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During the run-up to the publication of the DPP list, action was
taken independently by county Police Constabularies, to confiscate
films that they felt might constitute an offence, if possessed for
distribution or sale, under parts 2 or 3 of the Obscene Publications
Act 1977. Some Constabularies published lists of films liable for
seizure, others pounced first and asked questions later. Many of
the films seized were to end up on the DPPs list, but others did
not. Below is a list of those films not listed by the DPP that were
either confiscated, or threatened with confiscation, prior to the
publication of the DPP list. This is not complete, but gives some
indication of the variety of material seized in the chaos running
up to the Video Recording Act 1984.
BASKET CASE (USA, 1982) Directed by Frank Henenlotter
Cult, ultra low-budget monster movie with a 42nd-street grindhouse
setting, the old ‘evil twin in the basket’ plot device
and some gory and slick special effects on what must have been a
miniscule budget. The movie was released uncut on Palace home video,
and seized by a number of police forces, including Hampshire. No
prosecutions were ever brought. The Cinema version, released as
an X certificate in 1982 was cut, as was the subsequent video release
post VRA, by Palace Home Video in 1987. Although the BBFC requested
some 35 seconds of cuts, the video version is some 5 minutes shorter
than the uncut Tartan Video version that was finally passed uncut
in 1999, suggesting that some material was pre-cut by Palace.
BLOOD FOR DRACULA (Italy, 1973) Directed by Paul
Morrissey
Companion piece to the banned Flesh for Frankenstein, Blood For
Dracula is a similarly kinky, well made, political and beautifully
shot effort, although it is not as gory as it’s sister effort.
The pre-VRA version was released by VIPCO, and was uncut, as was
the Cinema certified ‘X’ version. One of the most commonly
seized but not prosecuted titles, Blood For Dracula spent a number
of years in non-certified limbo, before being re-certified uncut
for the First Independent release in 1995.
BLUE EYES OF THE BROKEN DOLL (Spain, 1972) Directed
by Carlos Aured
Spanish Giallo-style murder mystery with the jolly giant of Spanish
horror movies, Paul Nashy, in a minor roll. This effort contains
one or two gory set pieces, but was so obscure it’s difficult
to see what alerted the police to it. It was certainly seized regularly,
as at one point it was listed in the trade magazine ‘Video
World’ as one of the official DPP-listed titles, although
this was apparently erroneous. The Canon video release was uncut
and not certified. It became unavailable in 1985 once the Video
Recordings Act came into play, and has remained unavailable since.
CANNIBAL (Italy, 1976) Directed by Ruggero Deodato
Deodato’s dry-run for Cannibal Holocaust is a much flimsier
affair than his later tour-de-force and reminds the viewer of compatriot
Umberto Lenzi’s earlier, and funnier Deep River Savages which
is unsurprising given that both movies starred Ivan Rassimov and
Me Me Lay. Certified X with cuts by the BBFC for a cinema release
in 1977 (as THE LAST CANNIBAL WORLD), Derann Video
released the film uncut, and it was seized by a number of forces
including Cambridgeshire, but the only prosecution resulted in a
not guilty verdict. Subsequently the film remained in uncertified
limbo before a version, cut by around 2 and a half minutes was eventually
passed by the BBFC in 2003.
CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD (Italy, 1980) Directed
by Lucio Fulci
Fulci’s follow-up to ZOMBIE FLESH EATERS
is a slower, more atmospheric movie that combined zombie mythology
with the sort of Lovecraftian elements that would really come to
the fore in THE BEYOND and THE HOUSE BY
THE CEMETERY, as well as some impressive gore. Eagle Films
released a cut version with an X certificate for a theatrical run
in 1981, and the VIPCO release on video was essentially the same
– and police seized it anyway, and it was included on some
trade magazine prohibited lists for a while, but never actually
appeared on the official DPP list. Subsequent video releases have
been cut by over 2 minutes, although the fact that it was never
successfully prosecuted meant that the BBFC passed the film uncut
on VIPCO/Horror Video in 2001.
DAWN OF THE MUMMY (Egypt/Italy 1981) Directed
by Frank Agama
Crazy mummy film that owes more to the movies of Lucio Fulci than
it does to the movies of Hammer, with some headache-inducing acting
but which also contains some gory scenes of mummy cannibalism. Originally
released uncut by Videospace, it was seized by a number of Police
Forces including Greater Manchester Police and was withdrawn in
1985. Subsequent versions on Apex were cut by 1 minute 43 seconds.
In 2003 the BBFC passed an uncut version for Anchor Bay.
DEMENTED (USA, 1980) Directed by Arthur Jeffreys
Low-budget home-invasion thriller with some gory deaths but not
a lot else to remember or stand it out from a lot of similar video
dreck, although the rape-revenge plotline and a few similarities
to the far more notorious I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE,
may have brought it to the attention of the police. The pre-VRA
version released on media was withdrawn after the Video Recordings
Act came into force. The BBFC certified version, released by Apex,
was cut by almost 1 and a half minutes. . Demented was one of the
movies included in Mary Whitehouses’s infamous compilation
tape played to Tory MPs at their 1984 party conference.
THE EXTERMINATOR (USA, 1980) Directed by James
Glickenhaus
James Glickenhaus’s rough-edged vigilante thriller with the
Vietnam prologue, which hits harder than anything in PLATOON
(1984) or FULL METAL JACKET (1987), was one of
the few straight thrillers to end up busted by the police –
It had been cut for its theatrical release and the Intervision video
was the same, cut version. Subsequent releases, including one in
2000 have all been cut – the last version by 22 seconds to
the infamous ‘beheading’ sequence.
FRIDAY THE 13TH (USA, 1980) Directed by Sean Cunningham
Not much needs to be said about this, the ‘Gone with the Wind’
of gore movies and the archetypal body count film, that hasn’t
already been said. The film was passed uncut for cinema distribution
in 1980 and subsequent video releases have also been uncut according
to the BBFC. Seized by Hampshire Police but never prosecuted.
FRIDAY the 13TH PART 2 (USA, 1982) Directed by
Steve Miner
Seized by Hampshire Police in the same raid they confiscated the
original, Steve Miner’s sequel was shorn of almost all its
gore by the MPAA in the USA and it was this truncated effort which
was submitted for a BBFC X certificate for theatrical release in
1981. CIC video pre-cut the movie further, and all subsequent releases
have been pre-cut, although the Paramount 2001 re-release has some
18 seconds of material re-instated.
THE HILLS HAVE EYES (USA, 1977) Directed by Wes
Craven
Seized by Lancashire police but never subject to prosecution, Wes
Craven’s hard-hitting horror thriller and follow-up to the
even more intense Last house on the Left. World of Video 2000 would
have been cheesed off to find that their release, 2 seconds shorter
than the BBFC X certificate version that played in cinemas, attacting
the attention of the police. Recently re-issued on DVD in the UK
with some of the cut material re-instated.
I DRINK YOUR BLOOD (USA, 1972) Directed by David
Durstan
First released on video in the UK on a heavily cut Media home video,
this early 70’s cult gorefest about rabid hippies and tainted
meat pies is a great little film, well made and delivering some
impressive splatter on a zero budget. Once Media went out of business,
the title became unobtainable. Another movie ripe for re-certification.
May have been the blueprint for the infinitely less impressive but
official resident of the video nasties list ‘Forest of Fear’.
I Drink your Blood was one of the movies included in Mary Whitehouses’s
infamous compilation tape played to Tory MPs at their 1984 party
conference.
KILLER'S MOON (UK, 1978) Directed by Allan Burkinshaw
Proof if proof were really needed that a British version of THE
LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT was probably a bad idea –
this terminally cheesy and thoroughly grubby psycho-drama set in
the Lake District and pitching 4 escaped loonies against a busload
of sixth-form girlies probably should have found it’s way
onto the official list, but was never actually prosecuted, though
a few police forces did confiscate copies. The movie did, astonishingly
receive an X certificate without cuts for a theatrical run in the
UK in 1978, and the inter-ocean video release was similarly uncut.
Uncertified on video, containing material that would be contrary
to the BBFC’s own guidelines and generally a shabby effort,
the chances of this reappearing any time soon uncut are zero.
MACABRE (Italy, 1982) Directed by Lamberto Bava
Macabre was one of the movies included in Mary Whitehouses’s
infamous compilation tape played to Tory MPs at their 1984 party
conference. Bava Jnr’s first movie is a weird, but impressive
variation on Repulsion, but watch out for the ending! Originally
released by our friends at Go Video and available uncut, it was
a short-term addition to a couple of Constabulary forfiture lists.
Now available uncut.
MADMAN (USA, 1982) Directed by Joe Giannone
Seized by Hampshire Police, but returned to it’s owner without
being subject to prosecution, Madman is a very low-budget but creepy,
well shot and tense take on FRIDAY THE 13TH, with
a couple of very gory set pieces. Initially released uncut by VRO,
it ceased to be available when that company ceased trading, but
has recently been re-released uncut in the UK on DVD.
MANIAC (USA, 1980) Directed by William Lustig
The censorship hassles of Lustig’s grim and plotless splatter
movie are worthy of an essay for themselves. Rejected by the BBFC
for cinema cerification in 1981, Intervision still released the
movie (although virtually every one of Tom Savini’s eye-watering
effects were removed) without a certificate. It was seized by a
number of police forces, including Greater Manchester, Lancashire
and others, probably on the back of the lurid publicity for the
film Stateside. As it was uncertified, the movie became unobtainable
after 1985, and Intervision ceased trading shortly thereafter. It
took another 13 years before Exploited Films submitted the film
for video certification only to see it rejected a second time. With
admirable persistence, Exploited went through the appeals process
and were eventually rewarded in 2000, when the film was eventually
passed with ‘just’ 58 seconds of cuts.
MOTHER'S DAY (USA, 1981) Directed by Charles Kaufman
Listed on Greater Manchester Police’s list of titles liable
for forfiture, Charles Kaufman’s heavy-handed satire cum psycho-thriller
was also erroneously listed on some of the earliest video nasties
list. Appearing on VTC uncut, having been rejected for a BBFC theatrical
certificate, Mother’s Day became unavailable in the UK when
the Video Recordings Act came into force and remains in limbo.
NIGHT OF THE SEAGULLS (Spain, 1975) Directed by
Armand De Ossorio
Listed on Greater Manchester Police’s list of titles liable
for forfiture, this, one of Ossorio’s outstanding ‘Blind
Dead’ films, had never been released in the UK before it’s
video premiere thanks to Archer Video. Archer was one of those labels
that lasted about 20 minutes, and the movie was eventually re-released,
cut by 1 minute 6 seconds, as ‘DON'T GO OUT AT NIGHT’
in 1987.
ROSEMARY'S KILLER (USA, 1981) Directed by Joe
Zito
Joe Zito’s tense, professional and splatter-laden slasher
movie with Tom Savini’s juicy effects work is one of the best
of the slasher movie crop. Not that it was beyond the long arm of
the law, as Manchester police, among others, seized the movie at
one point. The movie had received an X certificate from the BBFC
after cuts were made (mainly to the bayonet in the head sequence)
and Entertainment In Video released the same version. It has been
unavailable in the UK since 1985.
SUPERSTITION (USA, 1981) Directed by James Roberson
Listed on Greater Manchester Police’s list of titles liable
for forfiture, Superstition is something of a low-budget gem, a
tense supernatural splatter film with some impressive special effects,
a nice score and really delivers on the splatter front. Initially
released uncut by VTC but without a certificate, the movie was withdrawn
with the coming of the Video Recordings Act. It was re-issued as
‘THE WITCH’ by Stablecane in 1986,
and was passed uncut by the BBFC.
TERROR EXPRESS (Italy, 1979) Directed by Ferdinando
Baldi
Pretty sleazy re-make of the earlier, and banned Late Night Trains,
itself a re-make of Craven’s LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT.
Welcome to the incestuous world of Italian exploitation movies.
Not as unpleasant as LATE NIGHT TRAINS, this uncut
and uncertified Fletcher release was still seized by a number of
police forces, including The Met, although whether this was a mistaken
seizure for Late Night Trains is unclear. Unavailable in the UK
since 1985
THE THING (USA, 1982) Directed by John Carpenter
In one of the more comic episodes that took place during the video
nasties debacle, Hampshire Police seized copies of Carpenter’s
classic paranoid horror movie and a Magistrate, after clearing the
accused video dealer on 8 counts relating to films on the banned
list, ordered the copies of this destroyed!!! Fortunately, no-one
else seems to have followed suit, and the movie is (and always has
been) freely available on Video. Interestingly, the growing reputation
of this film was built entirely on it’s video release, it
was a theatrical bomb.
VIDEODROME (Canada, 1982) Directed by David Cronenberg
In an episode heavy-handed even by the video nasties debacle standards,
the constabularies of both Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire warned
video dealers about stocking Cronenberg’s film, even prior
to its official release! A victim of very poor timing, the CIC video
release – pre-cut by about 3 minutes, was scheduled for release
as the hysteria was at its most intense. No suppliers were ever
prosecuted, but CIC cut the film brutally and then dithered about
the appropriate timing for a release. Subsequent versions have appeared
since, each slightly longer than the last. It is now available uncut.
WEREWOLF WOMAN (Italy, 1976) Directed by Rino
Di Silvestro
Listed on Greater Manchester Police’s list of titles liable
for forfiture, the bizarre and cheap softcore porno-horror flick
from the director of DEPORTED WOMEN OF THE SS SPECIAL SECTION
has subsequently been shown on terrestrial British television. Cut
by the BBFC for a theatrical release in 1980, the Cinehollywood
release was uncut. It has been re-released on a number of labels
after being certified by the BBFC with 42 seconds of cuts.
ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST (Italy, 1980) Directed by Marino
Girolami
Seized by Cambidgeshire Police, the dealer involved was tried under
Section 2 of the Obscene Publications Act 1977 and found not guilty.
Zombie Holocaust was a sequel/remake of ZOMBIE FLESH EATERS,
that’s fun enough but lacks the energy of Fulci’s movie.
Released by VTC I two, cut forms (although neither were certified)
both versions were withdrawn prior to the Video Recordings Act coming
into force. Long unavailable in the UK, the film was re-classified
18 with no cuts in 2000.
Other movies, such as APOCALYPSE NOW (1979), THE
BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS (1982) and Sam Fuller’s
THE BIG RED ONE (1977) were also confiscated, but
these are assumed to be genuine mistakes. A large number of pornographic
titles were also confiscated – Alex De Renzy’s ‘PRETTY
PEACHES’ seemed to be a regularly prosecuted title.
There were also thousands of titles that had never been certified
for video in the UK and that were effectively ‘banned’
when the Video Recordings Act came into force in 1985. Aside from
well known and notorious films like THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE,
STRAW DOGS and THE STORY OF O,
many of these were obscurities never to be heard of again. Some
of these films were gems – Frank De Felittia’s extremely
frightening TV movie DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW
(1981 – Video Unlimited), Peter Carter’s RITUALS
(1978 – Cinehollywood) and Theo Gershundy’s
superb SILENT NIGHT, BLOODY NIGHT (1973 - Intervision)
among many others that have yet to re-appear in the UK. This, if
anything is the real tragedy of the Video Nasties debacle –
as millions of curious youngsters don’t have the opportunity
we had to discover the hundreds of obscure titles that had nothing
to do with major studio titles. It’s a world millions of miles
away from the safe, strip-light-lit, popcorn and Pepsi world of
Blockbuster, and one lamented, but not forgotten by those fortunate
to live through those brief few years when we actually got a taste
of real freedom.
Thanks are due to John Martin and his excellent book ‘The
Seduction of the Gullible’ (Procrustes Press, 1998) particularly
for the second part of this article.
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