Top 10 Horror Movies That Had to be Censored for TV

These movies were too horrific for the small screen! Our countdown of censored horror movies includes “Dracula A.D. 1972”, “Freddy vs. Jason”, “Evil Dead II” and more! Did you watch any of these films in their edited T.V. versions before catching the real thing? Let us know your memories in the comments! Welcome to Viralworld Magazine! Today we're having a look at horror movies that were a little too much for the small screen. Did you watch any of these films in their edited T.V. versions before catching the real thing? Let us know your memories in the comments! #10: “Jaws: The Revenge” (1987) The television edit of 1987’s “Jaws: The Revenge” is a strange beast, with an alternate ending unique to this small-screen airing. Fans of this controversial entry in the franchise will recall how Mario Van Peebles’s Jake gets horribly bitten by the shark, yet somehow survives to return for the end credits. The TV version thankfully fixes this, utilizing an edited/censored take on Jake’s bite, and NOT having Van Peebles bob up from under the waves. Yet, the infamously roaring shark’s destruction at the end actually features quite a bit of blood via a pronounced impaling. This replaces an arguably more graphic explosion sequence that ends the theatrical version, serving as perhaps one of the few examples where censorship edits made a movie’s ending BETTER. #9: “Evils of the Night” (1985) Believe it or not, there has historically existed a bit of crossover between the adult film world and “straight” cinema, whereby many performers have been able to move between both industries. This was particularly true throughout the 1970s and ‘80s, as evidenced by this relatively obscure horror movie “Evils of the Night.” This flick from 1985 followed in the footsteps of features like “Maniac,” in its casting of adult performers in supporting roles. This was done in order to spice up the theatrical version with sex and nudity, yet the television version for “Evils of the Night” omits these scenes, for obvious reasons. As a result, the characters of Amber Lynn’s Joyce and Jerry Butler’s Eddie completely disappear from the film, despite having written dialogue. #8: “Dracula A.D. 1972” (1972) American television audiences might have been thankful to catch a late-period Hammer horror film on their sets when CBS aired “Dracula A.D. 1972” as part of their “Late Movie” series in the mid-80s. “Thankful,” at least, until they realize that this otherwise permissive entry in Hammer’s “Dracula” series was excised of a lot of its sex and cheeky fraternizations. Cursing was also a no-no back then, so these were cut, along with numerous scenes of bloody vampire violence and ritualistic, occult terror. In their place, CBS just aired more commercials, essentially making this a neutered version of “Dracula A.D. 1972” that no one asked for, and nobody probably needs to watch. advertisement #7: “Re-Animator” (1985) It’s honestly impressive that some television stations would even attempt to air Stuart Gordon’s deliciously messy and envelope-pushing horror classic, “Re-Animator.” The end results, predictably, utilize a number of measures to cut out the frequent bits of nudity from star Barbara Crampton. There’s uncomfortable zoom shots, creative blurring… basically anything to make “Re-Animator” suitable for small-screen viewing. The visceral practical effects are also cut down in order to appease the censors, yet most of the bad language remains intact for “Re-Animator’s” TV version. Still, we highly advise that you just stick with the original instead. #6: “The Thing” (1982) John Carpenter’s “The Thing” from 1982 has been cut and edited numerous times, both for different countries and for different reasons. There’s a censored commentary track from Carpenter and star Kurt Russell from the original Laserdisc, as well as an interesting TV version with a number of notable differences. Ignoring for a moment the impacted picture quality of a 4:3 full frame version versus theatrical widescreen, the television version of “The Thing” also (obviously) censors some of the film’s graphic violence. However, it does so utilizing footage cut from the theatrical version, such as bits from a screwdriver killing of Bennings. There’s also an added bit of voice-over narration, as well as a cobbled-together, “positive” ending that blunts Carpenter’s original, darkly ambiguous one. #5: “Freddy vs. Jason” (2003) The “Friday the 13th” series is infamous for many things, including how the MPAA handled some of its later entries, such as parts “V,” “VI” and “VII.” 2003’s “Freddy vs. Jason,” although also an “Elm Street” movie, still suffered the slings and arrows of censorship when it came down to its television airing. It’s a bit different this time, however, as it seems like the filmmakers actually seemed to know this in advance, and shot alternate footage to compensate. For example, the foul language isn’t dubbed over by a voice actor, but the cast, who choose less controversial words. Additionally, the violent scenes utilize less extreme edits that are more television appropriate, making this version of “Freddy vs. Jason” censored, for sure, but not unwatchable. #4: “Evil Dead II” (1987) Who knew that there was an edited version of “Evil Dead II” that aired for television in Mexico? Not us, that’s for sure, and this take on director Sam Raimi’s horror-comedy classic is nothing if not interesting. This version of “Evil Dead II” actually runs longer than the theatrical cut, despite having some of the action and violence tamed down, such as when Ash is fighting with Linda’s severed head. The Mexican TV version adds in scenes that are ONLY in this cut, such as when Ash wipes some tears away while remembering Linda, or the scene in the car where he’s eating cereal. Heck, this version even DISPLAYS on-screen that it’s been “Severely Edited for Television,” so at least they gave us fair warning! It’s sort of a given that 1973’s “The Exorcist” was going to be cut WAY down when it aired on network television. That said, the film was such a phenomenon, that the cable networks simply HAD to have it, in some form or another. Said form was a heavily trimmed and edited version of “The Exorcist,” for sure, but also one that was overseen by its director, William Friedkin. As a result, changes in language are evident, including instances of cursing and “blasphemy.” Some new scenes are included, too, though, including different insert shots of Regan’s possessed stare. Additionally, this version of “The Exorcist” doesn’t include Mercedes McCambridge’s voice, and Pazuzu’s tirades are all performed by Friedkin himself. #2: “Army of Darkness” (1992) We return to the world of “Evil Dead” once again, this time with its third franchise entry, “Army of Darkness.” There are a LOT of different cuts of this film, including this TV version that censors some violence (see the skeleton scene in graveyard), but mostly affects language. Cursing censorship aside, however, this version of “Army of Darkness” does feature some exclusive footage, such as extended takes of Ash inside of the windmill. Like the theatrical, this version also features the “supermarket ending” of Ash back in the present day, instead of the more bummer “I slept too long!” ending of Ash not making it home. #1: “Halloween” (1978) It’s perhaps the coolest example of a horror movie being censored ever, and definitely a made-for-TV edit all “Halloween” fans need to watch. That’s because this cut of the John Carpenter slasher classic omits the nudity and sex from co-star P. J. Soles, but gives us some interesting footage in return. In this version, there are added scenes with a young Michael Myers and Dr. Loomis, as well as footage that connects this film and its sequel. Given that the scenes for this TV version were filmed during the production of “Halloween II,” (which was also censored for television) this “Halloween” references the familial connection between Michael and Laurie Strode. It’s a great way of smoothing out this franchise’s often-confusing timeline.