The Vault of Horror...

I was looking through all the horror sites I read nearly every day and saw an article concerning PG-13 "horror" films and Clive Barker's opinions on this and other topics. I found the article to be very interesting because I have never really been a fan of these movies. I have seen many and several I liked, but I always seem to feel they could have been better if done in a "R" rated version. Clive Barker's quotes as well as the blob writer for The Vault of Horror are below. I can really agree with both comments to the extent that I understand both points of view. I don't mind a PG-13 horror movie if there is a lot of tension, suspense, or fear in it. However, if the film studio restricts the film maker into making a PG-13 movie for the purpose of making more money by getting a younger audience, then I'm against it. It's an interesting argument and one I'm sure won't be solved any time soon, but I thought enough of it to post my thoughts on the topic. As you know, I'm a big Clive Barker fan... mainly for his creation of Pinhead and the Hellraiser series, but I think both views hold merit. I highly recommend checking out The Vault of Horror... good site!

Blog writer's comments:
There certainly can be excellent horror movies rated PG-13 (and even milder!)--they're just different types of horror movies. Not the kind in which excessive body parts--both internal and external--are on plentiful display. But there are movies which can fully accomplish what they need to, and be effective, without exceeding the MPAA's guidelines for PG-13. For example, movies like The Others, The Ring, The Exorcism of Emily Rose and The Lady in White were all very good, and all rated PG-13. But to be clear, none of them were "trying to be R."


Clive Barker's comments:
"It’s one of the most disgusting developments in the last few years; the whole notion of a PG-13 horror movie to me is a contradiction in terms. It’s like having a triple-X Disney picture. It doesn’t work... Wes [Craven] says that ‘When you go into a horror movie, you need to feel that you’re in the hands of a madman.’ Now what madman makes a PG-13 picture, right? Your horror-movie madman… doesn’t neaten up all the edges and make it all nice for mommy. [Studios] do it because they want to bring in younger audiences and make more money. But they don’t make better movies."