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How scary is the PG-13 rating on 'Goblet of Fire'?

"Goblet of Fire" is the first "Harry Potter" movie to earn a rating of PG-13, which cautions parents that some content and images may be inappropriate for younger children.

Warner Brothers Pictures 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' Director: Mike Newell Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes Run time: 157 minutes Release date: November 18, 2005 Rating: PG-13 for sequences of fantasy violence and frightening images. See showtimes Scenes from the movie Take a sneak peak with these slide shows: •  People & Pomp •  Wizardry & Wonders Hogwarts Pop Quiz! Test your knowledge on: •  Hogwarts & Quidditch •  Who & What •  Names & Places •  Creatures & Kin •  Spells & Potions PG-13 rating 'Goblet of Fire' is the first of the Harry Potter films to earn a PG-13 rating. Here's why. On the web Official movie site View the trailer    Trailers require Quicktime Rate 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'   Go see it   Make it a matinee   Wait to rent   Don't bother Voter Limit: Once per Hour View Poll Results

Be aware that "Goblet" includes:

 •  A scene in a dark cemetery in which Harry is tormented, tortured and cut with a knife.

 •  Visions of a giant snake and garden hedges with menacing vines that magically attack older kids, seeming to devour them.

 •  A death and a funeral.

"We didn't set out to make a PG-13 movie but a movie that would maintain the integrity [of the book]," says Dawn Taubin, president of domestic marketing for Warner Bros. "If that meant PG-13, then ... To not be faithful to the book would be more of a problem. The fan base is feverishly loyal."

In labeling the film PG-13, the Motion Picture Association of America added the explanation "for sequences of fantasy violence and frightening images."

In recent interviews, "Goblet" director Mike Newell has pointed to the maturation of the main characters (who are now teenagers) and that the story is pushing toward an ultimate, harrowing confrontation between Harry and his enemy Lord Voldemort.

"As the audience which began with the first book progresses through Two and Three, they get to Four and they see that it's a different kind of animal; it's a much tougher beast than the others," Newell has said. "If you don't get a PG-13, in a way, then that audience that began with Number One and is now 14, 15, 16 or 64, whatever, will kind of want to know ... are you not infantilizing the situation?"

The studio's exit studies involving the "Potter" movies support Newell's contention that the audience is getting older.

For "The Sorcerer's Stone" (2001), 65 percent of the total audience consisted of families of parents and kids under 12, Taubin says. In later films, the percentage of families declined. Parents and kids under 12 made up 53 percent of the audience for "Chamber of Secrets" (2002) and 40 percent of "Prisoner of Azkaban" (2004).

Conversely, the number of non-family adults (those over 18 with no children) has increased. They comprised 17 percent of the audience for the first film, but 25 percent for the second and 36 percent for the third.

"Goblet's" rating recalls similar debate about "Revenge of the Sith," which earlier this year became the first "Star Wars" movie to get a PG-13 rating. It included a beheading and a particularly gruesome ending as Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi dueled with light sabers.

"Sith" still earned more than $848 million worldwide, surpassing "Spider-Man" and "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial."

"Goblet" is not nearly as intense or as violent as "Sith," which illustrates the wide range of content that can earn a PG-13. Action-oriented films like "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," "Batman Begins" and "War of the Worlds" were all rated PG-13.

Taubin advises that concerned parents with young kids clamoring to see the latest "Potter" film "read the book and find out what it's about. Look at websites where critics break down the ratings and explain in detail the film's content. Talk to friends who've read the book or will see the movie. Then, as a parent, you make the decision whether or not it's appropriate for your child."