H.P.Lovecraft’s Necronomicon was released in an uncut and unrated version in Japan and Europe while in the US there exists only a cut R-Rated version so far. Even worse, there’s only a bootleg DVD which – when you look at the 4:3 format and the poor picture quality - seems to be based on the official VHS release. That this has to be the R-Rated version becomes pretty obvious when one looks closer at the various differences and censored scenes in comparison to the uncut German DVD from "Kinowelt": like it is typical for US censorship there are only some brief sequences cut and some other stuff was just replaced with slightly less violent, alternate material – a method that is still applied until today in the US (cp. the different “Saw” versions).

(Intropart by Glogcke)

Comparison of the US R-Rated version and the German DVD version from Kinowelt (Unrated)

The film was only released on VHS and in a slightly cut version in the US years ago. The German DVD instead features the unrated and uncut version.
R-Rated = 96:34 min. (NTSC)
Unrated = 92:36 min. (PAL)

Extended scenes unrated version = 10,5 sec.
Alternate material R-Rated version = 8,5 sec.

55:38 The end of this shot and the entire next one (Lena with the rifle) are missing when the melting Dr. Madden gives Emily his hand.
If this is actually due to censorship or rather a mistake in the material that was used for the VHS is hard to say.
2,5 sec.

56:05 Alternate material:

In the unrated version Madden rips the skin form his chest so that his rips lay bare. In the R-Rated he only scratches his chest a little.


Unrated version (2 sec.)

R-Rated version (2 sec.)

78:25 Alternate material:

When Paul turns around to Sarah one sees in the unrated version that his head is already half-eaten. The R-Rated shows him instead longer from a fronted perspective.


Unrated version (3 sec.)

R-Rated version (3 sec.)

81:15 When the "saw-nose" of the blind woman cuts into Sarah’s arm the R-rated is cut in the middle of a camera slide.
0,5 sec.

84:51 Here are two shots in the R-Rated that are not featured in the unrated version (alien bats and a close-up of a saw-nose). The next shot of the blind woman with the saw-nose comes just a little later in the unrated version.
+ 3,5 sec.

84:59 Now here’s the shot of the blind woman from above. But then there’s missing in the R-Rated version the beginning of how the saw-nose glides into Sarah’s arm while blood is dwelling from the wound.
3 sec.

87:20 Alternate material:

Lovecraft rips the guard’s scalp from his head. The unrated version features two more violent, explicit shots than the R-Rated.


Unrated version (3,5 sec.)

R-Rated version (2 sec.)

87:23 Alternate material:

Again some different shots of the guard's scalping in the two versions.


Unrated version (1 sec.)

R-Rated version (3 sec.)