10 Director's Cuts We'd Rather See Than Snyder's Justice League

9. Cherry Falls

Sam Neill Event Horizon 2
Fresh Produce Company

The era of Scream and its imitators led to a hip generation of slasher flicks that were too clever for their own good: the victims had their killer's number and they were going to Gen X him to death with snark.

Of the films that followed Wes Craven's hit, Cherry Falls remains one of the few unsung with a genuinely clever premise: a killer is picking off virgin teens one by one, sending otherwise chaste students into a frenzy to lose their innocence. The script, by Ken Selden, was surprisingly sharp and it boasted a supporting cast comprised of character actors Michael Biehn, Jay Mohr, D.J. Qualls and Candy Clark.

Australian director Geoffrey Wright was attached, and shopped the film around Cannes in 1999. October Films managed to secure a theatrical release date in 2000. Selden's script had been kept almost pristine, save for one major scene: toward the end of the film, the killer rampages through a student orgy party, randomly slicing at attendees as he chases after the protagonists.

Originally, Selden envisioned the orgy as just a sea of movement under a white sheet that turns red, but Wright opted for something more gruesome. He wanted the students nude, running and viciously sliced up. As a result, the MPAA sent the film back numerous times before the scene, and a few others, were cut to the point where USA Films felt comfortable releasing it as a TV Movie.

It did receive a theatrical release in the U.K. and Europe, but the cut is still the same. Shout Factory had tried to obtain the director's cut for the film's blu ray release, however even Wright has said he does not possess a copy.

Contributor
Contributor

Kenny Hedges is carbon-based. So I suppose a simple top 5 in no order will do: Halloween, Crimes and Misdemeanors, L.A. Confidential, Billy Liar, Blow Out He has his own website - thefilmreal.com - and is always looking for new writers with differing views to broaden the discussion.