Be Warned About Unpleasant Scenes in Entertainment With ‘Does the Dog Die?’

Youre excited for a new HBO show, but the trailers look pretty violent.

you’re free to stand some fighting, but you really hate torture scenes.

Or you hate puke shots.

Or it’s crucial that you avoid strobe effects.

Or your actual dog just died, and youd rather not be reminded by a movie.

The site tracks 57 avoidable story elements, which it calls triggers.

They range from kid stuff like Does someone fart or spit?

and Is Santa spoiled?

to more serious triggers like Is someone tortured?

and Does someone die by suicide?

It cares more about questions like Does a dragon die?

While the site looks bare-bones, it has a smart interface.

Under each title, the page lists all 57 triggers.

Next to each trigger is a binary yes/no choice, with one of the choices highlighted.

Look closer and youll see that its actually a vote.

For example, while23 people say Game of Thrones has no jump scares, 8 people say it does.

Users can also leave text notes to further explain a scene.

And certain triggers, like Does a parent die?

have hidden vote counts to avoid spoilers.

By default, the first question on every page is Does the dog die?

That used to be the only question on the site.

Creator John Whipple tells Lifehacker that while he created the site, It was originally my sisters idea.

Even someone whos typically into hardcore horror might not be in the mood for everything.

Many of the current triggers, he says, were suggested by visitors.

The site is great for parents who want to get more granular than whether a movie is G-rated.

Conversely, if youre a real sick freak, you might look forthe titles with the most triggers.

So far the top three areAkira,Teen Wolf, andBait.

Thats why youll see books with the shaky cam warning.

The question Is someone sexually assaulted?

links to the siteUnconsenting Media, which tracks sexual violence in media more meticulously.

Whipple says he actually helped Unconsenting Medias creators when they were making their site.

movies where someone dies by suicide).

I believe that detracts from our core values and is not the direction I want to take the site.

On the flip side, Im not afraid to help those qualified to deal with those problems.