Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship & Videotape

[Rev. Powell]

Of those listed I know I've seen 9 for sure, I may have forgotten some or watched them under different titles.

[RCMerchant]

 ^ Watch them all. Not for the same reasons.

[retrorussell]

Check the imdb link for clarification on why it was banned/plot/current status in the UK.
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls051364249/

[FatFreddysCat]

Inspired by this thread, I checked out this doc on YouTube last night (thanks for the tip y'all!)... it was a fun watch.

I'm not British, so I didn't experience the "Nasties" panic first hand, but I remember hearing about it back then and thinking it was similar to the P.M.R.C. hysteria that was going on here in the US around the same time, which targeted rock music. So while the British were trying to keep "Cannibal Holocaust" videos out of the hands of five year olds, Tipper Gore and her friends were trying to keep Motley Crue albums out of K-Marts. :D

I took a quick glance at "The List" of films that were officially classified as "Nasties," and I've seen about twenty of them over the years, none of which have me into a criminal, a deviant, or a killer (so far). So hey, up your nose with a rubber hose, Mary Whitehouse! :D

For those who might be interested, there's another good 2-part doc on the same subject called "Ban The Sadist Videos!" which I believe is also on YouTube, I saw that one a couple of years ago.  

[Trevor]

The British censors were on a par with the South African censors in banning things for stupid reasons.

[bob]

Siskel and Ebert did segment on Video Nasties I found on YouTube a while ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7fINHOibX0

and I found this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnXb4zYRE6c

[RCMerchant]

Of those listed I know I've seen 9 for sure, I may have forgotten some or watched them under different titles.

I wrote earlier I watched them all- but I haven't.
I just counted how many I've seen. 53.
Yes, my life has been empty. Unless I was in jail! That was always intense!

[zombie no.one]

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.

apparently THE FUNHOUSE was included by mistake, as it was also an alternate title for LAST HOUSE ON DEAD END STREET (which was supposed to be on the list, and the film they meant to ban)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LastDeadEndStreet.jpg

[RCMerchant]

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.

apparently THE FUNHOUSE was included by mistake, as it was also an alternate title for LAST HOUSE ON DEAD END STREET (which was supposed to be on the list, and the film they meant to ban)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LastDeadEndStreet.jpg

I was curious of why the FUNHOUSE was on there. Tobe Hooper lost his teeth after EATEN ALIVE. Two good films does not make a great director. I knew LAST HOUSE ON DEAD END STREET was first released as the FUNHOUSE.

I enjoyed it if only for the startling  brother from another mother look of star/director Roger Watkins to Bill Hader!

[Trevor]

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)

I've seen 12 of those.

[Trevor]

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)

I've seen 10 of those.

[kornula]

Inspired by this thread, I checked out this doc on YouTube last night (thanks for the tip y'all!)... it was a fun watch.

I'm not British, so I didn't experience the "Nasties" panic first hand, but I remember hearing about it back then and thinking it was similar to the P.M.R.C. hysteria that was going on here in the US around the same time, which targeted rock music. So while the British were trying to keep "Cannibal Holocaust" videos out of the hands of five year olds, Tipper Gore and her friends were trying to keep Motley Crue albums out of K-Marts. :D

I took a quick glance at "The List" of films that were officially classified as "Nasties," and I've seen about twenty of them over the years, none of which have me into a criminal, a deviant, or a killer (so far). So hey, up your nose with a rubber hose, Mary Whitehouse! :D

For those who might be interested, there's another good 2-part doc on the same subject called "Ban The Sadist Videos!" which I believe is also on YouTube, I saw that one a couple of years ago.  

The Video Nasties list was far more oppressive and invasive than The PMRC.  The censorship board in the UK arrested distributors of the movies on this list - except of course Thorn/EMI.  They had the $$ to fight back.  it was scary what that list did to people. 

Mind you, censorship on any level is pointless.

[Alex]

Inspired by this thread, I checked out this doc on YouTube last night (thanks for the tip y'all!)... it was a fun watch.

I'm not British, so I didn't experience the "Nasties" panic first hand, but I remember hearing about it back then and thinking it was similar to the P.M.R.C. hysteria that was going on here in the US around the same time, which targeted rock music. So while the British were trying to keep "Cannibal Holocaust" videos out of the hands of five year olds, Tipper Gore and her friends were trying to keep Motley Crue albums out of K-Marts. :D

I took a quick glance at "The List" of films that were officially classified as "Nasties," and I've seen about twenty of them over the years, none of which have me into a criminal, a deviant, or a killer (so far). So hey, up your nose with a rubber hose, Mary Whitehouse! :D

For those who might be interested, there's another good 2-part doc on the same subject called "Ban The Sadist Videos!" which I believe is also on YouTube, I saw that one a couple of years ago.  

The Video Nasties list was far more oppressive and invasive than The PMRC.  The censorship board in the UK arrested distributors of the movies on this list - except of course Thorn/EMI.  They had the $$ to fight back.  it was scary what that list did to people. 

Mind you, censorship on any level is pointless.

Agreed. I got to see most of the films on this list regardless of them being 'banned'. I never figured out why my parents refused to let me watch Evil Dead though, other than being caught up in the wave of hysteria.

[zombie no.one]

they definitely went after the little people with the list... what about the stomach bursting scene in ALIEN? if Fulci had done that I'm sure it would've been lights out time... what about Hitchcock's FRENZY?

[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!

Mary Whitehouse frequently admitted (proudly no less) that she had never seen a single one of the "video naties" nor intended to in her lifetime.  She didn't need to .. "God" told her the movies were "evil" personally.