REEL NEWS
Christian Thriller Gets R Rating
House, based on Peretti-Dekker novel, earns an R rating for violence and terror; authors, producers shocked. Plus: Fireproof charms Time; Armie Hammer talks about playing Billy Graham; Yoko drops Expelled lawsuit; Bill Murray on Ghostbusters 3; and more.
by Josh Hurst | posted 10/13/2008
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Ted Dekker is one of today's most popular Christian thriller writers, while Frank Peretti was at the top not too long ago. They teamed up to write House, a supernatural thriller, and it was only a matter of time before the book was turned into a movie. But here's something the book's fans may not have expected—the film, which releases in 450 theaters nationwide on November 7, has generated controversy for receiving an R rating.
House—loosely classified as a "horror" story by some—received the R rating for "terror and some violence," something that came as a bit of a shock to its producers. Ralph Winter (X-Men, Fantastic 4), a Christian, said in a press release, "When the MPAA came back and said that the movie was going to receive an R for 'terror' in general, we were at a loss. We knew immediately that a large portion of the teenage fan base that made the book a success would not have access to the film and that many faith-based organizations that would generally support the film would feel handcuffed due to the baggage associated with most rated R films—baggage that's completely absent in [House]."
Winter reports that the producers offered to tone down the film's content, but the MPAA said the story itself was simply too frightening. "It's truly unfortunate," Winter said. "We wanted to make edits or cuts to make the movie available to a PG-13 fan base but the MPAA said that the whole story was just too intense. We suspect that many of the elements that made the book such a great read are just too intense when brought to the screen. We hope that people can judge the film on its own merit and appreciate the film's themes of 'good vs. evil' and 'sin and redemption'."
Dekker himself is similarly surprised. At his blog, he admits that the R-rating poses a marketing problem, making it difficult to sell the movie to conservative audiences, but says the movie's content does not warrant the rating. "Fact is, the movie just isn't that terrifying. It has very little blood, less than a typical TV show. It has no foul language, maybe one 'hell,' but then the movie is about hell. It has no sex." He continues to say that, upon showing the film to Christian audiences, the feedback has been mostly positive, with "ninety percent [having] no problem with the violence."
More info about House, including the trailer, can be found at the official website.
In other movie news:
Time compares Religulous, Fireproof (Time)
Applauds "artless earnestness" and "charm" of the latter film
Armie Hammer talks about playing Billy Graham (Winston-Salem Journal)
Says he spent week after week watching sermons to prepare
Yoko Ono drops lawsuit with Expelled producers (Reuters)
DVD release will not contain John Lennon's song
Harrison Ford talks Indy 5 (Los Angeles Times)
Actor says George Lucas is "in think mode"
Filmmaker warns against Islamic violence (CBN)
Dutch politician defends short Internet film, Fitna
Hathaway, Bonham Carter join Alice (Hollywood Reporter)
Playing the White Queen and the Red Queen for Tim Burton
Bill Murray talks Ghostbusters 3 (Coming Soon)
Possible, but not definite; also discusses Ember, Mr. Fox
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