Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has been officially rated PG-13. Despite the film’s more horrific elements, the rating means it will fall in line with previous Marvel Studios MCU movies. Directed by Sam Raimi, known for his love of dark horror fare like The Evil Dead, there is no doubt that Doctor Strange’s latest adventure is going to be darker than its predecessor and the rating makes that clear, stating that it contains “intense sequences of violence and action, frightening images and some language.”

While the MCU has recently welcomed characters from the TV-MA rated former Netflix series Daredevil into their world and will soon see other R-rated productions such as Deadpool 3 coming to Marvel’s ongoing narrative in some way, no one expected a big blockbuster entry like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to stray too far from a rating that would give it the biggest audience possible. However, it seems the movie will undoubtedly be pushing the higher boundaries of the rating and may only have secured it thanks to the “fantasy” setting of most of its horror and violence.

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Just prior to the Doctor Strange sequel being taken over by Sam Raimi, original director Scott Derrickson proclaimed that the movie would be the “first MCU horror movie.” Over time, even with an iconic genre director like Raimi on board, there has been a little bit of toning down when it comes to the frightening images seen in the movie.

Speaking recently to Fandango, Raimi explained:

A PG-13 Rating Can Still Push Horror Elements, but Ensures a Broad Box Office Scope

     Marvel Studios

While there are not going to be any scenes of gushing blood and gore, the trailers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness have already revealed their fair share of horrors, from a decaying version of Steven Strange to a blood-soaked Wanda, as well as a host of monsters and creatures from dark dimensions. This is pretty much a standard level for a PG-13 movie now, where the context of the horror is seen as more critical than the flaking of skin and the slaughter of fantastic creatures.

Peter Jackson brought some pretty frightening creatures to life in his Lord of the Rings trilogy, and the later Harry Potter movies took on a much darker tone that found the final movies in the series dealing with more intense scenes. More recently, Ghostbusters: Afterlife was given a PG-13 rating for “supernatural action and some suggestive references,” but no one really noticed that J.K. Simmons Ivo Shandor was seen being literally torn in two by the returning Gozer. With this in mind, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is still likely to carry enough horror to cause kids some nightmares and will guarantee a thrilling ride for everyone else.