 The
BBFC have recently been certificating videos that were the subject of legal action during the 1970s "video nasty" hysteria. Their guidelines for working with previously prosecuted videos were presented to me as follows:
Our legal advice is that we cannot pass a DPP listed title uncut if it has any recent OPA convictions. We have been advised to take 'recent' convictions as meaning convictions within the last decade. When a 'video nasty' is submitted we first establish whether it has any 'recent' convictions and - if so - we know that it has to be cut, regardless of whether it would be acceptable under our guidelines. Examples include
Zombie Flesh Eaters , Tenebrae and Driller Killer , all of which have been convicted within the last ten years ( Zombie Flesh Eaters as recently as 1994 under Section 2) and so cannot be
passed uncut even if we feel they are in line with our guidelines. If a video nasty has no recent convictions we simply consider whether or not it is acceptable under current guidelines. If it is, we can pass it uncut
regardless of its historic convictions. Examples of this include Possession , Dead and Buried and The Bogeyman , all passed uncut recently. However, even if a work has
no recent convictions, it may still fall foul of our guidelines. An example of this is The Toolbox Murders , which has not been convicted since 1985 but contains material in breach of our sexual violence guidelines. This video was
therefore cut.
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