Heads Up, Ears Down

This blog accurately identifies depictions of violence and cruelty toward animals in films. The purpose is to provide viewers with a reliable guide so that such depictions do not come as unwelcome surprises. Films will be accurately notated, providing a time cue for each incident along with a concise description of the scene and perhaps relevant context surrounding the incident. In order to serve as a useful reference tool, films having no depictions of violence to animals will be included, with an indication that there are no such scenes. This is confirmation that the films have been watched with the stated purpose in mind.


Note that the word depictions figures prominently in the objective. It is a travesty that discussions about cruelty in film usually are derailed by the largely unrelated assertion that no animals really were hurt (true only in some films, dependent upon many factors), and that all this concern is just over a simulation. Not the point, whether true or false. We do not smugly dismiss depictions of five-year-olds being raped because those scenes are only simulations. No, we are appalled that such images are even staged, and we are appropriately horrified that the notion now has been planted into the minds of the weak and cruel.


Depictions of violence or harm to animals are assessed in keeping with our dominant culture, with physical abuse, harmful neglect, and similar mistreatment serving as a base line. This blog does not address extended issues of animal welfare, and as such does not identify scenes of people eating meat or mules pulling plows. The goal is to itemize images that might cause a disturbance in a compassionate household.


These notes provide a heads-up but do not necessarily discourage watching a film because of depicted cruelty. Consuming a piece of art does not make you a supporter of the ideas presented. Your ethical self is created by your public rhetoric and your private actions, not by your willingness to sit through a filmed act of violence.

P-Q titles


click Title for details Animal Violence Immaculate Corpse
Pacific Rim Clean The expansive middle
Padre Padrone Extreme The expansive middle
The Painted Lady Clean The expansive middle
Pairs Clean The expansive middle
Pale Blood Clean The expansive middle
Pan's Labyrinth Minimal The expansive middle
Pandemonium Clean The expansive middle
Pandora and the Flying Dutchman Minimal The expansive middle
Pandora and the Magic Box Clean The expansive middle
Paper Moon Clean The expansive middle
Paranoiac! Clean The expansive middle
Paranormal Activity Clean The expansive middle
Paranormal Activity 2 Clean The expansive middle
Paranormal Activity 3 Clean The expansive middle
Parasite (Bong) Minimal The expansive middle
Paris, Texas Clean The expansive middle
Park Row Clean The expansive middle
Parochial Passion Princess Clean The expansive middle
The Parson's Widow Clean The elusive top
The Party (Ostwald) Clean The expansive middle
Party Line Clean The expansive middle
The Party's Over Clean The expansive middle
Pas de deux Clean The expansive middle
Passenger (Munk) Substantial The expansive middle
The Passenger (Antonioni) Clean The expansive middle
The Passing Minimal The expansive middle
Passing Fancy Clean The expansive middle
The Passion of Anna Heavy The elusive top
The Passion of Joan of Arc (Dreyer) Clean The elusive top
Pathé's Screen Beauty Competition Clean The expansive middle
Pather Panchali Minimal The expansive middle
Paths of Glory Clean The expansive middle
Patient Clean The expansive middle
Patriotism Clean The expansive middle
Patty Hearst Clean The expansive middle
Paul McCartney: Back in the U.S. Clean The expansive middle
Paul Robeson: Portraits of the Artist Clean The expansive middle
Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist Clean The expansive middle
Paul Tremaine and His Aristocrats Clean The expansive middle
Pauline at the Beach Clean The expansive middle
The Pearl of Death Clean The expansive middle
The Pearls of the Crown Clean The expansive middle
Pearls of the Czech New Wave (Eclipse 32) Minimal The expansive middle
Pearls of the Deep Minimal The expansive middle
Pedestrian Subway Clean The expansive middle
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure Clean The expansive middle
Penda’s Fen Heavy The elusive top
Penitentiary Clean The expansive middle
Penitentiary II Clean The expansive middle
People Apart Clean The expansive middle
People of the Mountains Heavy The expansive middle
People, Productivity and Change Clean The expansive middle
The People Under the Stairs Substantial The expansive middle Nadine & Big Ed
Peppermint Candy Substantial The expansive middle
Peppermint Frappé Clean The expansive middle
Perceval le Gallois Clean The expansive middle
A Perfect Child of Satan Clean The expansive middle
The Perfect Human Clean The expansive middle
Perfect Strangers Minimal The expansive middle
The Perfect Team: Making of 'On the Bowery' Clean The expansive middle
Performance Minimal The expansive middle
Permanent Vacation Clean The expansive middle
Persian Series 1-3 Clean The expansive middle
Persona Substantial The elusive top
Personal Shopper Clean The expansive middle
Personnel Clean The expansive middle
The Perv Parlor Clean The expansive middle
Peter Rabbit and the Crucifix Minimal The expansive middle
Petey Wheatstraw: The Devil's Son-In-Law Clean The expansive middle
La Petit Soldat Clean The expansive middle
Petite ceinture Clean The expansive middle
The Petrified Forest Clean The expansive middle
Pets Substantial The expansive middle
Peyote Queen Clean The expansive middle
Peyton Place Minimal The elusive top
Phantasm Clean The expansive middle
Phantom (Murnau) Clean The expansive middle
Phantom India Minimal The elusive top
The Phantom of Liberty Minimal The elusive top
Phantom of the Mall Clean The expansive middle
The Phantom of the Opera (Fisher) Clean The expansive middle
The Phantom of the Opera (Lubin) Clean The expansive middle
Phantom of the Paradise Clean The expansive middle
Phantom Thread Clean The expansive middle
The Pharmacist Clean The expansive middle
Philadelphia, Here I Come Clean The expansive middle
Phoenix Clean The expansive middle
The Phonograph Clean The expansive middle
Physical Attraction Clean The expansive middle
Pi Clean The expansive middle
The Piano Teacher (Haneke) Clean The expansive middle
The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes Clean The expansive middle
Picasso Trigger Clean The expansive middle
Piccadilly Clean The expansive middle
Pickpocket Clean The expansive middle
Pick-up Heavy The expansive middle More of The Valley
Picnic (Harrington) Clean The expansive middle
Picture to Post Clean The expansive middle
Pictures of the Old World Clean The expansive middle
The Pied Piper of Hamelin Minimal The expansive middle
Pierre Étaix (Criterion set) Clean The expansive middle
Pierrot le fou Minimal The elusive top
Pieta Heavy The expansive middle
Pig Death Machine Substantial The expansive middle
A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence Substantial The expansive middle
Pigs Minimal The expansive middle
The Pink Auto Clean The expansive middle
Pink Flamingos Heavy The expansive middle
The Pink Ladies Clean The expansive middle
The Pirates of Bubuan Minimal The expansive middle
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Clean The expansive middle
Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl Minimal The expansive middle
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest  Minimal The expansive middle
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Minimal The expansive middle
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Clean The expansive middle
La Piscine Clean The expansive middle
Pistol Opera Clean The elusive top
The Pit Clean The expansive middle
The Pit and the Pendulum Clean The expansive middle
Pit Stop Clean The expansive middle
Pitch Black Clean The expansive middle
Pitfall Substantial The expansive middle
Pity (Pata) Minimal The expansive middle
A Place Beyond Shame Clean The expansive middle
Place de la République Clean The expansive middle
Place Vendôme Clean The expansive middle
Le Plaisir Clean The expansive middle
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles Clean The expansive middle
Planet of the Vampires Clean The expansive middle
A Plantation Act Clean The expansive middle
Plastic Bag Clean The elusive top
Plasticator Clean The expansive middle
The Platinum Pussycat Clean The expansive middle
Play Clean The expansive middle
Play Dead (Satan's Dog) Substantial The expansive middle
Play Motel Clean The expansive middle
The Playboys Clean The expansive middle
The Player Heavy The expansive middle
Play Time Clean The expansive middle
Plazmatic Blatz Clean The expansive middle
The Pleasure Girls Clean The expansive middle
Pleasure Maze Clean The expansive middle
The Pleasure of Love in Iran Clean The expansive middle
Pleasures of the Flesh Clean The expansive middle
The Pledge Minimal The expansive middle
Pledge Night Minimal The expansive middle
The Poetic Trilogy Clean The expansive middle
Pacific Rim Clean The expansive middle
Point Blank Clean The expansive middle
Point of No Return Clean The smeary bottom
Point of Terror Clean The expansive middle
La Pointe-Courte Minimal The expansive middle
La Poison Clean The expansive middle
The Polar Express Clean The expansive middle
The Police Quartet Clean The expansive middle
The Police Are Blundering in the Dark Clean The expansive middle
Police Story Clean The expansive middle
Police Story 2 Clean The expansive middle
Police Tactics Clean The expansive middle
Il Pollo Ruspante Clean The expansive middle
Poltergeist Minimal The smeary bottom
Polyester Minimal The expansive middle
Le Pont du nord Clean The expansive middle
The Pool Sharks Minimal The expansive middle
The Poor Little Rich Girl Clean The elusive top
Poor White Trash Clean The expansive middle
Porch Clean The expansive middle
Porno Mondo Clean The expansive middle
Pornografia Minimal The expansive middle
Port of Call Clean The expansive middle
Port of Shadow Clean The expansive middle
The Portrait Clean The expansive middle
Portrait in Terror Substantial The expansive middle
Portrait of Queenie Clean The expansive middle
Portrait of a '60% Perfect Man': Billy Wilder Clean The expansive middle
Poseidon (Peterson) Clean The expansive middle
Possessed Clean The expansive middle
Possession Minimal The expansive middle
Post tenebras lux Heavy The expansive middle
Postcard from Sun City, Arizona Clean The expansive middle
Postwar Kurosawa: Eclipse Series #7 Clean The expansive middle
Potiche Minimal The expansive middle
Poto and Cabengo Clean The expansive middle
Powder Burns Clean The smeary bottom
A Prairie Home Companion Clean The expansive middle
Pray for Death Clean The expansive middle
Precautions Against Fanatics Clean The expansive middle
Premiers Désirs Clean The expansive middle
The Premonition Substantial The expansive middle
Presentation, or Charlotte and Her Steak Clean The expansive middle
Presenting Sacha Guitry (Eclipse Series 22) Clean The expansive middle
Pretty Peaches Clean The expansive middle
Pretty Peaches 2 Clean The expansive middle
Pretty Peaches 3: The Quest Clean The expansive middle
Prey (Warren) Heavy The expansive middle
The Prey (Brown) Minimal The expansive middle
Priceless Clean The expansive middle
Primal Fear Clean The expansive middle
Prime Evil Clean The expansive middle
Primitive London Heavy The expansive middle
The Prince and the Nature Girl Clean The smeary bottom
Prince of Darkness Minimal The expansive middle
The Princess Bride Minimal The expansive middle
Princesse Tam-Tam Clean The expansive middle
Prisoner of Paradise Clean The smeary bottom
The Prisoner of Shark Island Clean The expansive middle
The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann Clean The expansive middle
A Private Collection Clean The expansive middle
Private Life of a Cat Clean The expansive middle
Private Property Clean The expansive middle
Private Road Substantial The expansive middle
Prizzi's Honor Clean The expansive middle
Probation Clean The expansive middle
The Process (Brakhage) Clean The expansive middle
Process Red (Frampton) Clean The expansive middle
Profound Desires of the Gods Substantial The expansive middle
Prohibition (Vorkapich) Clean The expansive middle
Prohibition (Burns) Clean The expansive middle
Prometheus Clean The expansive middle
The Promised Land Clean The elusive top
A Prophet Minimal The expansive middle
The Proposition Minimal The expansive middle
Protoparticles Clean The expansive middle
The Proud Valley Clean The expansive middle
Proxy War Clean The expansive middle
Prozac Nation Clean The expansive middle
Psy-Warriors Clean The expansive middle
Psyched by the 4D Witch Minimal The expansive middle
The Psychedelic Priest (Electric Shades of Grey) Clean The smeary bottom
Psychic Killer Clean The expansive middle
Psycho Clean The expansive middle
Psycho Cop Returns Clean The smeary bottom
Psychomania Clean The expansive middle
The Psychopath Clean The expansive middle
Psychos in Love Clean The expansive middle
Pub Clean The expansive middle
Public Affairs Clean The expansive middle
Public Enemies (Mann) Clean The expansive middle
The Public Enemy (Wellman) Minimal The expansive middle
Puce Moment Clean The expansive middle
Pulp Fiction Clean The elusive top
Pulsating Flesh Clean The expansive middle
Pulse (Kurosawa) Clean The expansive middle
Pulverised Cinema Clean The expansive middle
Punch-Drunk Love Clean The expansive middle
Punishment Park Clean The expansive middle
A Pure Formality Clean The expansive middle
Purely Physical Clean The expansive middle
The Purge Clean The expansive middle
Purple Noon Clean The expansive middle
Pursuit to Algiers Clean The expansive middle
Pusher Minimal The expansive middle
Pusher II Clean The expansive middle
Pusher III Clean The expansive middle
Pussycat Ranch Clean The smeary bottom
Putney Swope Clean The expansive middle
Pygmalion Clean The expansive middle MLF
The Qatsi Trilogy Clean The expansive middle
Qai des Orfèvre Clean The expansive middle
Quadrophenia Clean The expansive middle
Quantum of Solace Clean The expansive middle
The Queen of Spades Clean The expansive middle
A Question of Silence Clean The expansive middle
Quiet City Clean The expansive middle
A Quiet Place Minimal The expansive middle
A Quiet Place Part II Clean The expansive middle
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