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Production label Lions Gate didn't do itself a big favor with the stylish werewolf-actionhorror "Skinwalkers. Firstly conceived as a movie rated R with a runtime of approx. 110 minutes, the, with about 35 million US-Dollars outrageously expensively produced, flick was on the one hand cut down in terms of plot for about 20 minutes and on the other hand also cencored respectively edited to get a PG-13 rating. This was made to assure enough audience members could be lured into enough shows.
The result was a catastrophe: Already started with far too little copies, the movie grossed only little more than a million US-Dollars, so even the most basic target - getting the budget back - was almost completely failed. But this isn't really a surprise - the story that was left over jumps insanely from one plot hole to the next, what exactly all this is even about is often left to the phantasy of the viewer, who can fill the gigantic plot holes with own interpretations at best. Furthermore, the whole thing is already from the start pretty short on blood, despite the initially aimed-at R-rating, the "pruning" to get a PG-13 rating then did the rest to remove almost any violent content from the flick. This couldn't and logically didn't please anybody any more. Not only the movie itself was cencored in the USA, but even the cinema poster or later the respective DVD-Cover. The US-version shows only saliva at the mouth and teeth of the woman, the uncut image shows blood instead:
Due to the catharsis, obviously nobody wanted to sink only one more cent into the DVD-release of the flick, so America got only the PG-13 Theatrical Cut for home cinemas - no Unrated-Version, no Special Extended Edition, nothing like that. Interestingly, almost in the entire rest of the world the at least purely cencorship-related version rated R was released, i.e.: The intentionally removed violence- & sexscenes resp. more explicit dialogs had been reintegrated. The removed plot scenes are still missing in all other releases worldwide. Depending on features of the respective DVDs, some releases offer ca. 5 minutes of deleted scenes - that's about it, though. Relating the cover, with the DVD releases, often the uncensored releases use the cencored cover and vice versa. The cover of the Thai DVD, which also only contains the PG-13 version, the bloody image whereas e.g. the russian DVD (which was the uncensored version for this cut report) only contains the cencored image. The latter one is to this date the only known version worldwide that is in 1.78:1, which the following pictures of the single scenes also prove, whereas the flick was usually released with the original format 2.35:1. The a bit zoomed-in widescreen-format of the russian DVD anomalously does suit the movie indeed much better than the "epic 2.35:1-widescreenformat". There are almost no important details at the sides being lost, because the happenings are shown very centered anyways (so no people standing outside the edge of the screen who are still part of the scene), but you got more information at the upper and lower side, so the picture is more open resp. friendlier to the eye, because it seems less "squeezed". Also, you're much "closer" to the events, which can be noticed especially in the actionscenes or representations of violence. The runtime of the cut scenes relate to the edited US-Theatrical Version. The remaining runtime difference results from the different runspeeds PAL-NTSC, the rounding of the runtime of single cut scenes to whole resp. half seconds as well as short scene-extensions / -abbreviations without censorship background (e.g. film tears) of less than 0.5 sec., which aren't mentioned in this cut report due to missing relevance.
The edited US-Theatrical Cut (PG-13), represented by the US DVD of Lions Gate has been compared to the uncut, international version rated R, represented in the following by the russian DVD (16+). Runtime of the US-Theatrical Version: 1:31:48 NTSC (1:23:14 without credits) Runtime of the R-Rated Version: 1:28:41 PAL (1:20:30 without credits) 24 Cut scenes = 36 Sec. 14 Alternate takes 6 Censored dialogs 1 Sound-censoring 4:26
Alternate take In the US Theatrical Version the impression is made by an inserted bullet sound resp. the simultaneous edit of the take of the gun to a white screen, that the "Caretaker" is being shot. In the Version rated R the "Caretaker" turns around to the grinning Grenier, yanks the knife from his hand and summarily stabs himself bloody in the eye. Then the dead staggers around with the knife in his head in front of the camera for a short moment. PG 13: 2,5 Sec. / R-Rated: 4,5 Sec.
4:34 Alternate take Here, the distribution of the map pieces is being shown from different angles for a short time. No time difference
9:28 Censored dialog/Alternate take During the dialog of Sonja resp. Zo de US Theatrical Version stays at the take of Varek, the version rated R cuts quickly to the two. Also, Sonja's line has been edited in the Theatrical Version. US Kinofassung: "She's lying." R-Rated Fassung: "She's fucking lying." No time difference
12:18 Alternate take In the US Theatrical Version there is only one almost rigid take of the front of the house, the R-Rated Cut shows a cameratake from the right to the left across a bush and then party reveals the front of the house. No time difference
24:58 Sonja shoots with the MP, the vendor from the butchery store is being hit with three bloody bullet holes and already rudimentarily falls down. 2 Sec.
24:59 The following take that shows Rachel and Adam jump into cover is a bit longer in the R-Rated Cut. The hit guy is going down in the background. 0,5 Sec.
25:08 The Sheriff gets hit another time in this take. Additionally, two others follow in which the victim gets hit again and again respectively is lying on the ground. 3 Sec.
25:29 A short take of Grenier first firing and then taking cover is missing. 1 Sec.
25:41 Varek shoots Nana in an additional take who, in a close-up, gets hit in the stomach. 1 Sec.
25:42 The take showing Nana getting hit with a shotgun is shortened by a few frames in the US Theatrical Cut, additionally the direct impact of the bullets plus smoke and the bloody bullet holes have been retouched. 0,5 Sec.
25:43 Grenier & Zo run over the street a bit longer firing. 0,5 Sec.
27:46 Grenier shoots already in an earlier take at the truck. 1 Sec.
28:00 A short take of shooting Zo is missing. 1 Sec.
28:02 Here, too. 1 Sec.
28:03 Nana gets hit by additional bullets and goes down. 3 Sec.
28:05 Here, the takes of shooting Katherine respectively the ones of shooting Grenier & Zo are swapped. No time difference 29:38 Alternate take Nana's headshot is much less graphical in the US Theatrical Cut than in the version rated R. Afterwards, in the Theatrical Version, Varek keeps the gun calmly in his hand and lowers it, in the R-Rated Cut the gun in his hand is shaking and he only lowers it rudimentally. Also, the editing to Jonas in the truck is much smoother in the Theatrical Cut, in the version rated R, it seems much "harsher". No time difference
29:58 Alternate take In the Us Theatrical Cut Varek had already lowered his gun, in the R-Rated Version he does that now in this take. No time difference
30:34 The bloody bullet hole in Nana's forehead has been retouched in the US Theatrical Version. No time difference
36:43 The beginning of the sex scene of Varek and Sonja is missing. 6,5 Sec.
36:48 Sound-censoring The US Theatrical Version misses the eating sounds of the werewolf in this take. No time difference
36:53 Two extremely short takes (few frames) of the loveplay of Varek and Sonja are missing. 0,5 Sec.
36:55 Here, too. 0,5 Sec.
36:59 A short take of on Varek riding Sonja is missing. 1,5 Sec.
37:07 Here, too. 1 Sec.
45:41 Alternative take Here, the single shots of the killed nurse respectively the throat-wound were zoomed-in/replaced in a way you cannot see this any more in the US Theatrical Cut. No time difference
46:17 Take of Timothy in Sonja's stranglehold, who approaches him with the knife, licking her lips. 2 Sec.
47:16 Doak gets hit bloodily several times in the back. 1 Sec.
47:20 Doak is getting hit by more bullets whereas Jonas returns fire (2 takes). 2 Sec.
47:51 Alternate take In the US Theatrical Version, Grenier gets shot in the head much less graphically than in the version rated R. No time difference
50:16 Censored dialog The commentary by Zo has been edited for the US Theatrical Cut. US Kinofassung: "Screw this!" R-Rated Fassung: "Fuck this!" No time difference
50:19 A short part of the subsequent shootout is missing. 1 Sec.
52:24 Dialogzensur Another line of Zo has been edited in the US Theatrical Version. US Kinofassung: "This is screwed up." R-Rated Fassung: "This is fucked up." No time difference
1:00:08 Alternate take In the US Theatrical Version, cringes in pain due to Wills treatment, but doesn't say anything. In the R-Rated Version you see her & Will from further away, also she has some dialog here.("He wanted to know where we were headed."). No time difference
1:01:15 Censored dialog/Alternate take In the US Theatrical Cut, you see Kat freaking out in one single take, in the Version rated R the shot switches to the other side of the truck from time to time. Also, Kat's line of dialog has been edited in the Theatrical Version. US Kinofassung: "Get your hands of me, you sucker!" (hier falsch untertitelt) R-Rated Fassung: "Get the fuck back, cocksucker!" No time difference.
1:02:09 Censored dialog/Alternate take The take of rising Kat is a bit different in each version. In US Theatrical Cut she stands up while smiling and doesn't say anything whereas in the version rated R, she says "You can't do it, you fucking coward!" and laughs out loudly. No time difference
1:04:18 Censored dialog/Alternate take In the US Theatrical Cut, the take of Timothy is a bit longer, the R-Rated version cuts back earlier to the Truck's interior, where Kat hits her father again, yelling "Shut the fuck up!" No time difference
1:05:50 Alternate take In the US Theatrical Cut you see Varek, Sonja & Zo in an additional take drive along the road, in the R-Rated version there has been a single take of Zo implemented showing him turn around to Varek saying "There!". No time difference
1:14:11 Alternate take In the US Theatrical Cut, the Sonja's execution by Rachel's shotgun has been cut differently than in the R-Rated Version. Also, the latter one features a final very bloody shot to the stomach. Here, the R-Rated version a moment longer. 1 Sec.
1:16:23 Jonas bites Varek's neck from below. 1 Sec.
1:16:25 In an additionaly take, Jonas munches more on Varek's neck. 2 Sec.
1:16:29 After standing up growling, Jonas can be seen a bit longer with a blood-splattered mouth. 1 Sec.
1:16:54 After Rachel has shoot at him, Jonas is lying a bit longer on the ground, blood is coming out of his mouth. 1,5 Sec.
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