A local couple is giving movie viewers a chance to watch the latest films, sans any possibly offensive content.

The goal of Iowa Clean Flicks, which opened this summer, is to provide an alternative for people who feel movies have too much sex, violence, nudity and profanity.

Steve and Barbara Taylor, who manage the store located at 213 Duff Ave., said the movies still contain the same story line but don’t have profanity, references to deity, nudity, love scenes or some violent scenes.

“There’s still violence, still shooting . lots of dying, killing,” Steve Taylor said.

He said only things like “spattering blood” have been edited from the films, such as a scene in “Braveheart” in which a cannonball decapitates a man.

Steve Taylor said most movies (“Finding Forrester,” for example) have also been cleared of profanity.

“You see their lips move quite a bit . with no sound coming out,” he said.

The films are edited by Clean Flicks LLC, a national corporation based in Utah. The company is affiliated with nearly 70 independently owned stores across the country and has a goal of a dealer in every community, according to its Web site, www.cleanflicks.com.

Customers select which movies they want, and the company buys and edits it for profanity, nudity and violence before mailing them. The company also edits previously purchased tapes.

Rentals are available online, as well as through the independent dealers.

New releases, however, take some time to edit, Steve Taylor said. Also, the time it takes to get the videos into their rental place varies widely, he said.

The Taylors said they realize this option might be objectionable to some, but others like to see movies without the sex and profanity.

“We’re not for everyone,” Barbara Taylor said. “Some people walk in and walk right back out.”

“Folks will be surprised at how powerful the movies are” even with gory details removed, Steve Taylor said.

Barbara Mack, associate professor of journalism and mass communication, said the process Clean Flicks uses is legal.

Mack, a media attorney, said it is legal for someone to edit content out of movies as long as the copyright holder has been paid.

“[Copyright] is only a problem if they make a duplicate,” Mack said.

Steve Taylor said Clean Flicks keeps a master copy of movies it edits, then tapes over the customer’s copy.

ISU students had a mixed reaction to the store.

“It takes away from the director’s intentions,” said Angela Gloede, senior in elementary education.

Kellie Pierce, senior in early childhood education, said she probably wouldn’t go to Iowa Clean Flicks, but she could see how parents of little kids might want this option.

Steve Taylor said about 20 percent of his customers are college students, but declined to release data on the total number of customers the business has had since it opened.