Freeway (1996 Film) - Censorship History

Censorship History

• The film originally received an NC-17 rating from the MPAA due to graphic language and violence. It was trimmed to obtain an R rating, with the censored version being released theatrically and on VHS/DVD.
• The US R-rated version of Freeway was initially rated R18+ by the Australian OFLC before the fully uncut version was refused classification. Two scenes were removed — explicit sexually abusive dialogue between Bob and Vanessa during the car trip on the I-5, and a cutaway shot of Vanessa's dead grandmother towards the end of the film — before the film was classified R18+ for release on VHS.
• The UK (Region 2) 18 certificate version of Freeway is 98 minutes long versus the 102 minute US (Region 1) R-rated version and thus is mistakenly thought to be cut, whereas the time difference is because of normal NTSC to PAL conversion. Seven seconds were initially trimmed from the film in the UK (said to be a shot of Mimi Wolverton discovering her husband's porn magazine collection, including a magazine titled "Cock Sucking Toddlers", and the shot of Vanessa's murdered grandmother in her trailer home), but it was passed with them intact in 2007.