M. Night Shyamalan is back in the spotlight, with a brand-new film that is making waves. His movies have a history of causing controversy, mostly due to their shocking finale twists — but unlike many of his contemporaries, the director rarely relies on blood or gore in order to get attention. While many of Shyamalan’s movies have earned a PG-13 rating, the director recently revealed that there’s one film that very nearly got an R rating. In fact, he ended up having to cut one specific sound effect in order for the film to receive the more widely-accepted PG-13.
M. Night Shyamalan’s filmography includes mostly PG-13 films
Shyamalan burst into the movie business in the early ’90s, with films like Wide Awake. However, it wasn’t until the overwhelming success of his 1999 film The Sixth Sense that viewers everywhere became familiar with his unique style. Shyamalan developed a reputation for holding audiences enthralled with terrifying, intense scenarios that defy the imagination — and for plot twists that sharply divided fans.
While most of Shyamalan’s movies are firmly in the horror genre, he generally avoids the traditional R rating so closely associated with horror flicks. In fact, most of the director’s most acclaimed films, including The Sixth Sense, Signs, and Old, are all rated PG-13, with minimal violence and swearing.
What did M. Night Shyamalan say about the cut sound effect from ‘The Village’?
Shyamalan has admitted that he prefers for his films to receive a PG-13 rating, likely due to the fact that he wants more viewers to be able to see his movies. In a recent interview for the Jake’s Takes YouTube channel, however, the director discussed why his 2004 movie The Village almost received an R rating. “You know, it’s funny, all my movies get an R rating when I first show them,” Shyamalan said. “Every single one of them gets an R rating, but with most of them, it’s about the intensity of the moment, it’s not anything graphic.”
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“I always tell the ratings board, ‘don’t penalize me for execution,’” he joked. Shyamalan said that most of the time, it’s something as small as a sound effect that allows him to get a PG-13 rating. “I remember the one from The Village, where there’s a moment where a very important character is getting stabbed.” The filmmaker noted that “the camera pans off as this event is happening, and the sound effects continue and worsen as you’re panning away and looking at the wall, and that was the thing that the board said is way too violent.” Shyamalan said that he simply took out the sound effects of the stabbing scene, and that allowed the film to receive the coveted PG-13 rating.
M. Night Shyamalan’s new film ‘Knock at the Cabin’ is receiving solid reviews
Shyamalan’s latest film, Knock at the Cabin, is an unusual one for the director, receiving an R rating due to violence, according to IMDb. However, fans and critics are responding well to the apocalyptic thriller, and currently, the movie has 68% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, along with a 65% audience score.
Many critics are praising the film’s tense storyline, as well as the performances of the talented cast. “‘Knock At The Cabin’ is a taut, tense, and devastating movie that immediately belongs near the top of Shyamalan’s best,” one review reads. It remains to be seen how Knock at the Cabin will fit with the rest of Shyamalan’s cinematic legacy. But it certainly seems as though the controversial director is back on top.
