Movies - TV
Disturbing Movie Scenes Filmmakers Regret The Most
By CHAD COLLINS
Content Warning
The following story contains discussions of graphic sexual assault.
Randy's Death
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Kevin Williamson, the screenwriter known for creating the "Scream" series, expressed regret for killing off beloved movie buff Randy Meeks in "Scream 2." Williamson wished he had explored Meeks' trauma after surviving instead of scripting his death to elevate the tension.
Child Death
In Alfred Hitchcock's "Sabotage," the child character Stevie is unknowingly roped into delivering a bomb that eventually explodes in a bus, killing him and the other passengers. In an essay for Criterion, writer Mark Fleischmann described the scene as "cinematic terrorism," and even Hitchcock agreed that Stevie's death went too far.
Assault
Wes Craven's "The Last House on the Left" is seen as an early progenitor for an entire subgenre of rape-revenge features and involves the sexual assault and death of young women. Craven, known for his humanistic approach to horror, admitted in an interview with the Front that the legacy of his horror classic had indeed gone too far.
Buffalo Bill
Jonathan Demme grappled with the controversial legacy of his film "The Silence of the Lambs," particularly the portrayal of Buffalo Bill, which some considered transphobic. In an interview with The Daily Beast, the late filmmaker defended his work but regretted certain aspects of Bill, wishing he had handled the character more sensitively.
Child Death
John Carpenter's "Assault on Precinct 13" is a grindhouse classic with controversial elements, most notably the shocking death of a little girl. Although Carpenter argued the scene was necessary to portray the gang's senseless violence, he also hinted at some regret regarding the child’s death.