Is The Shape of Water scary?

Only a little. The Shape of Water has a few tense moments, nothing that follows you to bed.

How gory is The Shape of Water?

Light gore and strong violence.

What is The Shape of Water rated, and is it OK for kids?

Rated R, and it earns it: strong sex and nudity, strong violence, and some strong language. Not one for kids.

The Shape of Water (2017)

Film · 2h 3m · Rated R

Drama, Fantasy, Romance

A mute janitor finds otherworldly love with an amphibious captive, planning a surreal escape in Cold War America.

Romantic and melancholy. A date-night pick at a measured pace. Emotionally it is heavy.

Streaming on Max.

Five more like this Get the app

The Shape of Water parents guide

For an R, this one goes further: strong sex and nudity. Beyond that, strong violence and some strong language.

Scare: Mildly scary; A few tense or eerie moments.
Jump scares: None noted
Gore: Light gore; Some blood or injury, briefly.
Violence: Strong violence; Violence is frequent or intense.
Sex and nudity: Strong; Strong means explicit or repeated sex, extended nudity, or sexual assault shown on screen, attempted or completed, even partly off screen. Any one of these is enough.
Language: Moderate; Some strong profanity, a few f-words.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

Is The Shape of Water scary?: Only a little. The Shape of Water has a few tense moments, nothing that follows you to bed.
How gory is The Shape of Water?: Light gore and strong violence.
What is The Shape of Water rated, and is it OK for kids?: Rated R, and it earns it: strong sex and nudity, strong violence, and some strong language. Not one for kids.

What is The Shape of Water about?

An other-worldly story, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1962, where a mute janitor working at a lab falls in love with an amphibious man being held captive there and devises a plan to help him escape.

Does it have a happy ending? (spoiler-safe)

Yes. It lands on a happy note.