DISTRIB TALKS HAUTE TENSION’S NC-17
Last week, we reported that Alexandre Aja’s French gorefest HAUTE TENSION (HIGH TENSION) had received an NC-17 rating, and that instead of going for cuts or an unrated release, U.S. distributor Lions Gate is sticking with the tag. Now, Lions Gate president Tom Ortenberg has explained the decision, telling Variety, ‘We are looking to do our part in destigmatizing the rating. Without getting into the argument about which films should fall under it or not, we at Lions Gate would like there to be an adult rating that does not have a stench associated with it.’
Ortenberg goes on to say that ‘To go unrated can marginalize a film by making it feel too independent,’ and notes that while the company made minor trims to last year’s drama THE COOLER to lower its rating from NC-17 to an R, editing HAUTE TENSION to R suitability would constitute ‘gutting’ the movie. The story also reveals that Lions Gate is planning an August release for TENSION. ‘To a degree, we’re going into uncharted waters,’ Ortenberg concludes of the NC-17 release. ‘We’re feeling our way.’
Courtesy of Fangoria
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