Meat Kills has set a first-ever record for a horror film with an NC-17 rating. First used in 1990, NC-17 is the strictest rating issued by the Motion Picture Association’s film rating system, and is generally given to movies that the MPA considers inappropriate for anyone under the age of 17.
According to ND Pictures, Meat Kills is the first Dutch horror film to ever receive an NC-17 rating. Check out the trailer for the film below, billed as “the bloodiest Dutch horror film ever.”
Directed by Martijn Smiths, with a script written by Paul de Vrijer, Meat Kills follows an animal rights activist and her group who sabotage a pig farm, and the farmer’s family retaliates, setting off an unrelenting cycle of vengeance and violence.
The Dutch horror movie’s cast includes Caro Derkx, Sem Ben Yakar, Sweder de Sitter, Emma Josten, Derron Lurvink, Bart Oomen, Chardonnay Rillen, Juliette van de Weerdt, and Tommy Zonneveld.
Meat Kills premiered at Fantastic Fest 2025, and though it doesn’t have any reviews from Rotten Tomatoes-approved critics, it has received praise from publications such as Dread Central, whose review by Mary Beth McAndrews was particularly enthusiastic:
Nasty, mean cinema is back, baby. Meat Kills is a European extreme horror classic in the making, joining the ranks of films like Calvaire, High Tension, and Frontier(s). This is the evolution of European horror, which continues to deliver gnarly societal indictments that are unafraid to make the viewer uncomfortable. Dehumanization is the name of the game in Meat Kills, and it goes deeper than just a statement about animal cruelty; it’s a harrowing examination of human cruelty committed in the name of a self-declared good cause.
Additionally, Steve Ramsey of Shade Studios writes:
I don’t think I have ever seen a movie as nihilistic and ugly as Meat Kills. The kills are visceral and brutal, with top-notch practical effects. Lots and lots of guts and gore, with an equal amount of tension and scares. I never wanted to take my eyes off the screen… it’s impossible to predict what will come next.
At the time of writing, Meat Kills only has two user-submitted reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, which isn’t enough to qualify for an audience score, though both of the reviews rate the film five stars and praise its fresh, modern approach to horror, which blends dark comedy with social commentary.