The Evil Dead reboot coming out this April isn’t going to be the same as the one the MPAA originally viewed. The director recently tweeted that his original vision of the film was given an NC-17 rating and had to be edited down to an R to get wide release. While this shouldn’t surprise anyone who’s seen the red band trailer (included below and definitely NSFW), anyone hoping to see it with all of its offensive content intact should cross their fingers and hope for an Unrated “director’s cut’ when it is finally released on DVD and blu-ray.
For those unfamiliar with the American movie rating system, NC-17 is reserved for movies with intense violent and/or sexual content and means that no one under the age of 17 is allowed in to see the film, even if accompanied by a parent or guardian. Due to the fact most theatres will refuse to show an NC-17 or Unrated film, the ratings system has long been viewed as a form of censorship and decried among many in Hollywood, especially independent film makers. To learn more about the bias of the film ratings, be sure to check out the excellent documentary, This Film Is Not Yet Rated, currently available on Netflix.