Rypro 525

I was thinking of this since I saw Willard, the sixth sense and The Ring, very scary (to me) and they were only pg13. I would think that excessive blood and gore, strong language, or a cheap sex scene would have ruined these movies. Now for a movie like scream, and final desitnation, they really need to be R, but these Psychological horror movies don't have to be rated R to still be scary now do they?

LBPound

I would argue that the 'psychological horror' films are often more frightening and better-crafted than the 'slasher' film. Ultimately, you get desensitized to violence and blood, and I don't really think it's the gore that makes horror films scary. It is usually the suspense, building up the unexpected.

Surely, there are well-done R-rated horror films, but as many well-done PG or PG-13 films.

Do we need R-rated films? Sure, they'll have their audience and their place. But a horror film does NOT have to be R to be scary.

And a film does not have to be rated R to be good.

Adam Tyner

Willard was trimmed for gore and language to net a PG-13. The Ring was also a bit grislier, though not nearly to the same extent, and portions were refilmed after poor reception at test screenings.

I'd prefer for movies to be whatever their creators want them to be, not to be hamstrung by a meaningless series of letters assigned to them by a board of hairdressers and soccer moms in California.

Rypro 525

imo, at least, the blood and gore for me, would have ruined Willard. I'd rather use my imagination for that. (and it would look phony as well.)

Goat3001

The Ring and The Sixth Sense (both PG-13) scared me way more than any slasher flick. Blood and gore doesn't get to me at all, and I know I'm not alone.

SunMonkey

There are different types of horror movies, and different horror audiences. Personally, as a horror junkie, I would love more R rated horror movies. I'm not saying you can't make a scary PG-13 movie, just that I enjoy R rated ones a bunch more. The freedom to show, and more importantly, do anything in them really frees up the movie. I agree that blood and gore usually don't make movies that scary, but they are why a lot of horror fans watch the movies. But, as it is, the main stream audience the studios try to reach will go see the PG-13 movies more, so they get made.

I guess I should add that I don't watch horror movies to get scared. Quite frankly, I have seen far too many to get scared any more.

lewzer76

I totally agree with this statement. If I could have said it any better, I wouldn't have qoted it.

Trigger

I don't ever look at a film's rating cuz I'm old enough to get into any film I want. I don't care if it's PG, G, PG-13, R, X, CatIII, CatIIA, whatever. I will say that Willard wasn't scary at all.

Kudama

How bad was Willard? SHEESH!

I say: Go SE7EN! These things we call humans need. They need to see their frailty and cruelty? Let them.

caiman

EDIT:

Steve Phillips

No, we don't need R rated horror films. They should all be NC-17.

DonnachaOne

I don't think horror films - or any film, for that matter - should be made with a rating in mind, so much as a vision.

PG-13 is a happy median for a lot of horror films, I think. All the suspense you like, and enough cursing and "improper" behaviour to be realistic. You don't want people saying "Oh DARN!" when they see a ghost, now do you? Unless it's The Phantom Of The Amish Barn... which is a GREAT idea for a film...

Also, a rating doesn't necessarily reflect how harsh the film will be. An R-rated horror film might be incredibly, brutally bloody... or it might have scant bits of kid-friendly gore, coupled with lots of cursing, warranting an R-rating. And it could still be a great horror film.

Now, I'd like everyone to find a trailer for any of the Ju-On films, and see how they can be creeped out by something approved for all audiences.

joshd2012

I am sick and tired of seeing all these PG-13 Horror movies. I like the blood and the gore and the violence. I love The Exorcist, Hellraiser, Candyman, The Shinning, etc. I have seen the Sixth Sense and Signs and thought that they were mediocre at best. I have yet to see The Ring yet, so I can't comment on that, but it would be the first PG-13 horror movie I saw with any redeaming factors. Christ, I would watch Strangeland again before I watched any of the PG-13 horror movies I have seen again.

Julie Walker

I'm really tired of the far to many PG-13 horror films today.

Studio's should start having the guts to make real R rated films films today no matter the genre.Who gives a crap about all the patheic watchdog groups who think the movies are to blame for all the worlds problems.Just got ahead & make a real horror film for a change without worrying about the rating!


Now i'm not against psychological horror...or PG-13 stuff.Yet i am againt a barrage of ONLY PG-13 or less 'horror'!

I want a variety of films some with extreme content,some more subtle & left to the imagination.

If your going to make a zombie film.Go all out with the gore.Don't play it safe by pussying out & leaving it bloodless like Resident Evil which despite the R rating is PG-13 level violence all the way.It's so dry,it was pathetic & disapointing!

Dawn of the Dead,Dead Alive,Zombie are how gory zombie films are supposed to be like,not Resident Evil!


RE failed at leaving stuff to the imagination since it was supposed to be a viseral experiance.It's not a serious film.Yet stuff like being trapped in the laser room which slices everyone into tiny pieces was all offscreen.It was so disapointing.Your pulled into the film on the edge of the your seat & then the payoff of the sequence is non-existent.Since right when the gore is about to hit,it cuts away..then barely shows the aftermath as well! Pathetic is all i have to say.Gore would have helped this movie alot actually since other than that,there was not much to recomend.It was supposed to be a all out action packed gorefest.Instead you get a safe by the numbers crapfest which in turn ruins the film. Since their's nothing really left to have fun with the film like "wow...did you see that?" type reaction to the mayhem. Instead it is boring since they decided to make it goreless in order to avoid a NC-17 which is a pathetic way of making movies since that limits your freedom.Just make the damn film how you intended,who cares about the MPAA,deal with that later. Theaters should start not enforcing the R rating.Since keeping kids out of them will not save the world.Then maybe studio's would make more R rated films again rather than toning it down to PG-13 to get the teens in thanks to the pathetic watchdog groups.



+ I hate how tame everything has gotten in most films.I want reactions whether positive or negative to whats shown onscreen or hinted at.I don't want everything cleaned up,polished into being as unoffensive as possible in order to please sensitive people.This is another reason why the PG-13 mindset of studio's today suffers.They want to make a exploitation film or wild over the top action/horror film.Oh wait...it must be PG-13..thus all the 'good' stuff(aka what was originally intended) is dropped & your left with a pathetic toned down film pretending to be something it's not.


So studio's bring back a variety of films & ratings.Stop thinking in PG-13 only you idiots!

Rypro 525

Have you seen final destination 2 which I have heard is very violent and gorey.

HistoryProf

devilshalo

Yes we do.

Dudikoff

Growing up in the 80's, I have been desensitized to violence onscreen. I really enjoy gore and blood, but also like when the suspense is built up. I'll go see any horror movie as long as it is not for kids. And I mean little kids. Even the teen horror flicks, though tame by most standards, are usually entertaining.

davidlynchfan

Yes,How about an ultra Blood-Shed Psychological thriller?

C.H.U.D.

Most incoherent post ever!

Mourn

Yes, we need R rated horror movies.

I like movies with gore, nudity and lots of monsters and creepy-crawlies.

MrPeanut

I think you could make the arguement that most of these PG-13 horror movies should have been rated R, and the only reason they let unsupervised kids see them is becasue of how hopelessly out of touch the ratings are.

Ginwen

Overall, I probably prefer non R-rated horror movies, just because I think there is a tendency to substitute gore for actual scares, and I'm jaded enough that most gore isn't all that scary to me.

audrey

IMO there is far too much generalizing about ratings. “R” does not by itself imply gore or graphic violence; e.g. The Exorcist and The Shining do not rely on blood and guts, nor does Rosemary’s Baby or The Tenant. There are wonderful and awful horror movies at all ratings. I fail to see how a movie’s rating even factors into the enjoyment scale.

devilshalo

The few times I think it factors in is when the film comes from source material that is well known to be bloody, violent, highly sexual, or whatever, in nature.

To tame some of that down into an audience friendly rating takes away from the experience if you are familiar with the work.