For several years there has been an argument that more and more violence is sneaked into lower rated films. People are apparently able to withstand more blood and gore onscreen. The latest vampire flick Daybreakers is possibly one of the most extreme examples of this, and if this blood-heavy flick does not re-ignite the debate I am not sure what will.
Upon leaving the screening of the entertaining if cheesy Daybreakers, two thoughts existed within my brain i). It was hilariously gruesome to the point I was actually laughing and ii) this was only rated a 15 certificate. Heads either explode or are lopped off (the latter is often followed by close-ups of the heads), limbs are ripped from the body, vampires are seen burning up when exposed to sunlight and guts are shown flying across the screen. The final 15 minutes are, without a doubt, particularly notorious. According to the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) around six seconds of footage was cut in order for it to receive a 15 rating. Exactly what these six seconds were we do not know. The BBFC state:
“Many of the violent scenes in the film show the blood as almost black and this lessens the impact of the bloodshed and allows these scenes to be contained at ‘15.’”
“The scenes at the film’s climax, in particular, show both vampires and humans being torn apart but these shots are all in the distance and very rapidly edited with much of the stronger detail carefully masked”.
Nonetheless this still felt (at least to me) exceptionally graphic for a film with such a certificate, others who have seen the film may question whether the detail was indeed “carefully masked”. One may remember that this is the same rating that appeared alongside the original logo for Batman in 1989. Whilst Tim Burton’s tale certainly had some grisly moments (Jack Nicolson’s ‘handshake’) it seemed like light children’s entertainment compared to Daybreakers. In fact I am sure that this film contains considerably more shots of spilled blood than a lot of 18 rated movies. The more recent incarnation of Batman (‘The Dark Knight’ rated a 12 by the BBFC) has recently come under fire for having a seemingly inappropriate certificate. Upon watching the film it (arguably) is not difficult to see why. Heath Ledger’s ‘pencil trick’ is a scene that quickly springs to mind.
Before I am accused of acting like a 21st century Mary Whitehouse I will point out that some of my favourite films are heavy in the violence department. The violence can range from being brutal and realistic (Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, and Saving Private Ryan) to being cartoonish and outlandish (Wanted, Face/Off). Nonetheless they all have a considerable body count and are (in my opinion) more appropriately classified. Maybe it is time for the people at the BBFC to have another look at their criteria.
One thing is clear though: if you are feeling in any way vulnerable or queasy, and want a film with light relief, Daybreakers is certainly not the ideal choice. If, on the other hand, you want your vampire movies to be truly bloodthirsty then this definitely fits the bill.
