“Strong bloody horror violence, pervasive language, sexual content and drug use” are probably hard to get by the MPAA into an R-rated film when you use them to the extent that Rob Zombie typically does for one of his films. That’s why his latest, 31, had been sitting with an NC-17 in recent weeks even after submitting two separate cuts in the hopes of landing an R in advance of the film’s premiere at Sundance.
Third time must have been the charm then, as Zombie’s film has finally landed an R rating, meaning whatever he was able to cut this time around was enough to satisfy the MPAA and their completely arbitrary and inconsistent standards.
The rating was a big deal for Zombie as most theaters will not show a film if it carries with it an NC-17 rating. Now that that obstacle is out of the way, 31 for all.