According to what I read, MPAA gave NC-17 for strong graphic violence, I kinda get it but u realize of the double standard if Hostel, Evil Dead, Saw, get "R"...
sharedepends on the cut you watch... I've seen 2... In the harder one there was a scene with the killer skull f@cking a decapitated head.. I believe it also had more graphic depictions of the family's deaths.
"You're going to need a bigger boat." - Chief Brody
The only cut I've ever seen is the unrated one and, IMO, it's on a whole other level than Hostel and the Saw sequels. And its ferocity makes the ridiculously over-praised Evil Dead remake look like a Disney film.
shareYes, Haute Tension only has 6 major gore set-pieces. The difference is: in movies like Dawn of the Dead, Hostel or Saw I couldn't care less about which dirtbag has his or her guts ripped out, cock cut off or head twisted off. In Haute Tension I really rooted for the victims and seeing them meet their end in such barbaric, animalistic ways was really shocking. In terms of gore I've seen about it all, from the indie goreflicks to the mainstream horror fares to the classics. Few death scenes in movies have ever had an impact on me like the ones in Haute Tension had. It's about quality, not quantity.
shareThat's how I feel about Martyrs. Most affecting horror film I've ever seen. Character development makes a huge difference.
shareSpot on. I'd say that this connection the viewer feels for the characters was a major deciding factor in the rating process. Sometimes context can strongly effect a film's rating (look at The Passion of the Christ, which is basically a mainstream pseudo snuff film). With all that being said, I'd say the violence in High Tension is much more impactful than Saw, Hostel, etc. but I'm not sure if it should have gotten the NC-17. However, the film was pretty graphic.
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