Movies that are rated R for being "too disturbing"

[xbs2034]

Originally Posted by KManX89

This. Even bloodless mutilations can't be shown too much as the theatrical cut of The Wolverine shows (most of the ninja fight and a bunch of other shots had to be removed to score the PG-13 despite there being no blood from the onscreen stabbings).

And I repeat, the theatrical cut of Dead Silence may not explicitly show tongues getting ripped out, but stuff like this will naturally get you an R regardless, and this, also this. And basically the whole church scene, and the hill shot, which I'm not even gonna attempt to find vids/stills off for just that reason (notice how I only linked stuff I could easily find time stamps of?).

People don’t realize how easy it is to trigger an R for violence, particularly as they’ve gotten stricter on PG-13 violence since the 90s/early 2000s. For instance Moonlight would’ve gotten an R for violence alone (see the ratings description) due to the school fight between the teenage boys.

[CrazyBlu-RayFan]

Originally Posted by KManX89

This. Even bloodless mutilations can't be shown too much as the theatrical cut of The Wolverine shows (most of the ninja fight and a bunch of other shots had to be removed to score the PG-13 despite there being no blood from the onscreen stabbings).

And I repeat, the theatrical cut of Dead Silence may not explicitly show tongues getting ripped out, but stuff like this will naturally get you an R regardless, and this, also this. And basically the whole church scene, and the hill shot, which I'm not even gonna attempt to find vids/stills off for just that reason (notice how I only linked stuff I could easily find time stamps of?).

Not just that, but the shots they did keep in the PG-13 version of The Wolverine were often zoomed in to hide the bloodless stabbings to avoid an R rating. The only reason the scene with Logan cutting himself open and shoving his hand inside himself was untampered and allowed in the PG-13 version was because the MPAA felt him being a mutant made it less graphic.

[Chaotic]

Originally Posted by CrazyBlu-RayFan

Not just that, but the shots they did keep in the PG-13 version of The Wolverine were often zoomed in to hide the bloodless stabbings to avoid an R rating. The only reason the scene with Logan cutting himself open and shoving his hand inside himself was untampered and allowed in the PG-13 version was because the MPAA felt him being a mutant made it less graphic.

Wow. That’s the silliest thing I’ve ever heard.

[Alister_M]

Apparently you can basically do anything to a non-human, yet humanoid character and retain a PG-13. A good example being the dozens of orc decapitations and dismemberments in Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. In fact, I think the true reason Battle of the Five Armies' extended cut got an R wasn't for that line of trolls being decapitated, it was the warg being shredded and splattered all over the frozen riverbank that sealed the rating.

[KManX89]

Originally Posted by Alister_M

Apparently you can basically do anything to a non-human, yet humanoid character and retain a PG-13. A good example being the dozens of orc decapitations and dismemberments in Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. In fact, I think the true reason Battle of the Five Armies' extended cut got an R wasn't for that line of trolls being decapitated, it was the warg being shredded and splattered all over the frozen riverbank that sealed the rating.

Underworld had 3 F-bombs which several PG-13 movies have managed to get away with and pretty much all the gore was from nonhumans (it is a vampires vs. werewolves movie, after all) and it was R, so that's not necessarily true.

[Alister_M]

Originally Posted by KManX89

Underworld had 3 F-bombs which several PG-13 movies have managed to get away with and pretty much all the gore was from nonhumans (it is a vampires vs. werewolves movie, after all) and it was R, so that's not necessarily true.

Yeah, I think the shot of

[Show spoiler]Viktor being sliced in half lengthwise

might have contributed to it. Even though it was relatively bloodless. The tone is darker in Underworld, it's not the comic book/fantasy tone of the other mentioned examples. In fact, if anything it qualifies as an example of this thread's initial description.

[indisposed]

Originally Posted by Markgway

Which was subsequently cut in the UK for its '15' certificate.

(It's uncut now)

It wasn't so much cut, as shortened. It cuts away at the impact and then, cuts back to the same shot as parts of the C.G.I head fly away in pieces.

Ridiculous that it was censored for a 15, but that was James Ferman for you.

[Jay H.]

Originally Posted by KManX89

Underworld had 3 F-bombs which several PG-13 movies have managed to get away with and pretty much all the gore was from nonhumans (it is a vampires vs. werewolves movie, after all) and it was R, so that's not necessarily true.

I know a few PG-13 movies got away with 2 f-bombs, but 3?

[indisposed]

Originally Posted by KManX89

Oh and There Will Be Blood is another movie that got an R simply for its tone. There's no graphic violence, no blood/gore until the very end, no nudity, no f-bombs and it was R.

Over here, the BBFC originally rated it a 12A (equivalent to PG:13) but the distributor came back and asked them to rate it 15, the argument being that it just was mature for twelve year olds regardless of content.

[KManX89]

Originally Posted by Jay H.

I know a few PG-13 movies got away with 2 f-bombs, but 3?

All is Lost, A Civil Action and Up Close and Personal, to name a few. It hasn't happened often, but it's managed to sneak by the MPAA before.

So yeah, it was pretty much the gore that sealed the deal for Underworld, human blood or no.

[xbs2034]

Originally Posted by KManX89

All is Lost, A Civil Action and Up Close and Personal, to name a few. It hasn't happened often, but it's managed to sneak by the MPAA before.

So yeah, it was pretty much the gore that sealed the deal for Underworld, human blood or no.

Pre-dates PG-13 and back when they were far more lenient with PG ratings, but All the President’s Men has like 10 F bombs and got a PG on appeal.

[Markgway]

Originally Posted by indisposed

It wasn't so much cut, as shortened. It cuts away at the impact and then, cuts back to the same shot as parts of the C.G.I head fly away in pieces.

Ridiculous that it was censored for a 15, but that was James Ferman for you.

That's right. Very stupid. I'm not sure if any frames were actually removed, but yes, they did split the shot to reduce impact.

The other cut was to reduce frames from the discover of the old woman's dead body.

[notops]

Originally Posted by meremortal

Stand By Me

Too many F-bombs in Stand By Me to get anything less than an R (ATPM's appeal notwithstanding).

[meremortal]

Originally Posted by notops

Too many F-bombs in Stand By Me to get anything less than an R (ATPM's appeal notwithstanding).

Can't recall the language since it's been about 25 years since I've seen it. Guess I'll go with The Good Son then. Didn't it just have that one f bomb? Scene with Culkin swearing made the entire theater gasp when I saw it as a kid.

[erixon20]

Originally Posted by notops

Too many F-bombs in Stand By Me to get anything less than an R (ATPM's appeal notwithstanding).

Plus-all the puking-LOL

[Sage00]

The Gallows: Rated R for disturbing violent content and terror

As far as I know there is little to no blood/gore in this.

[dkelly26666]

Originally Posted by CompleteCount

If you want to go one better, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer was initially given an 'X'-rating due to its "tone", and was one of the two films which spurred the creation of the NC-17.

Funnily enough, that very-much respectable rating for adult films is usually viewed with the same distain as the 'X' or something released unrated.

I remember 1990 must have had a very prudent and sensitive ratings board membership (they are kept a secret, except for the president of the MPA, then called the MPAA).

That year, they went nuts trying to hand out 'X' ratings.

"Total Recall", "GoodFellas", "Hardware", "Wild at Heart", "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer", "The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover", "Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!", "Santa Sangre", and "Henry & June" ALL originally received an 'X' from the MPAA ratings board, that year.

Only "GoodFellas" managed to get the rating overturned after an appeal and an impassioned letter from Scorsese apparently changed their minds, and the film went out uncut, with an 'R'.

"Cook, Thief", "Tie Me Up", and "Henry: Serial Killer" all three went out Unrated into theaters, with 'No One Under 18 Admitted' logos. They all played uncut. "Tie Me Up" was later re-rated NC-17. "Cook" and "Henry" are Unrated to this day. (There was an 'R' cut for home video for "Cook, Thief", though. Plus the uncut one).

"Total Recall" , "Hardware", "Wild at Heart", and "Santa Sangre" all were cut very slightly to get an 'R'. "Santa Sangre" was later re-issued on video uncut, with an NC-17.

"Henry & June" was finally the film that they instituted the NC-17 for, and it went out uncut, rated NC-17.

I still feel that "Cook, Thief" (uncut) and "Henry" and "Henry and June" deserve Adults Only status. The others I think an R is enough.

[buckeye1]

Christmas Vacation was PG-13 and tawards the end when Clark went crazy and cursing at his family he said a few choice words in that one scene including the f-bomb.

[indisposed]

Didn't Henry and June get an NC:17, only because of a shot of an illustration involving an octopuss? They probably considered that bestiality. I don't think the sex and nudity is what really did it, which is artful and humanistic rather than out and out titulation.

[notops]

Originally Posted by Jay H.

I know a few PG-13 movies got away with 2 f-bombs, but 3?

Check out the movie Hero (1992) with Dustin Hoffman. It is said over a half-dozen times and even uses it once in the 'forbidden for PG-13' sexual context.