New Brutally Bloody Horror Movie Sets First-Ever Record For NC-17 Rating
If you cover horror, you know the line between "intense" and "absolutely not for kids" isn't blurry. Meat Kills just planted a flag firmly on the latter side - and made history doing it. It's the first Dutch horror film to land an NC-17 from the MPA.
That headline sounds bigger than it is if you miss the nuance. We're not talking the first NC-17 horror movie ever - we're talking the first from the Netherlands. Still a first, still notable, and it tells you a lot about the film's intent.
What an NC-17 actually signals
NC-17 is the strictest rating the Motion Picture Association hands out. It's a hard wall: no one (movies and tv series) 17 or under, period. The rating can complicate theatrical runs and advertising, which is why you don't see many studios chasing it.
For context, you can read the MPA's rating basics here: filmratings.com. In short: if a movie gets NC-17, it's because the content is considered too intense for minors - whether that's sexual material, extreme violence, or both.
The setup: activism, retaliation, and no brakes
Directed by Martijn Smiths from a script by Paul de Vrijer, Meat Kills follows an animal rights activist and her crew as they sabotage a pig farm. The farmer's family strikes back. And then the cycle spirals into an ugly, unblinking run of vengeance.
ND Pictures is calling it "the bloodiest Dutch horror film ever," and they're not being coy about that. You can watch the trailer here: ND Pictures on YouTube.
Where it's playing
Meat Kills premiered at Fantastic Fest 2025, the kind of stage that loves boundary-pushers. And it's now streaming exclusively on Screambox, which honestly makes sense for an NC-17 title - streaming sidesteps a lot of the theater and marketing headaches.
Early reactions: "mean cinema is back"
The buzz out of Fantastic Fest hits a clear note: this one is savage. Dread Central's review called it "a European extreme horror classic in the making" and said it "goes deeper than just a statement about animal cruelty; it's a harrowing examination of human cruelty."
Another early take described the film as "nihilistic and ugly," praising the practical effects, the tension, and the sheer unpredictability. Two user reviews on Rotten Tomatoes (so far) both land at five stars, praising the blend of dark comedy and social bite. Small sample size, sure, but it lines up with what we're hearing.
The cast
- Caro Derkx (movies and tv series)
- Sem Ben Yakar (movies and tv series)
- Sweder de Sitter (movies and tv series)
- Emma Josten (movies and tv series)
- Derron Lurvink (movies and tv series)
- Bart Oomen (movies and tv series)
- Chardonnay Rillen (movies and tv series)
- Juliette van de Weerdt
- Tommy Zonneveld (movies and tv series)
Why this matters for horror press and programmers
Here's what this could mean. An NC-17 stamp on a Dutch import - paired with solid festival chatter - puts Meat Kills squarely in the conversation with past European shockers like Calvaire, High Tension, and Frontier(s). That's not about copycatting; it's about tradition: using extreme genre to poke at social nerves.
For streamers and niche platforms, this is also a clear signal. There's still an audience for boundary-pushing horror, and releasing straight to Screambox lets the film find those viewers quickly without watering anything down for ratings boards or theater chains. If the word of mouth holds, expect a steady cult build rather than a big opening-weekend moment.
The bottom line
Meat Kills isn't trying to meet horror halfway. It wants you uneasy, maybe even angry - and that's the point. If you cover genre, keep an eye on how this performs on Screambox and whether more European extreme titles follow its lead into NC-17 territory.
And if you're queasy? Maybe sit this one out. The film doesn't seem interested in blinking first.
