Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that kids might try to watch this movie as an alternative to reading the novel for English class, but it only covers a portion of the overall story. And while it's framed as a ghost story, it's not really for young horror fans -- though the spooky angle might get some kids to sit down and watch a classic they wouldn't otherwise. Heathcliff has summed up a "romantic" hero for generations of schoolgirls, but he is rarely heroic in the traditional movie sense. Rather, he's vindictive and obsessed, and determined to make the woman he loves suffer because of his heartache. A lot of Heathcliff's negatives are attributed to his "gypsy" ancestry, a bit of racism and classed-based discrimination from the old days.
Sexual
Content
Not applicable
Violence
Characters are attacked by mastiff hounds. Heathcliff (as a boy) gets hit with a rock. As an adult he slaps Cathy (surprisingly daintily), and later breaks a window with his hand.
Language
Not applicable
Social
Behavior
Heathcliff and Cathy are two wildly flawed heroic lovers. He's rash, vindictive, and often cruel. Cathy, though seemingly a "nicer" character, is still distracted by luxury and status. Heathcliff is constantly reminded of his "gypsy" birth by a class-bound society.
Consumerism
Not applicable
Drugs / Tobacco /
Alcohol
Wastrel brother Hindley drinks his way into chronic alcoholism, Heathcliff assisting. This is not glamorized, though, but clearly part of Heathcliff's revenge.
