedMarketing they heavily marketed]] ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' to children, including coloring books, sticker albums, and action figures based on the movie.
*** It's like that in North America, too. There are children's toys and Fruit Roll-Ups themed after ''Film/TheDarkKnight''. There were even ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' happy meal toys!
*** ''Film/BatmanReturns'' [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc_XVcIME7Q got]] [[UsefulNotes/McDonalds Happy Meal toys]] too. Look, the Batmobile! [[MisaimedMarketing Follow it dad, before the Penguin kidnaps and drowns all the first-born sons in Gotham!]] (Stuff like this led to at least one daytime talk show that summer covering the complaints from parents over the movie...)
*** ''Creator/TimBurton'' [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded this]] during an interview about his movies. He mentioned that executives were very displeased with the film, with comments like "Look, Penguin eating raw fish, spewing black stuff out of the mouth, [[CompletelyMissingThePoint how am I going to put this in a Happy Meal?!?!]]". Fortunately, Creator/JoelSchumacher's films being directly related to [[FranchiseKiller the whole Batman franchise going comatose for almost a decade]] vindicated Tim Burton's movies. Most of the "Batman is for kids" mentality though is because of older generations used to the campy [[Series/{{Batman}} Adam West Batman series of the 60's]] being their only exposure to Batman.
*** There have been ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' action figures for kids that must be at least five or six years old. You know, ''The Dark Knight Rises''? That [[SarcasmMode delightfully family-friendly movie outing]] featuring such delights as a [[spoiler: graphic blood transfusion]] ''in the opening scenes'', multiple shootings, one resulting in a hospitalisation, [[spoiler:Bruce Wayne having his back broken]] ''[[spoiler:and]]'' [[spoiler:[[NauseaFuel with the appropriate sound effects]], several other people having bones crushed and necks broken by Bane, including one who has his skull crushed,]] and of course, several realistically-presented bombings. The last of which should not be surprising since some are depicted in the actual trailer. It's PG-13/12A for a reason.
*** And in a case of Completely Missing the Point, after the July 20, 2012 mass shooting at a midnight showing of this movie in Aurora, Colorado that left 58 injured and 12 dead, there were people on several forums who were pouncing at the fact that articles were stating that some of these victims were under 10 years old, and were like, "What were these parents doing bringing their young kids who are less than 10 years to a ''midnight showing'' of a very violent movie?!"
** ''Film/KickAss'' got complaints from misinformed parents thinking it was a fun superhero movie despite the '''R''' rating it received. And, you know, the word "ass" right in the bloody title. Amusing because some theaters even censor "Ass" on the ticket stub.
** ''Film/{{RIPD}}'' left children shaking in fear outside of the theater. Hell, it scared quite a few ''grown-ups'' due to having [[PrimalFear "soul-killing bullets"]] - that's right, [[CessationOfExistence bullets that kill you]] ''[[CessationOfExistence forever]]'' - as a major plot point. This wasn't bad parenting - their parents supposedly took them to the film [[AnimationAgeGhetto just because it was based off a comic book]]. Even worse is that it was advertised on channels aimed at kids like Cartoon Network when it came out.
** The [[Film/{{Watchmen}} film adaptation]] of ''Comicbook/{{Watchmen}}'' did not take long at all to fall victim to this. Consider: Comic book fans all know this story is by ''[[BlackAndGrayMorality no]]'' [[AnyoneCanDie stretch]] [[WhatTheHellHero of]] [[ShootTheShaggyDog the]] [[RapeAsDrama imagination]] [[EldritchAbomination appropriate]] [[MindRape for]] [[BittersweetEnding children]]. Okay. Now think of all the people out there who are ''not'' comic book fans, have never heard of the novel, and only saw [[http://notalwaysright.com/when-presumptions-meet-postmodernism/4312 an awesome trailer with superheroes doing cool stuff]]. The film does have an "adults only" rating in American and British markets, but we all know how well some adults acknowledge those.
*** There is some [[http://www.forbiddenplanet.com/categories/Family/840/Watchmen;jsessionid=DBBDAD31E194686960B34EF0F9FDFC03.bulk merchandising]]. One imagines [[MisaimedMarketing a little kid walking around]] with a Doctor Manhattan or a [[WhatTheHellHero Rorschach]] lunchbox.
*** In fact, Debbie Schlussel wrote an entire column bashing ''Watchmen'' as another example of marketing extreme content to children. When she was called out on this, and told that the film was not intended for children, she replied by saying that the existence of merchandise based on this film proved her right, apparently not understanding that the filmmakers and merchandisers are completely separate groups and that the filmmakers likely were ''forced'' to include a merchandising agreement in their contract, despite the film being rated R. For that matter, ''numerous'' films, comics, video games and other things ''very clearly'' not marketed to children still have merchandising, such as the ''Alien'' franchise, the porn-comic ''Morbis Gravis'', etc.
*** On a similar note, some DVD covers of the ''Watchmen'' movie don't censor Doctor Manhattan's privates. You can't really tell he's naked since he looks so inhuman and [[BarbieDollAnatomy sort of like a Ken doll]], but he's still naked.
*** Parodied in [[http://envyskort.deviantart.com/gallery/#Watchmen-Stuff "G-rated Watchmen comic"]] and [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDDHHrt6l4w "Saturday Morning Watchmen"]].
*** The failure of ''Watchmen'' within the US pretty much killed any chance of anymore R-rated superhero movies. [[http://thinkmcflythink.squarespace.com/movie-news/2010/4/25/exclusive-interview-with-bruce-timm.html According to]] Creator/BruceTimm, there were plans for an R-rated [[WesternAnimation/DCUniverseAnimatedOriginalMovies DC animated film]], but the poor box office haul for ''Watchmen'' [[GenreKiller put the kibosh on any future superhero movies with anything higher than a PG-13 rating]]. (not that some DCUniverseAnimatedOriginalMovies don't push the rating as far as it goes).
*** Creator/MarkMillar has also said this is why none of the studios were interested in ''Film/KickAss'', which ultimately ended up as an indie production and a surprise success.
*** Writer Grace Randolph made a petition to get ''Film/{{Deadpool}}'' released in an alternate PG-13 cut, so that kids who were fans of other superhero movies could go see it. Creator/RyanReynolds said he was sympathetic to her concerns, but that the movie was so raunchy and violent by design that a PG-13 cut would only be a few minutes long.
** Film/HowardTheDuck got a kid-friendly PG rating despite a few scenes of naked or semi-naked women, but apparently it was okay since they were [[NonMammalMammaries ducks]].
** Despite having the same age rating as most other superhero films, an argument can be made that ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'' goes so far with some of the deaths in the BadFuture to the point that it should have received a higher age rating. The opening scene especially is rather disturbing and highly non-child-friendly.

* ''Film/ThePassionOfTheChrist'' is about Jesus and it's from Literature/TheBible and religious things are definitely family-friendly, so that makes it okay, right? Leaving aside that anyone who has read the Bible should recognize a difference between the real thing and "Bible Stories for Children", some parents still ignored the R rating (or [[TheyJustDidntCare intentionally]] [[AbusiveParents defied the R rating]]) and [[http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,600221,00.html took their tykes to theaters for this one]]. And it made Stephen King feel ashamed. {{Gorn}} to the point of {{squick}} not withstanding. Hopefully, they learned their lesson and didn't make the same mistake when ''Film/{{Apocalypto}}'' came out. Note that Mel Gibson himself recommended the film for people over 13.

* the ''Franchise/{{Harry Potter}}" series, now known under the brand name "J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World." Contrary to popular belief, the franchise, the book series, and the brand itself is marketed primarily to an audience of tweens, teens, and adults. That doesn't always stop some people from insisting that the entire franchise is appropriate for the youngest of all kids and that it is in fact "for children" even though of all the entertainment brands in Hollywood today, it's actually marketed, again, to a relatively mature audience, and it's definitely included dark and gritty scenes and themes that other entertainment brands similar to it (Star Wars, Marvel, even DC,) would never think about including into their tent pole productions. The first two films are rated PG in the US and, while violent and dark in their own right, are the safest bets for viewing by children. However, films 3-8 are all rated PG-13 or 12 in the US and the U.K., and 3 of them (films 4, 7, and 8,) had to be edited down to varying degrees from the R/15 ratings. These films in particular contain scenes of violence, often with a fair amount of blood and graphic injury detail, including branding, war violence and injury gore, mass murder, disemboweling and dismemberment, self-mutilation, cannibalism, suicide and assisted suicide, stabbings, explosions, the murder of children and family members, sport murder and torture, strangulation, head-bashing, and a number of other horrific things, psychologically disturbing and frightening scenes and themes, elements of horror, sensuality and lust, complicated adult issues relating to infidelity, insanity, murder, torture, genocide, war, PTSD, and racism, as well as scenes of intense tragedy and emotional strife, trauma, and upset that is unique in modern branded entertainment and best suited for the more mature audience JK Rowling's Wizarding World brand is currently marketed to.

*** The failure of ''Watchmen'' pretty much killed any chance of anymore R-rated superhero movies. [[http://thinkmcflythink.squarespace.com/movie-news/2010/4/25/exclusive-interview-with-bruce-timm.html According to]] Creator/BruceTimm, there were plans for an R-rated [[WesternAnimation/DCUniverseAnimatedOriginalMovies DC animated film]], but the poor box office haul for ''Watchmen'' [[GenreKiller put the kibosh on any future superhero movies with anything higher than a PG-13 rating]]. (not that some DCUniverseAnimatedOriginalMovies don't push the rating as far as it goes).