Taglines claimed this film to be "the first American NC-17 horror film", but this is incorrect for two reasons. First of all, many American horror films (such as 1981's 'The Evil Dead') have received an NC-17 rating in the past. Second of all, this film was never rated NC-17.
Despite constant internet rumors this film was never given an NC-17 by the MPAA.
The Lion's Gate Films "R" rated version of "Murder-Set-Pieces" was released on January 9th, 2007, and it is cut and edited by 23 minutes. No other film in the history of cinema has had to have that many minutes cut to avoid the "NC-17" rating. Director Nick Palumbo was extremely unhappy with their edits, claiming it made his film incomprehensible.
In director Nick Palumbo's Director's Cut of "Murder-Set-Pieces", the film opens up with one-of-a-kind 35mm footage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City. We suddenly hear a female child singing: "Just you wait a little while, the nasty man in black will come. With his little chopper, he will chop you up"! This is exactly what the little girls were singing in German in the opening of Fritz Lang's masterpiece M (1931).
The film was rejected for a UK DVD release by the BBFC in February 2008.