Newson’s Report on Violence in films and it’s effect on the viewer

This section is from the book ‘Media And Violence’ by Karen Boyle. I’m adding it to my blog because it’s interesting what happened years ago when Childs Play 3 came out and how the Jame Bulger killing was (could have been) connected to the movie. This was interesting to me because even though it’s talking about Robert Thompson (one of James Bulger’s killer) could have identified with Chucky. I felt that the same terms could be true with Last House on the Left or even the protagonist in I Spit on Your Grave.

“Newson suggest that in films like Child’s Play 3 the viewer identifies with the perpetrator of violence – an interesting claim in light of the tabloid confusion over the ‘chilling links’ between original and copy and one that contradicts much of the research on identification processes. Nevertheless, the report received extensive media coverage, dissenting voices where barely heard and the pressure on the Conservative government to ‘do something’ increased. For those who accepted the link between the murder of James Bulger and Child’s Play 3, the ‘something’ to be done was in many ways obvious: these videos must be censored, contained and controlled. In this context of panic and misinformation, and amendment to the Video Recording Act was passed, stipulating that in awarding certificates to films on video, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) must consider the potential for harming to viewers (and to underage viewers in particular) watching in the home”
The Effects of Violence in the Media - page 5

Do Video Nasties cause High School shootings?

This is taken from the book ‘Media And Violence’ by Karen Boyle. It talks about how the killers of a high school killing prior to Columbine where fans of Video Nasties. However I feel that it wasn’t the video nasties that did it. The media also say that they where fans of video game and other violent mediums. But it’s still a good section.

“I want to turn to a report in The Sun a few months prior to the Columbine massacre. Sensationally Headlined ‘BOYS KILL FIVE THEN EAT PIZZA’ (2 December, 1998), the report described how two teenage boys, ‘massacred five people for kicks after watching video nasties’. Whilst the article goes on to suggest a causal link between ‘video nasties’ and murder, no one would seriously suggest that there is a casual link between murder and pizza eating. Rather, the juxtaposition of murder and pizza eating is supposed to tell us something on the killers (their lack of remorse, callousness and so on). Yet, on the basis of the evidence offered, the ‘murder causes pizza eating’ hypothesis is as plausible as the ‘viewing video nasties cause murder’ hypothesis. All we are told is that one event followed the other, just like killing followed bowling in the Columbine case. However, we are so used to video nasties being linked to murder that this lack of evidence is not glaringly obvious.”
The Effects of Violence in the Media Page 5-6

Quote From ‘The Horror Reader’ to sum up ‘Video Nasties’

“Reaching its heyday in the late 1960s and early 1970s and then lingering in the late 1980s in the form of ‘video nasties’, this kind of film often relished its marginal, derided position in the cultural field. Through its flaunting of ‘bad taste’, its low-level, gross-out special effects and lurid coloration, its gratuitous and exaggerated acts of violence and dismemberment and its willing embrace of exploitation and ‘sexploitation’ tags, modern low-budget, low brow horror cinema made sure it remained at the bottom end of the market and on fringes of cultural analysis.”
-The Horror Reader (page 311)

What convinced me about putting this up (apart from it summing up the video nasties perfectly) is how they mention the act of violence being over the top, which it is. Look at The Evil Dead for example, no one would take it seriously so why did the BBFC? Also I liked this paragraph because they mentioned that ‘video nasties’ where “willing to embrace… video nasties” which I totally agree with, To be honest there’s not a difference between ‘video nasties’ and exploitation films.

Trading ‘Cannibal Apocalypse’ for ‘I Spit on You Grave’

I Spit on Your Grave trailer

I am going to be swapping Cannibal Apocalypse for the Meir Zarchi rape revenge flick I Spit on your Grave. The choice is coming about because I can’t find anything, literally nothing, on Cannibal Apocalypse but I seem to find a lot on I Spit on You Grave. Also it’s interesting because it shares some themes with the other two films which are mainly rape in movies and women in horror films being represented as weak in comparison to males (sexism) with the exception of I Spit on You Grave.

Sight & Sound Article 'Left On The Shelf'

Mark Kermode questions the BBFC's 'new openness'

This is an interesting article from Sight & Sound which as the title states, involves Mark Kermode questioning the BBFC on their ‘new openess’. He talks about other film like Romance, Ai no corrida, Saló and Baise-moi and how there subject matter was delt by the BBFC in comparison to Last House on the Left. All those foreign films dealt with rape scene in what seems like a harsher way (e.g. real penetration) whilst in Last House- the scene where cut because the Krug & Company where wielding knifes at the two girls and cut them.
So what Mark Kermode was trying to get at was; is the BBFC biased against not only English speaking films but more importantly the Last House on the Left?

Also I’d like to point out I do use a lot of Mark Kermode’s work because he seems to know a lot about the film and it’s history and was very important in it’s release in the UK.

Last House On The Left censorship info

'Last House on the Left uncut DVD release' Mark Kermode Uncut Blog

This is a nice introduction to the whole controversy which gave The Last House on the Left it’s bad reputation in the UK. It’s a Uncut Blog from Mark Kermode’s BBC page. I couldn’t get the video from the page so here’s the link.

First time Last House on the Left was banned by the BBFC

Because of the film’s cult success, the film was once again presented to have a certificate by the BBFC. It was British movie critics such as Mark Kermode stated that Wes Craven’s gory and messy debut film was an important piece of work and should be allowed to be seen by die hard horror fans. He’s even said that Last House on the Left should be in the collection of any true horror buff and if it’s cut then it’s no good, all or nothing.Back in 2000 the film was presented again to the BBFC to finally get a certificate so the film could be distributed to the horror fans. It had been nearly thirty ears since the films release and was banned everywhere through the 80’s and 90’s. The filmed was denied (BBFC report 11th February 2000) by the BBFC however there was a one off showing of the film in Leicester in June of the same year.Two years later in the same month it was shown in Leicester. The film was shown uncut along with Texas Chain Saw Massacre which was also also uncut (I believe) and it was Blue Underground, a DVD distributor of Video Nasties and exploitation films, which got the films shown. Last House on the Left could be shown uncut at a cinema screening because the BBFC do not have jurisdiction when it comes to cinema showings, thus the films where shown. Because of the success the film screening had, Blue Underground built up the confident to once again try and get the film distributed uncut.

When brought to The BBFC for the second time they won against the Video Appeals Committee*. The BBFC wanted just 16 seconds of the film to be cut for it to receive a 18 certificated. They even brought in Mark Kermode as an expert in the horror genre to write up a report about the films importance. When the BBFC looked through the report they doubled the 16 seconds worth of cuts to 31 seconds. The film was finally released thirty one years (May 2003) after the films release (BBFC report 17th July 02) with an obvious 18 certificate. On the DVD the cut scenes were viewable as a slideshow extra on the disc, and there was a weblink to a website where the cut scenes could be viewed. So even though they where cut from the film the fans could still view them. It wasn’t untill March 17th 2008 that the film finally got released uncut (BBFC report March 17th 08) by the BBFC and since then different cuts where released of the film including the rare alternative cut called ‘Krug and Company’.

*The Video Appeals Committee was set up by the Video Recordings Act and was made because if any film or video game (‘Manhunt’ for example) is refused by the BBFC then it can be appealed to VAC which has the power to order the BBFC to reverse its decision and to grant a certificate to the disputed work.

Films banned by the BBFC but not classed as Video Nasties

Here is an interesting list of films banned by the BBFC but not classed as Video Nasties. I don't know why they aren't considered Video Nasties because I'd say Straw Dogs is and maybe Texas Chain Saw Massacre. I got this infomation from Wikipedia which I'm gonig to stop doing but found it interesting.

On a different note I am considering swaping Cannibal Apocalypse for I Spit On You Grave due to lack of info on Cannibal Apocalypse.The Exorcist (banned around the same period as video nasties but never classified as one, released uncut in 1999.)
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (passed uncut with an 18 certificate in 1999)
Silent Night, Deadly Night (Refused a certificate, never re-submitted)
Straw Dogs (Again, like The Exorcist; the uncut version was banned around the video nasty period. It was re-released in 1995 partially cut with it finally being released uncut in 2002.)
The New York Ripper (Banned outright in 1982 until it was released with cuts in 1997)
Mikey (Still banned)
Maniac (Passed with cuts in 2003)
It is often mistaken that Stanley Kubrick's film adaption of A Clockwork Orange was banned by the BBFC. It was actually Kubrick himself who decided to withdraw the film from exhibition in the UK after reports of copycat behavior. The film was only released in the UK shortly after the death of Kubrick in 1999. The British film Scum has a tagline "The film they tried to ban".

The film was made by the BBC, but they later decided not to broadcast it owing to the violence and suicides in the film. The BBC then attempted to obtain a legal ban on the film, but they were unsuccessful in this.

Censorship of the Movies + The Evil Dead Censorship Info

In this section I’ll be showing and talking about the scenes from each movie which where censored and why I thought they might have been cut out. Also I am adding other information on why the films where put on the DPP list and then became video nasties.

Evil Dead
Cut Scene – The scene where Linda is stabbed in the ankle but the then possessed Deadite Cheryl.

Why I think it was cut out
Personally I don’t think this should have be cut out because the blood doesn’t look believable thus it not so much ruins the illusion that this girl has been stabbed but that the film was made by early twenty something’s out to make a quick fright. Now the tree rape scene on the other hand is very disturbing in that it could have been avoided. But it begs the question; did Sam Raimi keep that scene in so people would talk and discuss rape in (at the time) modern cinema. With films like I Spit On Your Grave and more ironically Last House on the Left, showing rape scenes it coursed controversy with the media and lead to the films being edited down or even not distributed (which film makes obviously don’t want). But also films out side the horror genre scenes of rape where put in, for example Straw Dogs which was released the same year as A Clockwork Orange both involved rape and murder. Were film-makers bringing to attention the state of society in the 70’s and earily 80’s by showing rape as entertainment? Was the tree rape scene in Evil Dead put in to reflect those realistic rape scenes with an over the top one and make a sick joke out of it?

Info on Censorship
Because of its graphic violence, the original version of the movie was banned in several countries, including Finland, Germany, Iceland and Ireland. The "tree rape" scene in the movie was also described by some as being misogynistic. In Germany, the movie’s release was hindered by public authorities for almost 10 years. Original 1982 cinema and video releases of the movie had been seized, making the movie successful on the black market video circuit with pirated copies abounding. Several well-known horror enthusiasts publicly criticized the German ban on the movie, including author Stephen King (who gave it a rave review in the November 1982 issue of Twilight Zone). A heavily edited version was made available legally during 1992. During 2001 an uncut German DVD version was released, but the Berlin-Tiergarten Court ordered seizure of the DVD in April 2002 (Case Number 351 Gs 1749/02). In Finland, The Evil Dead was later released uncut on DVD by Future Film, and rated K-18. In the United Kingdom, the movie was one of the first to be abelled a video nasty during the mid-1980s and was finally released uncut in 2001.
-Wikipedia

Next blog 'DPP the List' then 'Last House on the Left Censorship Info' up soon…

[UPDATE] Mark Kermode on the Evil Dead cuts

Back in June 08, Mark Kermode released an Uncut Video Blog which detailed some on the cuts the BBFC watch Sam Raimi to do with his gore-com the Evil Dead. And In fact he didn’t mention the tree rape scene but he did mention the stabbing in ankle bit and specified that it wasn’t the stabbing they wanted band but how the Deadite twists the pencil. He also mentioned that’s the BBFC watch the bit where Shelly chews off her own hand (when she is holding the knife) to be reduced which he then went on to mocked. But to summaries he had the list of things the BBFC wanted Raimi to cut from the film so it could get a rating.

Source - Kermode Uncut Blog - With Gruesome Pleasure

Now this has interested me to find the hole list of what the BBFC wanted to cut from the Evil Dead and indeed Last House- and Cannibal Apocalypse. I’m going to do some searching and try find the lists which I will then post up here.