Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: The latest "Devils Rejects" poster

This is topic The latest "Devils Rejects" poster in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 06-26-2005, 11:20 PM:

We just received this in the mail, and I'm wondering if anyone else has a problem hanging up a poster that has the quote "Balls Out, Stab You In The Throat..." on it. Maybe I'm too old fashioned, but I don't see how that has any place in what we try to keep as a family friendly atmosphere. I'm a little disappointed too. I was hoping the new poster would have something a little more creative and acceptable than the last one, which was something like "This Summer Go To Hell" or whatever it said.

Are we really supposed to hang that crap up so parents coming out of Herbie and Madagascar and Star Wars can walk past it with their kids and hope that they don't look up and read it?

Thoughts?

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 06-27-2005, 01:14 AM:

I haven't seen the poster, but my thought is: Don't hang it. Then if the studio isn't happy with your gross, tell them you might've done better if they'd given you some promotional material that wasn't offensive.

Edit: I just looked at the movie on movies.yahoo.com. My updated thought is: There probably is no way to make non-offensive promo material for this waste of film.

Posted by Chase Hanson (Member # 2779) on 06-27-2005, 02:41 AM:

yeah, its actually rather amusing. WHen we recieved the poster it was first viewed by myself and another manager who is a BIG scary movie fan so she was actually rather excitied to see the new poster. But when we both read the aforementioned quote...we were like " [uhoh]

We cant put this up anywhere." We were both kinda sad about that.

Posted by William Hooper (Member # 71) on 06-27-2005, 04:37 AM:

It's more interesting that it's with people Rohrshaching all over something which they are unfamiliar that "balls out" has become a vulgarism.

It referred to the flyball governor, which was invented by James Watt. When a device was at maximum speed (allowed by the governor), it was "balls out".

Honi soit qui mal y pense & all that.

Hard to come up with racy interpretations of "pedal to the metal".

Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 06-27-2005, 10:18 AM:

That may be, but pairing it with "Stab you in the throat" makes it extraordinarily difficult to interpret it any other way.

Meanwhile, Hollywood continues to be baffled by declining attendance. [Roll Eyes]

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 06-27-2005, 12:11 PM:

Right. Nobody had a problem last year with Dodgeball's "Grab life by the balls" poster, or whatever it said.

"Balls" is kind of like "sucks" -- sort of tasteless when taken with a certain mindset, not dirty, but suggestively naughty.

Posted by Jeremy Jorgenson (Member # 2989) on 06-28-2005, 09:07 PM:

Actually. Didn't they pull the trailers and posters that said "balls" for Dodgeball? The sign in the audience (in the trailer) that said "Go Balls Deep" and the overall tagline of "Grab Life by the Balls" in both the trailer and on the poster, each instance of the word "balls" was changed to "ball" if I remember correctly.

As to the Devil's Rejects poster... Even if the "balls" in question are referring to body parts, why is that more offensive than stabbing somebody in the throat? I personally find murder or attempted murder more offensive than exhibitionism.

At my theatre, the choice isn't really up to me, but I think I'd hang it.

Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 06-29-2005, 01:27 AM:

It's not more offensive. Sorry if I gave that impression. My point was that pairing the potentially innocuous "Balls Out" with "Stab You In The Throat" makes "Balls Out" also offensive.

You say you'd hang it... I'm wondering what other films you have playing there at the moment.