M3GAN Reshoots Toned Down Gore to PG-13

Few cinematic genres earn as much debate over an MPA rating as the horror world, and in the case of the upcoming M3GAN, director Gerard Johnstone recently recalled that reshoots on the film toned down the violence and gore to earn it a PG-13 rating, yet believes this made the film overall more frightening. From his perspective, the scenes that have been altered make it so that audiences have to imagine the events that unfold off-camera as opposed to explicitly showcasing them, with audiences likely conjuring all manner of disturbing images. M3GAN lands in theaters on January 6th.

"Making it PG-13 was something that happened after the fact, but it was always so close to PG-13 anyway," Johnstone recalled to Total Film, per GamesRadar. "It seemed kind of a mistake not to embrace it. I even remember thinking early on, 'This could be PG-13, and some of my favorite films like Drag Me to Hell are PG-13.' So we made the decision to go PG-13 and actually reshot a couple of things."

He added, "What I was really stoked about is that when we reshot those scenes, they were more effective. It's like 'Yes, you do have to cut away at certain times,' but it's fun having to rely on sound and suggestion so much."

More specifically, one scene featuring a dog is something that comes across as much more unsettling by not showing audiences what is unfolding.

"I remember turning to my sound designer after a re-do and just saying, 'Holy sh-t, that's worse,'" Johnstone joked. "We were trying to get this PG-13 rating and I was like, 'That is so much worse than what we had before.'"

M3GAN is a marvel of artificial intelligence, a life-like doll programmed to be a child's greatest companion and a parent's greatest ally. Designed by brilliant toy-company roboticist Gemma (Get Out's Allison Williams), M3GAN can listen and watch and learn as she becomes friend and teacher, playmate and protector, for the child she is bonded to.

When Gemma suddenly becomes the caretaker of her orphaned 8-year-old niece, Cady (Violet McGraw, The Haunting of Hill House), Gemma's unsure and unprepared to be a parent. Under intense pressure at work, Gemma decides to pair her M3GAN prototype with Cady in an attempt to resolve both problems -- a decision that will have unimaginable consequences.

M3GAN lands in theaters on January 6th.

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