Halloween Kills Officially Rated R For Violence, Grisly Images

Halloween Kills has received an R-rating on the grounds of violence and grisly images. The upcoming film’s predecessor, a 2018 reboot of the horror classic of the same name Halloween, also received an R-rating at the time of its release, although on different grounds. The sequel will be the 12th film in the Halloween franchise, and continue the story of Laurie Strode and Michael Myers that began in the original film in 1978.

Another victim of the COVID pandemic release date reshuffle, Halloween Kills was originally set to open on October 16th 2020, then rescheduled to October 15th 2021 due to intermittent theater closures across the globe. As a result of this, anticipation has grown higher and higher throughout the year, helped by reports of franchise lead actor Jamie Lee Curtis calling the as yet unreleased film a “timely masterpiece“, and the ongoing development of a sequel to Halloween Kills in the form of Halloween Ends. 2018’s Halloween was well received by both fans and critics alike, noting a return to form akin to the original, and earned over $255 million at the box office.

Halloween Kills has been issued an R-rating by the Motion Picture Association for “strong bloody violence throughout, grisly images, language and some drug use“. This means only those over the age of 17 can see the film, unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. While an R-rating is the same classification Halloween received in 2018, that was issued on the basis of “horror violence and bloody images, language, brief drug use and nudity”.

With a staggering 12 films over a 43 year time span, the Halloween movie series has been a source of great debate among critics and fans. While they have all been effectively scary in their own way (even Halloween H20: 20 Years Later), none seem to really fit the bill in the way the latest Halloween Kills seems to with its MPA rating. More than a sneak peek as to the content of the plot, it gives us a sign that this film may be even grislier than fans are used to in the franchise, which is a very exciting prospect. Considering recent horror films that have received similar MPA judgement, last year’s brilliantly disturbing Midsommar being a prime example, Laurie’s upcoming battle with Michael could be a lot more unsettling. Indeed, Myer’s new burnt mask seems to be a step in the direction of this MPA promise, making Michael look scarier than ever. As to the drug use noted, it can only be hoped that Halloween Kills isn’t planning on bringing Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers‘s Cult of Thorn back.

Now pushed back even further, the wait is just under a year until it’s seen if Halloween Kills‘ MPA judgement rings true. This, accompanied with Curtis’s aforementioned statement, will likely see excitement on a rapid rise. Judging by the box office success of 2018’s Halloween, Universal made the wise decision to delay Halloween Kills until next October to curtail the pandemic. And although that may seem far away, this latest MPA classification ensures the film should be worth the wait.

Source: MPA

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