The Video Nasties Checklist

[El_Fez]

Over on the UK forum I was asking about the upcoming release of Absurd, and I realize that we don’t have a proper Video Nasties thread. So I thought I’d compile all the releases in one place, so we can have some proper discussion.

For those of you who don’t know, back in the early to mid eighties the UK passed the Video Recordings Act, which made it illegal to distribute any film that had not been classified. The British Board of Film Classification compiled a list of 39 films of films that were deemed to be corrupting the youth of the nation, leading to video stores being subjected to police raids, shopkeepers being convicted for criminal obscenity, and mountains of video tapes being burned.

Actually, here - the trailer for Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship & Videotape explains much better than I can:

Video Nasties: The Definitive Guide - Trailer - YouTube

As this is the Region 1 side of the forums, I'll list domestic Blu Rays where I can, dipping into other regions where necessary. If there are multiple editions like Texas Chain Saw Massacre or The Thing, I'll arbitrarily pick one (the most sexy cover, probably).

Also, as they're not actual Nasties, I'll keep them seperate from the main list - but if you want a good cross-section of the insanity of the moral panic surrounding the Video Nasties, I would highly recommended these two:

[kn5150]

Section 2: Prosecuted films

Section 2: Non Prosecuted films

Section 3: Video Nasties

honeymoon horror only on vhs
scream for vengeance only on vhs

[El_Fez]

Section 2 Prosecuted Films


DVD and VHS only -

[El_Fez]

SECTION 2 NON-PROSECUTED FILMS
These were also indicated as unfit by the DPP but were either not prosecuted or had unsuccessful prosecutions, and were ultimately dropped from the list:


DVD only -


DVD, not in the database -
Revenge of the Bogey Man / Boogeyman II

VHS only -
I Miss You, Hugs and Kisses / Drop Dead Dearest

[El_Fez]

SECTION 3 VIDEO NASTIES
This is a supplementary list that was issued along with the official list, featuring titles that could not be prosecuted for obscenity, but were still liable to seizure and confiscation under a 'less obscene' charge. Tapes seized under Section 3 could be destroyed after distributors or merchants forfeited them.


DVD only


DVD only, not in the Database -
GBH (Grievous Bodily Harm)
Wrong Way

VHS only
Honeymoon Horror
Scream for Vengeance!

[El_Fez]

Films banned by the BBFC but not actually classed as video nasties themselves


SPECIAL MENTION -
These two films, while not horror by any stretch of the imagination, were seized by the police based solely on the names alone.




I'm adding Child's Play 3 in the unofficial section because of it's (very tenuous) link to the Jamie Bulger murder. While Child's Play 3 was released several years after the original moral panic died down, the Daily Mail began pushing the Video Nasty angle, stirring up public sentiment all over again.

[TripleHBK]

I debated creating this list myself several times over the last year but just never got around to it. I suggest you use BD tags instead of straight links to the covers since with BD tags clicking a title will take you straight to the film entry here on site. [BD] Entry # [/ BD] is all it takes.

I'd also add these two Documentaries to the Main thread since it covers everything in fantastic detail and really should be in every genre fans collections.

[TripleHBK]

Also, If you want the images to fit better on screen you can also replace [BD] with [small] or [medium] for links/images that are slightly smaller than the current large images.

[TripleHBK]

Here are clickable links in large format.

[Show spoiler]

[Blu MacReady]

Well done.

[Lucy Ashton]

Good work, El_Fez. One detail: Delirium aka Le foto di Gioia was never on the section 2 list. The Delirium from the section 2 list is this one:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delirium_(1979_film)

[bipbop13]

It's not "The Eerie Midnight Horror Show" in Section 3. It's "Enter The Devil" from 1972. Only had a dvd release so far.

[StephenFS]

Wow. I remember the video nasties moral panic, but I had no idea there were so many of them!

Thanks for an interesting list.

[El_Fez]

Originally Posted by Lucy Ashton

Good work, El_Fez. One detail: Delirium aka Le foto di Gioia was never on the section 2 list. The Delirium from the section 2 list is this one:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delirium_(1979_film)

Heh - that's what you get when you try and sort through films with a dozen silmilar sounding names. I'm shocked that I didnt get more wrong.

Fixed!

Originally Posted by bipbop13

It's not "The Eerie Midnight Horror Show" in Section 3. It's "Enter The Devil" from 1972. Only had a dvd release so far.

Ah, I was looking at the '74 version of Enter the Devil! Curse you IMDB! (And of course it doesnt look like that version is in the database. Ah well).

[cakefactory]

So ALL the section 2 non-prosecuted movies are available? I like that you bothered listing the ones that aren't available yet for the first two categories.

I AM confused, though, that one of the movies is not available on VHS. How did it get on the video nasties list if there was no video?

[nateynate87]

great post, I've always been interested in the video nasty phenomenon.

I thought I had most of them at this point but looking at this it looks like I'm missing quite a few....

[El_Fez]

I started out with just a passing familiarity with the Nasties - mostly from The Young Ones, and then I got the two documentary discs (mostly for the trailers, as I collect the compilation discs) and wound up watching the documentaries. Then I started doing some reading of articles from the Daily Mail from Mary Whitehouse - the further down the rabbit hole I went, the crazier it got.

Want some supplemental reading? Here:
* The National Viewers and Listeners Association's recommendations to Parliament

* Mary Whitehouse writes an article for the Daily Mail

[bipbop13]

You've got your section one list listed as section two.....sorry to be a pain!!

You've got "Eaten Alive" in Section 2 & Section 3

"Blue Eyes Of The Broken Doll" was just announced by Scream Factory in their upcoming Naschy 5 Disc Blu Set.

Also, "Blood Rites" is incorrect. It's an AKA for "The Ghastly Ones" By Andy Milligan. There's a triple feature DVD that includes it at this link....

https://www.amazon.com/Milligan-Grin...e+ghastly+ones



"Hell Prison" is here on DVD

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BUK356...=ITG87LKR79JTU

[TripleHBK]

Just something to Consider, here's how Medium sized covers look. I find they are easier to read on the forum compared with the larger size.

[Show spoiler]

[Shingster]

Shameless plug here but my reasons are to promote a departed friend rather than myself, but I was involved in a podcast on Video Nasties a couple years back that was hosted by the late, great Mike Sutton (a film critic who wrote for another site and contributed to various releases from Arrow and Eureka).

It covers the history of the Video Nasties Act then we go into discussions of highlighted films, and with Mike as host the information imparted is pretty comprehensive (if anyone is at all interested in the story behind the act). It's a bit long at 103mins but if you just want the history then we cover that in the first 20mins or so: You can download it here, but if anyone interested needs a separate link I can upload it to a file transfer site.