Horror & the 15 certificate

[Stephen@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by dis

hi all,not sure if this belong on this thread,but why are some horrors being re released as 15s?
have noticed a few films here and there as 15s but when they came out years ago they were 18s? and what exactly does unrated mean as i own a few? cheers

And unrated today is sometimes an entirely different beast than it was 15 or 20 years ago. A lot of the time today, it's used as a marketing gimmick to make you think you're getting something you wouldn't see in the rated version, when it's not always the case.There was a time when dvds and laserdiscs that carried the unrated label gave you something more than just a few seconds of added gore or even just a few alternate scenes. Most of the things that come out on dvd unrated in the US, come out here with the same certificate that the "normal" version had at the cinema.

[iluvdvds@Cult Labs]

Interesting. Very interesting. [Enter emoticon stroking his beard here ] I guess it all depends on how you classify horror. Genre is a funny thing.

[nekromantik]

Originally Posted by stevoj

And unrated today is sometimes an entirely different beast tha it was 15 or 2o years ago. A lot of the time today, it's used as a marketing gimmick to make you think you're getting something you wouldn't see in the rated version, when it's not always the case.There was a time when dvds and laserdiscs that carried the unrated label gave you something more than just a few seconds of added gore or even just a few alternate scenes. Most of the things that come out on dvd unrated in the US, come out here with the same certificate that the "normal" version had at the cinema.

i agree.
only modern horror released in the UK "unrated" was Mirrors DVD and Bluray. But that was only because studio wanted a 15 cert for cinema release so they released a edited version and then the unrated cut was just the US "unrated" version with few seconds more gore.

Originally Posted by iluvdvds

Interesting. Very interesting. [Enter emoticon stroking his beard here ] I guess it all depends on how you classify horror. Genre is a funny thing.

each to their own
some people class genres differently anyways so its up to the person to decide.

[pedromonkey]

as i work in an area where i deal with horror films everyday (video shop), i get a lot of people asking me to recommend horror films, i get so stuck because when im put on the spot, my mind goes blank, but then i remember The Thing, the thing is that rare breed, a horror film that uses science fiction as it's catalyst for ****ed up imagery, now i had a customer the other day who asked me to recommend a horror, i said The Thing, he looked at the back of the box and said this looks shit, i secretly wanted to knock him out, and then came this line..."have you got anything like (picks up prom night remake) this, because i thought this was wicked", the guy turned down one of the best Horror films ever made for one of the worst FILMS ever made, this angered me inside and i secretly wanted to have a little cry. Now prom night (original) was a horror film, the remake is a thriller, But the problem here is that the studios market these films to this kind of customer, horror films have unfortunately become the staple of the date movie. The key demograph for horror films are people between the ages of 14-24, it's upto smaller indie horrors made by fans of the gore drenched 70s and 80s to bring the actual horror back to the genre.

[nekromantik]

Originally Posted by pedromonkey

as i work in an area where i deal with horror films everyday (video shop), i get a lot of people asking me to recommend horror films, i get so stuck because when im put on the spot, my mind goes blank, but then i remember The Thing, the thing is that rare breed, a horror film that uses science fiction as it's catalyst for ****ed up imagery, now i had a customer the other day who asked me to recommend a horror, i said The Thing, he looked at the back of the box and said this looks shit, i secretly wanted to knock him out, and then came this line..."have you got anything like (picks up prom night remake) this, because i thought this was wicked", the guy turned down one of the best Horror films ever made for one of the worst FILMS ever made, this angered me inside and i secretly wanted to have a little cry. Now prom night (original) was a horror film, the remake is a thriller, But the problem here is that the studios market these films to this kind of customer, horror films have unfortunately become the staple of the date movie. The key demograph for horror films are people between the ages of 14-24, it's upto smaller indie horrors made by fans of the gore drenched 70s and 80s to bring the actual horror back to the genre.

thats fair enough, but for a movie like Session 9 which is not that famous and not many people have heard about it and it is a HORROR. Horror dont just mean gore and violence. Horror could be something that is much deeper like Session 9 or Jacob's Ladder. Makes you think about things or the horror's of what us humans can do.

[pedromonkey]

i agree there, what im getting at is that films that are getting released these days and are classed as horror, are not actual horror films they're thrillers. and i thought jacobs ladder was rated 18, i haven't seen session 9 so i can't comment on that one.

like i said, for me an actual, what i grew up with, horror film is a balls to wall gore soaked violent film, that isn't afraid of what it's saying and makes no appologies for it, but i guess due to the hollywood system, they have to make money and the easiest way is to make a horror.

Would you class The Stangers as a horror film?

My answer and im being hypocritical here, i would say yes it is a horror because it presents the audience with horrific images and i believe it should never have passed for 15 as it's a pretty violent film. But i guess the MPAA and the BBFC has gotten more relaxed over the years and have changed their views on what is exceptible for younger viewers to see.

Im gonna stop now because im getting riled and i don't want to be a dick about it as your all such nice guys so im just gonna agree to disagree and call it a day, at the end though everyone is entitled to their own opinion and i appreciate everyones.

[nekromantik]

Originally Posted by pedromonkey

i agree there, what im getting at is that films that are getting released these days and are classed as horror, are not actual horror films they're thrillers. and i thought jacobs ladder was rated 18, i haven't seen session 9 so i can't comment on that one.

like i said, for me an actual, what i grew up with, horror film is a balls to wall gore soaked violent film, that isn't afraid of what it's saying and makes no appologies for it, but i guess due to the hollywood system, they have to make money and the easiest way is to make a horror.

Would you class The Stangers as a horror film?

My answer and im being hypocritical here, i would say yes it is a horror because it presents the audience with horrific images and i believe it should never have passed for 15 as it's a pretty violent film. But i guess the MPAA and the BBFC has gotten more relaxed over the years and have changed their views on what is exceptible for younger viewers to see.

Im gonna stop now because im getting riled and i don't want to be a dick about it as your all such nice guys so im just gonna agree to disagree and call it a day, at the end though everyone is entitled to their own opinion and i appreciate everyones.

yup just gotta agree to disagree on this one
But yeah your right Jacobs Ladder is a 18 oops
As for Strangers yes I would call it a horror but no I didnt think it should been a 18 as I did not find it that violent to be honest.
Session 9 you might not call it a horror but I call it a psychological horror.
I respect your views too

[Angel]

Jacob's Ladder is a 15.

[nekromantik]

Originally Posted by Angel

Jacob's Ladder is a 15.

Ah it was a 18 but got downgraded to a 15

[Daemonia]

Originally Posted by pedromonkey

When i think of horror films i think of Re-Animator, Night of The living Dead, Halloween, The Evil Dead, i know im going old skool with them but to me they're horror films.

Night of the Living Dead is now a 15 ecrt, so how does that fit in with your views?

Personally, I totally disagree with you. Most of the Hammer films are now downgraded to 15 and even 12 (and The Mummy's Shroud is a PG!), and they deal with vampires, zombies, werewolves - so they're definitely horror films. Most of the new horror coming out now I wouldn't personally class as horror. For instance, to me, the Saw series are gory psychological thrillers. Yes, they're horrific at times, but so are gangster films, but they're not horror films.

The term 'horror' is a very broad term and can take in any number of things thematically and is littered with all kinds of sub-genres. To avoid a film because it has a 15 rating seems a bit daft to me, but I certainly can understand the mentality, I used to be like that myself. Today's 15 is the equivalent of yesteryear's 18. The rating should be inconsequential - it's whether it's a good film or not that matters.