Horror movies are known for the violence and gore that keeps fans screaming for more. However, some take this a little too far, forcing the Rating Board to give the movie a rating of X (pre-1990) or NC-17. These movies would not be available in all theaters and would have fewer ticket sales because they were limited to adult audiences.
To make sure their films would be viewed by the greatest number of people, filmmakers were forced to edit scenes that were considered too violent or sexual. Fans may be surprised to find that some of their favorite classic horror flicks and sequels had to go through this process, where viewers saw cut-down versions on their first viewing.
Updated on December 3rd, 2022, by Meagan Bojarski: Many horror movies have had to fight to be shown in theaters, including the sci-fi horror movie, Infinity Pool. Starring Alexander Skarsgård and rising scream queen Mia Goth, the film originally received an NC-17 rating for "some graphic violence and sexual content." After being re-edited, it received an R rating instead for "graphic violence, disturbing material, strong sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use, and some language." Only time will tell if the editing allows the film to achieve great commercial success or simply takes away from the original vision.
31 (2016)
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This 2016 Rob Zombie film blends the torture porn genre with the surge of paranoia around clowns, featuring a group of carnival workers who are kidnapped and forced to play a series of games for their own survival while a trio of observers bets on their fates.
The film received two NC-17 ratings before finally being edited enough to receive an R rating. Zombie was furious about having to edit the film, posting on Facebook that he only did it because "your local theater will not show an NC-17. Even though you are a f**king adult." He promised that the uncut version would be made available, and while it was not released with the original DVD, there are full versions floating around.
Chained (2012)
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Chained follows serial killer Bob and the young boy he is attempting to train as his successor. Though the boy manages to resist for some time, his own demons begin to tempt him to use his training for revenge. While the film isn't the most visceral one out there, its true horror comes as audiences learn to identify with the monsters.
The film was originally given an NC-17 rating because of a scene where a woman gets her throat slit. Director Jennifer Lynch lost an appeal of the rating before choosing to edit it as ordered. Lynch spoke out about the changes, explaining, "I feel like we are being punished because the film was done the way it was set out to be done, which was authentically." The uncut version of the scene was included as an extra on the DVD.
Dead & Breakfast (2004)
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Dead & Breakfast follows a group of six who stopped for the night at a small bed and breakfast. The horror comedy then devolves into tropes, with a murder mystery, ancient spirits, and zombies. Though some viewers find it overly silly, the movie as a whole is an enjoyable watch.
It may be surprising that such an obvious comedy would receive an NC-17 rating, but the gore is plentiful. The original version has been made available in DVD form, but the changes are very minor, amounting to a few seconds of the most brutal kills being eliminated.
House Of 1000 Corpses (2003)
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The Firefly film series includes House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects, and 3 from Hell, all of which focus on a family of killers. Inspired by films like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, of the family pose as hitchhikers to draw strangers in, before torturing and killing them.
Both House of 1000 Corpses and its sequel The Devil's Rejects received NC-17 ratings at first, and the editing process took a lot out. Director Rob Zombie has claimed that the uncut version of House of 1000 Corpses was 16 minutes longer than the one released, though it will likely never see the light of day. The sequel was even worse, requiring eight reviews by the MPAA board before receiving the coveted R rating.
Halloween: Curse Of Michael Meyers (1995)
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The iconic Halloween franchise has an incredibly convoluted timeline, but the sixth entry, Halloween: Curse of Michael Meyers, made everything even more complicated. Picking up six years after the previous film, Michael and his niece Jaime were kidnapped by a cult that believes Michael is afflicted by a Druid curse. The cult attempts to study the curse and how it can be ed on, with the goal of creating more creatures of pure evil.
Halloween 6's production was a nightmare. It was filmed, test-screened, refilmed, given an NC-17 rating, edited, and finally released with an R rating, resulting in multiple versions. Fitting MPAA standards only required a few minor cuts (which were reverted in the Director's Cut), but many other edits happened before the theatrical version came together. The earliest version of the film circulated illegally in the fandom for many years under the title Halloween 666 before finally being released as the Producer's Cut in 2014.
American Psycho (2000)
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The early 2000s classic American Psycho, based on the book of the same name, follows Patrick Bateman as he goes through life as an investment banker and budding serial killer. The film criticizes morality-numbing consumerism and the way it makes people uncaring about the harm they might be causing.
To earn its R rating, the film had to cut down on some of its violence, language, and sex scenes, with one scene featuring Bateman having a threesome with two sex workers being cut by 18 seconds. Both editions are now available for fans who are interested, but the cut scenes allowed the film to earn its original theatrical success.
Seed Of Chucky (2004)
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Seed of Chucky is the fifth film in the Child's Play universe, following Bride of Chucky. The film follows Glen, the child of Chucky and Tiffany, who resurrects his parents and causes the horror-comedy chaos the franchise became known for.
While Child's Play earned an R rating, one of its sequels, Seed of Chucky, did not, originally earning itself an NC-17 rating due to violence, gore, and sexual content. The DVD version surrendered to the rating, but the theatrical release edited down its sexual content for general audiences. While not as much of a classic as others that went through this process, Seed of Chucky is a cult classic, so fans can look up the un-cut version to get the full effect.
Jason Goes To Hell (1993)
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While Friday the 13th may have managed an R-rating on its first attempt, the same can't be said for its sequels. Jason Goes to Hell is the ninth film in the Friday the 13th franchise, featuring Jason's spirit going around killing and possessing people, trying to bring himself fully back to life.
Jason Goes to Hell was originally too graphic in its violence to earn the R-rating, and had to be edited down to squeak by. Likewise, Jason X was originally rated NC-17, although it was able to acquire the R rating by appeal, not editing.
Scream (1996)
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The iconic parody of the slasher genre, subverting and adhering to horror tropes for the tension and amusement of audiences. The franchise critiques the trends of the horror genre, with some terrifying kills along the way.
While Scream is not one of the gorier films listed here, it did have some truly horrific moments in its opening scene, which is the primary reason for the film originally earning an NC-17 rating. In total, seven seconds of gore were cut from the theatrical release, most of which were a matter of just a few frames being cut at a time or slight differences in angle.
Hostel (2006)
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Hostel is a torture-heavy horror franchise, where young men engage in sex, are drugged, and are tortured to death by an organization that allows to pay to kill and maim unsuspecting tourists.
Hostel and its sequel Hostel: Part II both earned NC-17 ratings originally, with the first being cut down to minimize the extremity of the torture and violence, and the sequel re-rated to earn an R rating. Both films feature excessive violence, as well as language and drug use, which factored into their ratings. For those who want the full gory spectacle, the unrated cut is available for purchase.
