Hills Have Eyes,The
Dir Wes Craven / 1977 / USA
This was first Refused Classification in December 1977 in a 2464.60mtr (90min 05sec) print. The reason given was indecent violence. Filmways prepared a 2413.80mtr (88m 13s) reconstructed version that was again refused in April 1978.
In December 1978 an 83min videotape, described as a 'Modified Version' was passed R18+. A theatrical release still had not taken place so Filmways tried again with a 2322.50mtr (84m 53s) 'Modified Soft Version'. This was still too much for the censors who banned it again, this time for excessive violence.
It was finally passed R18+ for theatrical release in August 1979. The print was described as an 'American Television Version' and ran 2072.20mtr (75m 44s). The whole process had taken 20 months, and the film had lost nearly 15minutes of footage!
The video revolution of the early 80's saw this back before the censors in December 1984. Not surprisingly the 90min (v) tape submitted by Thorn EMI was Refused Classification. The reason given was 'considerable violence and cruelty'. They finally had an 89min (v) Edited Version passed R18+ in February 1986.
The exact run time of this tape is 88m 33s (ignore the 97min listed on the box) and it is very censored.
Thanks to Brett.B for this detailed description of the cuts. The quoted times are the approximate points in the Thorn- EMI tape where the scenes begin.
BIG BOB IS
CRUCIFIED
(Scene begins 40min
approx)
Before - Jupiter's face is shown as we hear him hitting a nail into Big Bob's hand.
CENSORED - Jupiter is shown hitting a nail about 10 times into Big Bob's other hand.
After - Shot of Bobby throwing wood onto the fire.
BIG BOB IS BURNT
(Scene begins 49min 30sec approx)
Before - The family runs up to Big Bob. We then see a shot of his screaming face, followed by the family looking on.
CENSORED - Several different shots have been removed. Bob's screaming face, Doug putting out the fire, Bobby and Lynne holding Ethel back, and Big Bob's burnt body.
After/Before - A shot of the family reacting.
CENSORED - Doug uses a blanket to extinguish the last of the flames.
BABY KIDNAP
(Scene begins approx 54min)
Before - Lynne hears the baby cry from inside the caravan. She says "Oh Katy!"
CENSORED - Lynne enters the caravan and sees Mars with the baby. She kicks him and they proceed to fight on the floor with the baby laying next to them. Brenda is shown crawling towards them as Mars tries to remove the gun from its holster.
After - Ethel is shown standing at the door followed by a shot of Lynne and Mars fighting on the floor.
This is a particularly clumsy cut. We see Lynne enter the caravan, then Ethel standing at the door, followed by a shot of Lynne now fighting with Mars.
BEAST VS PLUTO
(Scene begins 74min approx)
Before - Beast attacks Pluto and knocks him to the ground; he then proceeds to bite his ankle.
CENSORED - A shot of Pluto's ankle after Beast attacked it.
DOUG VS MARS
(Scene begins 86min 30sec approx)
Before - Ruby uses the rattlesnake to get Mars away from Doug. Mars then falls to the ground and Doug stabs him once.
CENSORED - Doug continues to stab Mars another 9 times.
After - Ruby looking away, followed by Doug kicking the body of Mars.
A longer, version premiered on Foxtel's Arena Channel in January 2000. However it was still missing some footage. Thanks to Lee N for the following.
"...there were a couple of seconds
missing when Mars pushes a gun into Brenda's
mouth after the raid on the camper van; the scene is cut when he slowly
squeezes the trigger and almost orgasms as the
hammer clicks but the gun chamber turns out to be empty.
...shots of Jupiter munching on Big Bob's hand
also appeared to be cut as he hurls abuse at
Bob's charred body."
There is also an Australian "no-name" label tape that appeared around 2000 which is reportedly uncut at 89min 41sec.
In March 2004, 26 years after it was first banned, the Australian censorship of this title finally came to an end. Big Sky Video submitted a DVD to the OFLC, who passed it R18+ (Medium Level Violence, Adult Themes). For some reason Big Sky Video failed to release the film.
In August 2005 it was back before the OFLC, again it was classified R18+. The consumer advice was now 'High Level Violence, Horror Themes', compared to the 'Medium Level Violence, Adult Themes' awarded in March 2004. Umbrella Entertainment gave the film its most complete (89min 36sec) Australian release when they issued the DVD in November 2005.
The DVD contains a commentary with Director Wes Craven, and Producer Peter Locke in which they discuss the censorship problems that the film had in the US. The full-uncut version was originally rated X by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). They then had to make significant cuts in order to gain an (American) R rating. Here are their comments as they appear on the Umbrella DVD.
32min Approx
Fred is beaten to death by Jupiter.
Peter Locke: "We had a lot more of it and we had to cut it back, way
back"
This is then followed by Big Bob finding Fred's
body hanging on the back of the door.
Wes Craven: "This shot had to be cut short as I remember"
55min 30sec Approx
Mars and Pluto kidnap the baby.
Peter Locke: "This sequence got edited down, and edited down, and
edited down for us to get an R"
67min Approx
Jupiter eats Big Bob's arm and taunts his charred body.
Wes Craven: "Yeah, there was a shot where he is gesturing, sticking
Bob's own fingers in his face, holding his arm"
Peter Locke: "He's eating his forearm while
he's speaking"
"This scene, really, I remember it so differently. With him thrusting
Bob's arm into his face, and finger into his eye"
(Jupiter is shown taking a bite from Bob's arm) " There's the one
bite we have, but you don't see that"
Wes Craven: "I think they never allowed us to show the arm as severed"
83min 30sec Approx
Katy hits Jupiter in the back with an axe.
Peter Locke: "This got edited down to get an R"
88min Approx
Doug stabs Mars to death.
Wes Craven: "I remember they made us cut this, the amount of stabs,
but we somehow snuck them back in"
The above comments suggest that some, or all, of the above edits have not been reinstated into the film. The IMDb claims states that this original Directors cut is no longer in existence. As is still often the case, when a US films gets cut by the MPAA, it is this print that goes out for overseas distribution. So it is safe to assume that the version that had all the Australian censorship problems in the 70's and 80's was the already cut MPAA R rated print.
Hills Have Eyes 2, The
Dir Wes Craven / 1985 / USA
In February 1985 Greater Union Film Distributors submitted a 2413.84mtr print for rating. It was passed R18+, but only after the deletion of 6mtr of violent footage.
In July 1985 Thorn-EMI had an 87min (v) print Refused Classification. It was eventually passed R18+ for video release in May 1986 in an 86min (v) Edited Version. This censored tape was put out by Cannon Video and runs 86m 18s.
Despite containing flashback footage to the first film, none of this was anything that caused problems. The only scene missing from the Cannon Video is a shot of the girl having her throat cut.
Twenty years after the ban it was back before the censors. In August 2005 the OFLC rated it R18+ (High Level Violence). Umbrella Entertainment gave the film its first uncut Australian release when they issued the DVD in November 2005.
