College Times

Issue date: 3/20/08 Section: Daily Buzz

Media Credit: Photos(dot)com

In a pretty entertaining move, it was recently announced that Regal Theaters, one of the largest theater chains in the country, would start allowing the use of red-band trailers before their R-rated films.

Typically, when you see a trailer in the theaters, it's preceded by the green MPAA logo which notifies you that this trailer has been "approved for all audiences."

Now, Regal Theaters, who own over 6,000 screens in 39 states, will start using R-rated trailers, called "red band" trailers, which will include foul language, nudity and violence as a part of their promotion of the film. The last time a red band trailer was used was in 1999 for "American Pie." Because of Regal's influence on the market, it is expected that other theaters will pick up on the trend, too.

This is definitely a win for producers and studios who want to promote a lot of R-rated content like "Superbad" or horror flicks like "Halloween." By giving a better picture of what to expect to their viewers, the goal is to better sell them on a particular film.

Advertising for a film has always been a trouble spot for studios, and surprisingly the PG-13 rating has sparked more contention than the NC-17 rating, particularly in the horror genre. Because of the 2000 congressional commission that berated the entertainment industry for advertising adult content to kids in films and music, studios have found that PG-13 films are the most consistent money makers. And because they want to advertise to kids, the red band trailers were dropped to reach- the widest possible audience. If you don't have kids or subscribe to the George Carlin "kids aren't special" belief, then this doesn't really affect you.

However, from my own perspective, ratings and adult content should be reflective of the kind of film you're dealing with. The upcoming "Prom Night" remake, for example, sums up my issue with this subject. A remake of a bloody slasher flick seems more sanitized than it needs to be because it is rated PG-13. On the other side, "The Ring," also rated PG-13, scared the hell out of me when it was first released in 2002.

By allowing R-rated trailers in their theaters, I'm hoping that that could open the door for more R-rated films that are more reflective of the kinds of blood 'n guts monster movies that I grew up loving. Though, these types of films don't usually rake in the cash and I'm not na've enough to believe that money trends don't rule the industry.

That's not to say that R-ratings determine worth, but a little truth in advertising goes a long way. Violence or sex for it's own sake is pointless, and if I wanted either, I'd rent a "Faces of Death" video or watch porn.

I also prefer the general audience to be plenty educated about what they are getting into. I despise folk who walk out of a theater because they didn't get what they expected, or even before that, they hold up the ticket line because they want a synopsis and review from the ticket clerk.

The internet has been proven to be the best place for finding red band trailers as studios are using the web to market their more adult-friendly films. A simple Google search can yield the fruits of R-rated glory with flicks like "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and "Pineapple Express" starting up their marketing machine. "Rambo," "Beowulf," "No Country for Old Men," and "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem" have also gotten the red band treatment.

However, to best sum this up, check out this green band trailer for the new horror flick "Pathology" due out in April - when you're done with that, check out the red band trailer here. (Be warned, it's not safe for work.)

Both trailers are good, but the red band shows everything that the green band only hints at. This way those who want to see it will and those who don't, won't.

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