27 years ago, this iconic film was censored 9 times!

SPOILER ALERT! This article reveals the main elements and ending of “The Scream” (1996).

Even scarier than the horror movie monster is the Motion Picture Association (or MPA), the American censor board, which gives movies the dreaded NC-17 classification. This means that people under the age of 18 are not allowed to watch the film in cinemas. This is the highest ranking in the MPA system for films distributed in the United States.

It was this classification that Wes Craven had to contend with when he made the famous first part of his legendary saga. By the time he finished production on Scream (1996), it had been 24 years since he had created the brutal Last House on the Left, which he also had to re-edit to get MPA approval and an expected R rating, meaning that to see the film 17 A minor must be accompanied by an adult.

In the 1990s, as in the 1970s, the depiction of violence in the horror genre came under intense scrutiny. despite crying Since becoming the benchmark slasher, he initially faced a battle with MPA. Even before filming began, there was already criticism of the violence of its iconic killer, Ghostface, so much so that the high school chosen for filming, Santa Rosa High School, had concerns about the killing of teenagers in the script.

According to the documentary Scream: The Inside Story (2011), the school board’s refusal is explained by an actual crime that occurred in the region in 1993, in which a young girl was kidnapped and later found dead. Over the next few years, the pain and fear of the tragedy continued. Then the adults of the society were against the production crying During a fun public meeting with the help of a high school. In Inside Story, Wes Craven He talked about how society and the media demonized manufacturing. That’s why the end credits cryingHe definitely added the words:No thanks to the Santa Rosa City School District Board of Trustees.“But unfortunately, that’s not the only problem he’s faced.

MPA assessment

After filming and editing, there was talk of sending the film to the MPA for evaluation: here it is Wes Craven learned that it would receive the dreaded NC-17, which would greatly limit the number of viewers who could see the film in theaters. Ghostface’s kills then had to be scaled back to lessen their brutality, which Craven hated to do, but he had no choice. The opening scene is one of the most powerful scenes in the franchise – and the horror genre in general – when Casey (Drew Barrymore) receives a phone call that turns his movie night into a bloody goodbye.

However, this iconic sequence was significantly re-edited. In the scene, Casey’s boyfriend Steve (Kevin Patrick Walls) is tied to a chair outside Casey’s house and is Ghostface’s first on-screen victim – as well as MPA’s first victim. In Inside StoryMatthew Lillard explained how the scene of Steve dying had to be cut: According to the committee, the internal view of the character emerging from a deep knife wound was too graphic. The MPA then proceeded to kill Casey himself. Screenwriter Kevin Williamson told The Hollywood Reporter that “Drew Barrymore’s slow-motion sequence in the beginning was a big no-no. They hated it. They didn’t want him to run away in slow motion and they shot him.“

The slow-motion scene where Casey can’t catch up to Ghostface was rightfully designed as a devastating moment of realization. In the movie’s DVD commentary, Wes Craven Revealed how he decided to lie to the MPA, telling them that this shot was the only take they took, allowing him to keep the scene: a small victory followed by another setback when Casey’s dead body had to be changed. Editor Patrick Lussier talked about it in the documentary Still Screaming: The Scariest Movie Retrospective (2011): The last time Casey is seen, his body is hanging from a tree, and he has to speed up the footage to be approved. So the camera suddenly moves forward. At this stage, Wes Craven It was disappointing, especially when he realized that MPA was also going to clean up the third act…

Two deaths are retouched at the end of the film

Tatum’s (Rose McGowan) death was one of those that had to be cut at MPA’s behest. Indeed, when a young woman tries to escape through a cat hazard, her plan quickly falls apart when she can’t get the rest of her body out… and Ghostface activates the garage door. His crushing death should have been cut short – though only a second or two of stage time was lost. Another notable death that was much more affecting was that of cameraman Kenny (W. Earl Brown), who had his throat slit with a hunting knife.

W. Earl Brown Mentioned the problem MPA had with this scene Inside Story :”I remember when Wes had to go back and cut out a few shots of Kenny’s death scene because they said my facial expression was too disturbing and they had to cut it, and Wes’ argument was, “It’s murder, it has to be disturbing. .Those few seconds really stopped Ken’s disbelief on his face as the countdown to his final moments began. If it wasn’t already obvious, Wes Craven Wanted to make his horror movie scary and crying This “real world” death was disturbing and heartbreaking.

And the struggle that the director had in the editing room later turned into the kitchen scene. Billy (Skeet Ulrich) and Stu (Matthew Lillard) turns out to be Ghostface, they beat each other up hoping to fool the police. These shots of the murderous duo also had to be cut down to avoid seeing the knife go into their flesh. That’s why Sidney’s reaction often happens on stage.

Finally, in addition to the violence, the catchphrase was also part of MPA’s censorship, which Bill proudly shouted: “Movies don’t make psychopaths, movies make psychopaths more creative!” Patrick Lussier He told The Hollywood Reporter about it:Of course, this is a line of dialogue that MPA was looking for and wanted to remove from the film. It was as if they were saying: “You cannot tell such a truth.”” Wes Craven Although he managed to keep the phrase, these few victories did not matter, because despite all this editing, crying Still didn’t get an R rating…

A phone call saved the movie

In Still Screaming: The Scariest Movie Retrospective, Wes Craven He spoke about his frustration with the whole process: “You never say the name, you never know who saw your film, and often it’s a different group every time. So it’s very scary to deal with it.” production crying Finally MPA submitted 9 versions with little success to get close to the rating it needed. In Scream: The Inside StoryThe director also explained how all the departments involved in the editing had to be called back to fit the new guidelines, thus increasing the budget and making it look like the film would not be ready for the release date.

Finally, producer Bob Weinstein stepped in and explained this to MPA crying was “Comedy is satire“. This gave the film an R rating, which is very surprising Wes Craven, but for his greatest pleasure. Ultimately, for a franchise focused on phone calls, it needed it crying Gets the much-needed acclaim… Although the film didn’t become an overnight success at the box office, the results have been explosive. The feature film stayed in theaters for months, reviving the horror genre, especially the slasher genre that was thought to be dead. You know the rest: it’s history.

You can watch Scream (1996) streaming on Paramount+.