20 Things You Didn't Know About War Of The Worlds
7. R-Rated Extras Were Cut From The Final Film
During production, the makeup team transformed at least 20 extras to resemble grotesquely wounded survivors of the alien attacks, complete with large gaping wounds, third-degree burns, and even melted flesh.
However, Spielberg ultimately decided to cut them from the film, perhaps in order to secure the obligatory PG-13 rating.
It was later reported that Spielberg didn't want any of the heat-ray deaths to be gory, with visual effects supervisor Pablo Helman calling it "a horror movie for kids."
And so, the ingenious PG-13-friendly decision was made to have the victims be vaporised into dust instead, achieved through a mix of CGI and practical dust blown onto the set.