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