To understand film ratings more, I looked at the history of UK film ratings and made this timeline to illustrate how and when it changed. Starting in 1912, there were only two ratings: "U" (Universal) and "A" (Adult). This stayed the same untill 1932, when films could be rated "H". "H" stood for Horror, which was there to inform parents of 'horror-themed' content. These are two examples of "H" related films made in 1932:
The first poster is The Mummy, about, would you believe, a mummifyed person who comes to life. Another film I found that was also rated "H" was Freaks. See the poster as to why I've included it. Obviously over time, what has been allowed in films to be classed as certain ratings has changed dramatically. What was classed as an "A" in 1912 would probably be a "PG" or even a "U" now. And Freaks wouldn't be allowed to be shown due to a serious lack of 21st century political correctness...
The 1933 film King Kong was classed as a Horror ( 'H' for 16+), purely because there had been nothing else like it before. Interestingly, the 2005 version of the classic was only rated a 12A. How times change.
The 1933 film King Kong was classed as a Horror ( 'H' for 16+), purely because there had been nothing else like it before. Interestingly, the 2005 version of the classic was only rated a 12A. How times change.
These are printscreens of information I found in the BBCF Classification guide, relating to Horror and a 15 rated film:
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