Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship & Videotape

[kornula]

Has anyone seen this documentary?   I've heard how insane the "Video Nasties" list was..but damn, The UK went into full Nazi mode with that nonsense.   its funny how the Video Recording act of 1984 (how ironic/coincidental) is still on the books today but mostly dismissed and unenforced by law enforcement today since anyone in the UK can download and/or buy copies at their fingertips.

I have to say, the censors were smart not to publish the list publiclally.  However, the list did leak out and went viral. which told lots of kids exactly what movies to buy.

Anyone in the UK in the 1980s have any trouble with the "Video Nasties" law?

[Alex]

I remember the time well. Suddenly I was no longer allowed to watch any horror film I wanted. It took until my 20's before I was able to find a copy of Evil Dead to watch (even though as a kid I'd watched The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and found it to be no big deal).

[retrorussell]

The list, part one:
1. ABSURD (1981)
2. FLESH FOR/ANDY WARHOL'S FRANKENSTEIN (1973)
3. ANTROPOPHAGUS/THE GRIM REAPER (1980)
4. BLOOD FEAST (1963)
5. THE GHASTLY ONES (1968)
6. BLOODY MOON (1981)
7. THE BURNING (1981)
8. CANNIBALS IN THE STREETS/CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE (1980)
9. CANNIBAL FEROX (1981)
10. CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST (1980)
11. THE CANNIBAL MAN (1972)
12. DEVIL HUNTER (1980)
13. DON'T GO IN THE WOODS (1981)
14. THE DRILLER KILLER (1979)
15. EVILSPEAK (1981)
16. TRAUMA/HOUSE ON STRAW HILL/EXPOSE (1976)
17. FACES OF DEATH (1978)
18. FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE (1977)
19. THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY (1981)
20. THE HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK (1980)
21. I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (1978)
22. ISLAND OF DEATH (1976)
23. THE BEAST IN HEAT (1977)
24. NIGHT OF THE HOWLING BEAST (1975)
25. LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972)
26. THE GESTAPO'S LAST ORGY (1977)
27. AXE (1974)
28. LOVE CAMP 7 (1969)
29. MARDI GRAS MASSACRE (1978)
30. NIGHT OF THE BLOODY APES (1969)
31. NIGHT OF THE DEMON (1980)
32. NIGHTMARE/NIGHTMARES IN A DAMAGED BRAIN (1981)
33. SNUFF (1975)
34. SS EXPERIMENT LOVE CAMP (1976)
35. TENEBRAE/UNSANE (1982)
36. MADHOUSE (1981)
37. TOXIC ZOMBIES (1980)
38. A BAY OF BLOOD/TWITCH OF THE DEATH NERVE/CARNAGE (1971)
39. ZOMBIE/ZOMBIE FLESH EATERS/ZOMBI II (1979)
40. THE BEYOND (1981)

[kornula]

I remember the time well. Suddenly I was no longer allowed to watch any horror film I wanted. It took until my 20's before I was able to find a copy of Evil Dead to watch (even though as a kid I'd watched The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and found it to be no big deal).

It is still odd what was on the list and what was not. 

[retrorussell]

Part 2:
41. THE BOOGEY MAN (1980)
42. CANNIBAL TERROR (1980)
43. CONTAMINATION/TOXIC SPAWN (1980)
44. DEAD AND BURIED (1981)
45. DELIRIUM (1979)
46. DON'T GO IN THE HOUSE (1979)
47. DON'T GO NEAR THE PARK (1979)
48. THE DORM THAT DRIPPED BLOOD/PRANKS (1982)
49. EATEN ALIVE/STARLIGHT SLAUGHTER (1976)
50. THE EVIL DEAD (1981)
51. DON'T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT (1973)
52. FROZEN SCREAM (1975)
53. THE FUNHOUSE (1981)
54. HELL OF THE LIVING DEAD/VIRUS (1980)
55. HUMAN EXPERIMENTS (1979)
56. DROP DEAD, DEAREST/I LOVE YOU HUGS AND KISSES (1978)
57. THE MAN FROM DEEP RIVER/SACRIFICE! (1972)
58. INFERNO (1980)
59. THE KILLER NUN (1979)
60. LAST STOP ON THE NIGHT TRAIN (1975)
61. LET SLEEPING CORPSES LIE/LIVING DEAD AT THE MANCHESTER MORGUE/DON'T OPEN THE WINDOW (1974)
62. SLAVE/MOUNTAIN OF THE CANNIBAL GOD (1978)
63. NIGHT SCHOOL (1981)
64. BUTCHER, BAKER, NIGHTMARE MAKER/NIGHT WARNING (1981)
65. POSSESSION (1981)
66. BOOGEYMAN II (1983)
67. THE SLAYER (1982)
68. THE TOOLBOX MURDERS (1977)
69. UNHINGED (1982)
70. VISITING HOURS (1982)
71. THE WITCH WHO CAME IN FROM THE SEA (1976)
72. WOMEN BEHIND BARS (1975)

[pacman000]

Wasn't Life Returns, a 30's melodrama with a short scene of scientists recessitating a dog, also on the list?  Or was that banned in the 30's & never unbanned?

[zombie no.one]

if you look on wiki you can see there are approx 100 more films in addition to the 72, that could also be seized, just under a slightly lesser charge...

the fact that PIECES (1982) is nowhere to be seen in either list is hilarious because that's probably the single most blatant example of what I would assume a "video nasty" would be classed as.

NEW YORK RIPPER was banned, but for some reason was not included on either list. why? probably because nothing ever makes sense.

[RCMerchant]

And yet DON'T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT was on the ban!

[Alex]

I don't know if this is 100% true or not, but I am told the whole video nasty thing was started when some older people who hadn't seen any horror films since the '60s watched (what were then) newer horror movies and freaked out.

[zombie no.one]

I think it was more that Mary Whitehouse started a campaign against them and the uk gov were more than happy to ban away.

M. Whitehouse is bent

And yet DON'T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT was on the ban!

that goes to show how inconsistent it all is

apparently FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE is on the list because of bad language!

[kornula]

I think it was more that Mary Whitehouse started a campaign against them and the uk gov were more than happy to ban away.

M. Whitehouse is bent

And yet DON'T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT was on the ban!

that goes to show how inconsistent it all is

apparently FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE is on the list because of bad language!

You should watch the documenary.  It cites very close as to why the government was eager to jump on the Censorship bandwagon.  Thacher put hundreds of thousands of people out of work which caused a spike in crime (as it always does in history)   They didn't want to address the root of the problem.. so they had an easy out:  horror films.  Blame them for children wanting to turn to crime.

[zombie no.one]

ah good it's on youtube... will watch it later on!

http://youtu.be/-WOEgQfwdXU

[zombie no.one]

I'm pretty sure I have seen 45 of the 72 that russel posted above. what about everyone else?

my top 3 favourites would be...

TENEBRAE
BLOODY MOON
CONTAMINATION

[zombie no.one]

just watched the doc...

wow, Graham Bright... what an odious not-so-little twat that guy is. absolutely in love with (a) himself and (b) how much effort he made trying to ban all these films. what a tosser!

funny how he says he made his own 'highlights reel' of 'obscene' moments from the films then played it in parliament for all his tory pals so they could see how 'awful' it was... I'm sure there were teenagers doing exactly the same thing to impress their school mates!!!

summed up well by a guy at the end: it's not so much about censorship to protect, it's done as a form of control

[BoyScoutKevin]

What did I miss?

The only one I have ever seen is 53. The Funhouse (1981)
And if the rest are lke that one, then I did not miss much.