Perhaps my favorite part of reading reviews of horror movies I’ll never see is the critics’ explanation of how a film earned its rating. Some of these one-liners serve as perfect summaries; others expose the faults and biases of the ratings system. If horror films reveal people’s worst nature, they also bring out critics’ best sass.
The Last House on the Left: “Characters are raped, stabbed, shot, mangled and fed to labor-saving devices.”
The Hills Have Eyes: “You name it, the movie’s got it: rape, immolation, cannibalism, dismemberment, the biting off of a parakeet’s head.”
Shuttle: “The “R” rating proves once again that it is impossible for a film to be rated NC-17 for violence alone.”
Saw IV: “Imagine every conceivable form of torture, then add the inconceivable.”
Interview With The Vampire: “It includes violence, scenes in which blood is sapped from murder victims, horrific special effects and nonsexual scenes with unmistakable sexual overtones.”
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning: “Extremely graphic sadism and stomach-turning nihilism.”
Katia Bachko is on staff at The New Yorker.