While it isn’t set in stone quite yet, the MPAA is actually making steps in the right direction to change the negative connotation to film’s rated NC-17, by introducing a possible new rating: Hard-R. Brought on by the recent onslaught of awesome horror flicks (namely the SAW series, and HOSTEL), the new Hard-R would include content so graphic that no one under the age of 17 should be allowed to see it at all in theaters. And by graphic, they mean repeated scenes of stomach-churning mutilation and disembowelments, among other things…
The idea is to give parents a better idea of what an R rated movie is, as the rating now is just too broad. An R rated movie now may just say f*ck 3 times… or it could say f*ck 200 times, and depict people getting brutally murdered in every way imaginable. While the rating system is a joke (just rent THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED to see what I mean), it’s probably a smart idea to introduce a new rating like Hard-R, because if it’s embraced by the industry, those movies will likely see the theater. As it is now, film’s that are rated the brutal NC-17 rarely see the light of day, and are required to be trimmed down or the studio won’t release it.
It’s all bullsh*t politics for sure, and it doesn’t sound like it’ll change the content in movies all that drastically, but it does sound like movies that were once given the shaft of an NC-17 rating would have the chance to shine with a Hard-R. Plus, then you’ll know if a horror movie will really be as hardcore and graphic as the trailer says it is, when it’s given either an R or a Hard-R… though, considering the MPAA’s biased to the genre, every horror movie would be released Hard-R, whether it deserves it or not.
For more on this possibility, hit up the full article over at VARIETY, as it’s an interesting read that mentions horror on more than one occasion. It’ll be interesting to see if this plays out and sees the light of day, but I think the parents out there are demanding for some change… we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
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What’s Not Allowed