Viewing habits change – and with it the standards of the FSK. In the past year alone, countless movies that were once indexed have been released for people 18 and over and are now finally available uncut. We briefly introduce you to the highlights.

Golden Harvest / LEONINE / Astrofilm

Films that the FSK refuses to release often end up on the index – usually because of explicit depictions of violence. Horror films are therefore particularly affected, which are therefore not allowed to be openly advertised or sold in Germany in the unabridged version, and therefore have difficulty reaching their target audience. The criticized genre films then either appear in a harmless version or, in the worst case, not at all for the home theater. Import is often the only way out.

Where films used to end up on the index in rows, this has now changed: especially today, messages about films that have been deindexed are piling up! At CELEBTAP, we’ve been keeping you up to date with major cult classics over the past few years that are now officially considered rehabilitated and are now freely available in their entirety, having once had bad luck with the testing agency. These include Robert Rodriguez’s “From Dusk Till Dawn” and Marvel’s vampire action movie “Blade”, the ultimate undead classic “Zombie – Dawn Of The Dead” and slashers like “Maniac” and Rob Zombie’s “Halloween” in the Director’s Cut.

» Unabridged at Amazon: “From Dusk to Dawn”* / “Sheet”* / “Zombie”* / “maniac”* / “Halloween”*

And the year 2022 also brought some news on the unadulterated front, which horror fans should be particularly happy about. The following films have been indexed or even seized at some point and are now officially considered rehabilitated – in other words, they’re sitting in stores completely uncut.

No longer on the index: these films have been uncut since 2022

“Eden lake“: The uncompromising horror thriller about a couple (Michael Fassbender and Kelly Reilly) who take a trip to a remote lake and encounter a group of sadistic youths once had to be shortened by nearly two minutes for an 18 rating. The film is especially creepy because of the mercilessly raw violence, which he extends to his shocking finale – and the SPIO/JK version is available in full from Amazon and Co. The harmless version comes with an 18 rating and an alternate cover. So be careful when buying!

» “Eden Lake” at Amazon: Uncut* / Snow*

“faces of death“: The shocker consists of a collection of shots in which people and animals die – and became a hotly debated mega hit in the 1970s and 1980s. In home theaters, the documentary-style film, which consists largely of posed and actually dying footage, is said to have grossed more than $35 million. And yes, the movie is still controversial. While he still banned in over 40 countries is, the indexing was lifted here – and the film was re-released uncut with FSK 18 approval:

» “Faces of Death” uncut at Amazon: Blu ray*

“The drill killer“: The slasher, about a killer who keeps his murder tools in a toolbox, was indexed in the early 1980s — and even re-indexed 25 years later during a re-examination. Redding followed last May: Der Rizzer, one of Stephen King’s favorite horror moviesgot the go-ahead from the FSK – and will eventually be released uncut on March 3, 2023 with a release of 18:

» “The Drill Killer” uncut at Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray and 4K*

“Ricky’s story“: Loosely based on the manga of the same name, is the martial arts combat record one of the most famous splatter movies ever – and scores with an extra portion of guts, people who are strangled with the help of intestines (!) and an extremely high fun factor for all gorehounds. The cult classic with Siu-Wong Fan (“Ip Man”) was once not only indexed, but confiscated because of its rampant violence. However, those rulings were reversed last fall. At Amazon you can get the film as a German Blu-ray or as a slightly cheaper import version (without German sound) – both are uncut:

» “Story Of Ricky” uncut at Amazon: German* / import*

“in return for“: Ryuhei Kitamura’s legendary action splatter (“Midnight Meat Train”) is a feast for all genre fans with a certain fondness for low-budget cinema. The cheaply produced gangster zombie ripper still inspires today with handcrafted effects and crazy ideas never seen before or since. The film once had to be shortened by six and a half minutes for the release of 18, but has also been released uncut since 2022 from the age of 18 – and released in two strictly limited media book editions to mark the occasion, which are only available for expensive money. Alternatively, there is the high-quality import without a German soundtrack:

» “Versus” uncut at Amazon: Media Book A* / Media Book B* / import*

“Hideki the killeraka Evil Dead Trap 2: The cheaply produced horror film about a serial killer who has set his sights on the ovaries (!) of his female victims is tough stuff for its premise alone – and is therefore anything but prudish about the matter, even earning it a confiscation in Germany. Today the Japanese shocker from 18 years old is released in full and available in its entirety on DVD and Blu-ray:

» “Hideki The Killer” uncut at Amazon: DVD & Blu ray*

“total risk“: How did an action comedy by Hong Kong slapstick king Jing Wong (“City Hunter”, “Enter The Fat Dragon”) end up on the index? So, martial arts hit with Jet Li takes no prisoners when it comes to harshness – and that becomes immediately apparent when a school bus full of children is blown up! The film was reissued as a limited media book, but is now barely or only available on the secondary market.

In addition, fans of foods that are particularly difficult to digest could meet the uncut premiere of “Thriller – A merciless movie” To be happy. The film, which was only available in a highly condensed version for a long time, not only served as a source of inspiration for Quentin Tarantino, but is also one of the most difficult films ever for the cult director. The genre board about a young woman who was sexually abused as a child, later works as a prostitute and has her eye cut out by a client before embarking on a bloody revenge campaign, is available as an expensive 8-CD media book as well as a commercial Standard Edition (exclusive from Muller).

*The links to the Amazon offer are so-called affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we receive a commission.