Video NastiesFormat fears and moral panic

-information from horrorfilmhistory.com

A little bit of history

The VHS cassette was integral to the success of certain horror films in the 1980s as low budget titles were not likely to get a large release in cinemas.The term ‘straight to video’ was born in the 80s as a result of releasing films on cassette instead of showing them in cinemas.

A little bit of history

The popularity of horror in the 80s was at a new high and the release of VHS tapes meant that films could be watched at home time and time again.It wasn’t long however, before people noticed that it wasn’t only adults watching gore-filled horror. Because of VHS tapes, children were getting access to (and watching) horror films.

A little bit of history

Before a film is released it is given a certification; in the UK, the BBFC exist to rate the age of every film released in the cinema and on DVD/Bluray. However, in the 80s, due to unregulated VHS distribution, if a film was not released in cinemas, it was likely that the VHS would be released unrated.

A little bit of history

Soon newspapers were printing headlines about “sick films warping a nation’s young minds” and the UK government soon stepped in to take action.During the 1980s, 39 films made a list of “video nasties” and these films were then withdrawn from sale (banned) in the UK.

Government intervention

In 1984 The Video Recordings Act was passed by the UK government to regulate the sale and distribution of videos in the UK.The passing of the Video Recordings Act became a somewhat victory however, as it pushed the trade of banned films underground and the films were still available to those who knew where to look.

The “nasties” now

Now, all of the 39 films on the “video nasty” list are available to watch and purchase in the UK. If you watch them, you will probably wonder what all the fuss was about.What hasn’t changed however, is the way some people feel about children watching violent and/or gory films.

The “nasties” now

In 1993 Child’s Play 3 was blamed as having influenced two 10 year old boys who tortured and killed 3 year old James Bulger. Not everybody agreed with this though, and Inspector Ray Simpson of Merseyside Police commented: "If you are going to link this murder to a film, you might as well link it to The Railway Children”.

“Video nasties”

Axe (Friedel, 1974)Zombie Flesh Eaters (Fulci, 1979)Cannibal Apocalypse (Margheriti, 1980)Cannibal Holocaust (Deodato, 1980)Cannibal Ferox (Lenzi, 1981)The Burning (Maylam, 1981)The Evil Dead (Raimi, 1981)