The following videos have all been banned for various reasons at some time in their existence but are now available in the UK. 

• In the Realm of the Senses

A pair of young lovers make the unfortunate discovery that strangulation maintains erection. The film has a number of hardcore scenes as well as a graphic castration.

Tome Dewe Matthews wrote the following in a Guardian article:

The official line: Ferman wanted to pass Nagisa Oshima's classic for years, but it contains a scene (in which a young boy's penis is yanked) that falls foul of the Protection of Children Act. Finally, in 1991, Ferman gained Oshima's permission for a zoom-in cut of the lower third of the offending scene, which must be one of the most delicate cuts in censorship.

The unofficial line: Ferman would not have passed this movie if it had been submitted by a sex-film distributor, but when it was submitted by the British Film Institute for a cinema certificate in 1991 he thought it would be shown to the right audience - middle-class intellectuals and not grubby people in raincoats. For the same reason, a video version will not be passed in the immediate future.

Finally certificated for video in Sept 2000

Two of the rejected videos in 1994 (the other is Kickboxer 4: The Aggressor) featured karate but each went beyond acceptable standards in the quantity and intensity of potentially lethal kicks to the head and bone-crunching blows and twists to the limbs, back and neck. Since this form of macho heroics is likely to appeal to teenagers with a record of violent offending, cuts did not seem a practical proposition. The Board has always been concerned about films in which heroes meet viciousness with viciousness, inflicting pain and injury on others as if it were the only remedy for villainy. The distributors resubmitted the video shorn of 7.5 minutes of the most brutal violence, after which a further 1.5minutes was cut by the Board, removing most of the remaining kicks to the head and face, the smashing of heads against walls, floors and pillars, the biting of ears and glamorising of weaponry.

BBFC cuts waived when resubmitted in 2004 . This is the full uncut version as originally rejected

• The Best of the New York Film Festival

Cinema certificate rejected in April 1975 but resubmitted later on in the same year and passed with cuts.

An explicit compilation of short films with just as strong scenes of sexual activity filmed during festival parties.

Thanks to Rustin Mann on The Melon Farmers' Forum

One of the shorts is directed by Penelope Spheeris. The story line is of a meek pharmacist hatching a plot to snag his loud sex-loving "hot" neighbour by making a simulated sex tape.

Passed on video with 5 minutes of cuts on 1987

• Il Grande Racket
• Racket

Cinema certificate rejected in 1977

The uncut region 1 DVD is available at US Amazon

Rejected in September 1995. The cinema version was released uncut. Finnaly awarded an uncut 18 certificate in September 2001

A man meets a woman in a bar, the two go back to her flat and begin watching porno films. The man passes out and wakes to find himself strapped to a dentist chair. The woman, along with her accomplice begin to torture the man, eventually killing him.

Banned because of its constant focus on the details of torture. See imaginary films site for further details where they present the following argument from Dark Star magazine:

Boy Meets Girl is a bold and important film. It is full of subtle and controversial arguments. To dismiss it because of its bondage/sadistic trappings (as some have already done) is to miss the point entirely. How else could the director have approached the subject matter? Possibly as a documentary, but then that would loose the frisson of making the viewer an active participant in the debate. It is a film of violent ideas but it is not a barrage of graphic images. The BBFC has passed countless numbers of films more violent than Boy Meets Girl, yet refuses to give it a certificate. As the director of the BBFC, James Ferman must take the responsibility for denying you, the public, the chance to see a film which, for once, has a totally violent subject matter but does not glamorise it. Which is more than can be said of so many Hollywood studio pictures Mr Ferman has gladly issued certificates. Explicit violence has always been a contentious issue in cinema, but never, in a so-called democracy, should honesty about violence be treated like the glorification of violence. Shame on you Mr Ferman. For all its minor faults (most often due to the low budget) a film like Boy Meets Girl does not deserve to be treated in the manner it has been in Britain. What it does deserve is the wide distribution a certificated theatrical would get and respect for its viewpoint. At least this film attempts to broach a controversial subject responsibly. It’s just a sad statement about the double standards that exist in the British film classification system that it could take a long time before many of the public get to see it.

• Frauengefangnis
• Barbed Wire Dolls
• Femmes en Cage

Cinema certificate rejected in 1976

• Un Gatto nel cervello
• Nightmare Concert

Rejected in February 1999 with the following justification:

The Board carefully considered this low-budget Italian horror video in the light of the usual tests. It has over the years, in this context, expressed concern about images which bring sex and violence together. The BBFC Draft Guidelines for Classifying Films and Videos (published in July 1998 in the BBFC's last Annual Report) identify sexually violent material as potentially harmful. The Guidelines explain that the Board is stricter with scenes of sexual violence on video than film, because of their potential to be played over and over at home. Sexual violence may only be shown providing the scenes do not offer sexual thrills.

A Cat in the Brain contains many sequences involving gross violence committed against women, often in a context with clear sexual overtones. It invites the viewer to relish the detail of the violence and killings. Women are even presented as enjoying the violence visited on them. The work switches between the three levels of "actual" film-making, the "Director's" own nightmares and the murderous attacks of the villain. However, the Board found that the main effect of this device was to enable the frequent portrayal of brutal and detailed violence, particularly towards women.

The Board concluded that the video was potentially harmful because of the influence it may have on the attitudes and behaviour of a significant proportion of its likely viewers, whatever classification it was given. The Board considered the possibility of cuts as an acceptable remedy. It concluded, however, that the sheer quantity of the violence rendered such an approach ultimately fruitless since it would be unlikely to change the general tone or approach of the work.

Uncut region 0 version available from UK Amazon

From Justin: I am glad to report that the version is not only uncut, but is longer than my italian print Un Gatto Nel Cervello'

imdb review:

Class of 1984 is an entertaining and thought-provoking combination of the Vigilante and High School Drama flick. The film describes the punks as the next generation of important people. It was done as a reworking of Blackboard Jungle (it is much better than Cruel Intentions and more gutsy). Class of 1984 is an errie movie because the depiction of unsafe Urban high schools, metal detectors at schools, and security guards would be a reality eight years later in many high school cities. It is a courageous movie that isn't afraid to deal with important issues.

Passed uncut on video when submitted to the BBFC in 2005. However it seems that the version submitted has been pre-cut by about 5s but that this version is approved by the director, Mark L Lester

The approved director's cut, region 2 DVD is available at UK Amazon

In 1973 Stanley Kubrik withdrew the film from release in the UK due to his concerns about the (ultra) violence. Prior to the complete ban Kubrik only allowed one London cinema to screen the film for the first year of its release. However his concern does not appear to have spread elsewhere as it is readily available in the US and most European countries. I've since heard rumours that he withdrew the film for reasons of his own safety after receiving death threats from nutters.

Rejected in 1988

Two brothers track down a judge who sentenced them to an asylum. The judge and his family fight back and kill the brothers.

The uncut region 1 DVD is available here from US Amazon

• The Ripper of Notre Dame
• Exorcism & Black Masses
• Exorcisme et Messes Noires
• El Sadico de Notre-Dame
• Exorcism

Available in Benelux as Exorcism (Redemption Benelux)

One of the more successful bans as I cannot find any further details beyond that of the foul mouthed stars, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. The film was rejected on the grounds of abusive overuse of the swear words; Fuck & Cunt. (No F***ing PC asterisking out of swearwords on this site!)

Was eventually granted an uncut 18 video certificate (Polygram Video)

Submitted by Redemption but the BBFC delayed a decision so long that they gave up waiting and cancelled the release

The BBFC website (Dec 98) contains the following commentary:

The film itself still shows quite regularly in cinemas but we have not yet classified the video, nor has it ever been shown on television, including subscription television. The problem is not the frightening nature of the story but the combination of the themes with which it deals and the very powerful treatment it is given in this version.

Showings of this film have resulted in severe emotional problems among a small but worrying number of adults who do believe in the reality of demonic possession and satanic practices. A video or television showing would inevitably attract many young teenagers, some of whom would be, more even than adults, susceptible to this sort of material, since they might well identify with the central character, a 12-year-old girl. Newspaper reports and letters in our files indicate the very real and serious disturbance that can result and we feel uneasy about being a party to this sort of psychological damage. It is partly because the film is so convincing and effective that it can be so disturbing for some.

It is hard for those of us who do not give credence to the possibility of possession to appreciate how powerful an influence this can evidently exert on those who do. At a time when charges of satanic abuse appear fairly regularly in the press and alleged instances have been reported and when an Act was passed in Parliament, the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act (1994), which specifically requires the Board "to have special regard to any harm that may be caused to potential viewers, or, through their behaviour, to society by the manner in which the work deals with, for example, horrific incidents", there are added reasons to be cautious. Eventually, perhaps the time will come to release THE EXORCIST on video, but we are not convinced that this is that moment, particularly at a time when many parents allow their children to see videos unsupervised, according to the latest research.

By the time Ferman had been replaced as director by Duval the video was passed with the following justification:

The film version was originally given an 'X' certificate in 1974 and has been widely shown since then. In the 1970s, however, incidents of hysteria involving young women led to some concern that the film might cause severe emotional problems particularly among those who believed in the reality of demonic possession. It was with this concern in mind that the BBFC in the 1980s and early 1990s concluded that a video classification - even with an '18' rating (which could not entirely exclude the possibility of the work being seen by younger and susceptible viewers) - was inappropriate.

It must be acknowledged, however, that there is little if any hard evidence known to the BBFC that The Exorcist has, in its video form, caused actual harm to its viewers. The video version was in fact widely available for many years before the Video Recordings Act 1984 introduced the requirement of BBFC classification. The recent re-release of the film version by Warner Brothers has, moreover, been accompanied by none of the hysteria or audience disturbance which occurred in the mid-1970s.

The Exorcist has been available on video uncut for many years in other European countries, notably Germany (rated for 16 year olds) and Sweden (rated for 14 year olds) where the protection of the young is considered particularly important.

The Video Recordings Act places on the BBFC a duty to have special regard (among other relevant factors) to any harm that may be caused to potential viewers or, through their behaviour, to society by the manner in which the work deals with, for example, violent or horrific behaviour or incidents or human sexual activity. The Board must consider as a potential viewer any person (including a child or young person) who is likely to view the video.

The BBFC must also apply the requirements of Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights, now accepted as British law. Inter alia, these impose a duty to preserve freedom of expression, with the relevant restrictions being "for the prevention of disorder or crime (or) for the protection of health or morals". Alongside these, there is a duty to observe the principle of proportionality: any restriction on the basic duty of freedom of expression should have a proportional justification.

The BBFC concluded that The Exorcist, while still a powerful and compelling work, no longer has the same impact as it did 25 years ago. Film technique and special effects have moved on a long way since then, and audiences - including (or especially) teenagers brought up on a range of modern multi- media output - are less likely to be affected. Correspondingly, the potential of The Exorcist to disturb a small, impressionable minority must be significantly diminished.

The BBFC has also considered the likely effects of The Exorcist's current reputation. We cannot discount the possibility that, however restrictive its classification, under-age persons may seek ways to view it. On the other hand, both the name and the nature of this film are familiar to most people: its reputation should prompt many parents and guardians to be more alert to that possibility than would normally be the case.

On balance, therefore, and after careful consideration, the Board has concluded that the video version of The Exorcist should be classified - but at a level which minimises the likelihood of the work being viewed by young and impressionable persons.

Has a cinema certificate

Finally achieved an uncut video certificate in 1999

Rejected in 1976.

The young girl Flossie comes straight from a Swiss boarding school to Stockholm where she meets a young embassy clerk. Together with her friend Eva, each tell the other two of previous sexual encounters.

R18 material, even today.

• Tenement

One of the Video Nasties passed 18 on video in 2001 with 7:02s of cuts.  All cuts are to the gang rape scenes - no cuts in the 'revenge' section. The film was first submitted for classification in 1998 and then again in 2001. According to the BBFC: Compulsory cuts were required to remove several sequences of sexual violence and humiliating depictions of female nudity in line with published Sexual Violence Guidelines.

See www.ispitonyourgrave.co.uk

Like Back in Action, the video was resubmitted with cuts but the BBFC found that these failed to make an acceptable difference to a work in which fights to the death were staged in the kick-boxing equivalent of a Roman Circus. Purporting to condemn the practice, it was plainly exploiting it, since the work was itself a celebration of extreme violence as entertainment.

• Death's Ecstacy
• The Beast
• Th Beast in Heat

11 minutes of pre-cuts have been restored for a cinema certificate gained in February 2001. A cinema certificate had been rejected in 1978 but a heavily censored video version was later passed in 1988

All sex scenes are now intact but there are still a couple of scenes missing (not for censorship reasons). Thanks to Marc for pointing these out. See http://www.vidmarc.demon.co.uk/mondo-erotico/index_boro.html for further details

1. Missing scene: Ifany sneeking into the bathroom, after Mathurin has been groomed by his father, in order to stuff clumps of Mathutin's hair into an envelope.
2. Missing scene: Ifany bringing the envelope of Mathurin's hair into Duc Rammondelo de Balo's office, where he is dismissed and the Duc sniffs at it.
3. Missing scene: The cook sets the table while singing, prior to the farcical meal that the Mathurin, his father and the guests attend.
4. Better news is that the scene near the end of the film, when the Cardinal arrives at the family home and tutors his underling on the perils of bestiality, is included

• Carnivorous
• Jungle Holocaust
• The Last Survivor
• Cannibal
• Ultimo Mondo Cannibale

Plane crew foolishly get lost is a cannibal infested jungle.

The BBFC are never impressed by cannibal films so there seemed little point in an attempt at a UK release.

The uncut region 1 DVD is available from US Amazon

• Krug & Company
• The Men's Room
• Night of vengeance
• Sex Crime of the Century

Two girls are kidnapped by escaped prisoners and are subjected to sexual humiliation, razor torture, rape, disembowelments and shooting. The parents of one girl avenge their death by chainsaw, throat cutting and castration.

The BBFC justified their rejection as follows: The Last House on the Left is not suitable for cinema exhibition because of the explicit and sadistic sexual violence contained in the film. This is the second time that The Last House on the Left has been refused classification by the BBFC. The present version is some four minutes longer than the version offered in 1974, but is still several minutes shorter than the original uncut version. Although the recent resubmission was of a cut version of the film, it was still found to contain elements which are unacceptable under the Board's published Guidelines. The Board asked for further cuts to remove images of the horrific stripping, rape and knife murder of two women. The option of making additional cuts was offered to the distributor in May 1999 and in September they confirmed that the film would be resubmitted with further cuts. After much delay it is now clear that the distributor has declined the option to proceed further. The Board is therefore unable to classify the film in this version.

Prominent on the video nasties list

However it achieved an arthouse circuit release in 2000. But a subsequent video release was rejected in 2001

Re-released on video after 31s of BBFC cuts in 2002. An appeal against the cuts proved unsuccessful

Further video & DVD releases from Anchor Bay have been edited differently but have maintained the BBFC cuts

The uncut region 1 DVD is available from US Amazon

Heavily cut to achieve a US R rating and ends up not so gory as Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2

The unrated version has been shown several times since 2000 on Bravo

Appeared on US laserdisc in unrated version that appends rough takes of some of the cut material. The version reinstated material cut by the MPAA but not material originally cut by the distributors, New Line Cinema.

It was rejected in 1976 when submitted for a film certificate.

It's not particularly explicit - two medium shots of a few pins going through the skin around the penis rather than through it.  No blood either. 

It then achieved an 18 certificate after approximately 4:47s of cuts but was not available on video until 2003 when it was passed uncut.

• Deep River Savages
• Nel Paese del Sesso Selvaggi
• Au Pays del'Exorcisme
• Mondo Cannibale
• Sacrifice

Forerunner of Cannibal Ferox set in South East Asian cannibal infested jungles. Tongue amputations are the order of the day after snacking on traditionally served monkey brains.

Review from imdb

I liked this one strictly for its exoticness. Me Me Lay looks great dressed or naked. She has a great face. I have the Prism edition video. That one is missing a brief cannibal scene that later showed up in Lenzi's Eaten Alive by the Cannibals. The cinematography was well done and I may catch some heat for this but I actually liked the music.

The love scene in the river came very close to XXX. A well placed bush (no pun intended) kept it soft-core. Not much gore, so jungle flick fans should like it. I know I did.

Removed from the DPP list but it took a long time for a re-release.

Re-released on video in 2003 after cuts for animal cruelty

The uncut region 1 DVD is available at US Amazon

Rejected for cinema in 1981

Rejected for video in 1998 with the following justification:

Two (of the videos rejected so far in 1998) were serial killer films in which sex is linked with the pleasure of killing. In one of those films, Maniac, a series of defenceless women are stalked, terrorised, attacked and murdered, while being photographed in a deliberately sexualised way. The film is one of a genre known as 'stalk and slash', and here each stalking and killing is protracted, sometimes ending with the scalping of the victim. When the police eventually catch up with the killer, he survives, leaving us to anticipate that the stalking and mutilation will begin again. The pleasures on offer here seem to the Board to be unhealthy and dangerous because of the way that the killing of women is linked with the sexual arousal of men.

Received a little gossip about the rejection process of this video. The BBFC played their usual trick of dragging out the process. This was particularly damaging to the small company releasing the video particularly as the BBFC refused to return calls to let them know what was going on.It was pointed out that the fees are the same whether a small or large company submits the film yet for a high profile film such as Lolita, the censor employed the help of a bunch of psychologists, of course they don't for a small release.

Having been rejected once the video may be resubmitted (suitably cut of course) but 2/3 of the censorship fee has to be paid again.

Gossip has it that Maniac was initially viewed by four censors; three men and one woman. The three men said the film should be rejected because of its anti-women depictions. The woman thought the film was cut-able.

Finally passed for video with 58s of cuts in 2002 with the following BBFC statement: Cuts required to reduce length of sexualised strangulation sequence by half and to remove shots of a knife played over and stabbing into female flesh with sexual connotations.

Has been shown uncut on the French speaking RTL 9 channel

The uncut region 1 DVD is available from US Amazon:

Intended for the old medium-core R18 certificate and has been pre-cut by 17:04s.

One of the seven contested R18 videos that went through the BBFC appeal process and then went on to the High Court victory.

Warner Brothers, the distributors temporarily postponed the release of this video out of respect for the families of the victims of the Dunblane killings which had occurred a few weeks before. Although no evidence of video or TV violence was unearthed by official investigations, the press still continued with unsubstantiated rumours about the film and the video release was shelved.

The UK Director's cut is the same as the unrated US  version and restores all 100+ US censor cuts and also appends additional even more bloody scenes that the director, Oliver Stone, decided not to use.

The Director's cut was passed unscathed by the BBFC in 2002

Intended for an R18 certificate and at one time offered a cuts list of 1:13s.

One of the seven contested R18 videos that went through the BBFC appeal process and then went on to the High Court victory.

• Ta Pedhia tou dhiavolou
• Island of Death
• A Craving for Lust
• Devils in Mykonos
• Island of Perversion
• Cruel Destination

Review from imdb

Island of Perversion is a rough diamond from the deep seas of sickness, another gem from 1970s - the golden age of Grindhouse and exploitation! A film where you can still smell the dirt from the backyard and railway station cinemas it was shown in! But itīs a great one, I enjoyed every second of it!

The story is about two totally weird siblings who travel to Mykonos to free the peaceful Greek island from all those who are perverted scum in their eyes: gays, lesbians, nymphomaniacs, hippies... Unfortunately, the version that I watched was cut, so I didnīt have the chance to see the notorious goat-rape!

Even though the violence is not that graphic in this film, the director seemed to be possessed by the ambition to make one of the most depraved movies ever! Loved the bad surprise ending!

The uncut region 0 DVD is available here from US Amazon

Rejected for a cinema certificate in 1976 (although a cut version had a GLC certificate for a while)

• The Prowler
• The Graduation

Cut for cinema release but never achieved a video certificate for ages. Cuts required for TV broadcast include murder by plunging a pitchfork into the stomach, a carving knife plunged through the top of a mans head and then slowly being withdrawn and a woman's throat being sawn with a knife in a swimming pool.

Review from IMDb

The Prowler is an overlooked horror film from that golden age of slasher films of the late 70s and early 80s. The film is directed by Joseph Zito who has special effects wizard Tom Savini to thank for the film's best scenes.

The Plot of this film is very similar to My Bloody Valentine. We have a brutal act of violence taking place many years ago. We have the first big social event scheduled in several years on the very grounds where the trouble took place. And we have a spooky killer chopping up victims left and right. Only instead of full mining gear, our Prowler is dressed in WWII era military fatigues.

The gore is by far the best thing this film has going for it. There are some DISGUSTING killings which look very much like they could be the real thing. Our killer loves to use his bayonet, a pitchfork, and a sawed-off double barrel shotgun on his victims. Most of the killings in the version I have are not mere snippets of knives piercing flesh. You see the killer slice and penetrate these victims until they aren't breathing any more. There is a tidal wave of blood spilled in this film. They saved the best for last, when we see just what a blast from a shotgun at point blank range can do to someone's face.

The film has some glaring dead spots, too. Character development is nearly non-existent, and the motivation behind the carnage is not defined by any logical means. Let me put it this way; I have absolutely NO IDEA why the killer committed these murders. I wonder if the writers even knew.

Gore fans will definitely need to see the uncut version of this film at some point in their lives. See this film out of a sense of duty, but don't expect a true classic.

Broadcast on Bravo TV

The uncut region 2 DVD is available for an 8th Oct 2007 release at UK Amazon

• Hell Hole Women
• Prisoners of the Flesh
• Sadomania: Holle der Lust
• Sadomania: El Infierno de la Pasion

Review from imdb

Sadomania is the infamous Women in Prison flick by the king of ultra low budget exploitation films, Jesus Franco.

The ridiculous plot has a newly wed young couple, who are kidnapped during their journey as they drive their wedding car somewhere in Spain. They are taken to the nearby women prison, led by sadistic lesbian warden (the late Ajita Wilson) and some sleazy governor and his wife, and despite the fact that the prison girls/women work hard there, their real reason to be there is to satisfy these leaders' bottomless sexual desires and perversions. Poor women are raped and abused, in the guaranteed Franco style, but it all ends happily for the protagonists and evil and horny sadists meet their fate, again Franco style.

This film is okay if one happens to like these kind of "guilty pleasures" with huge amount of nudity and love making. The sleaze-o-meter is taken as high as possibly.

Sadomania is noteworthy piece of Franco cinema, and shot with his usual zooms and beautiful images of nature, stained only by the presence of the film's ugly and evil protagonists.

The uncut region 1 DVD is available at US Amazon

• Salo o le 120 giornate di Sodoma
• Salo ou les 120 journees de Sodome

Rejected for a cinema certificate in 1976

A DPP-approved print was then shown in cinema clubs which was cut by approx. 6 minutes, with a 4-minute prologue added.

An uncut version was however screened in 1995 at the NFT

Loosely based upon De Sade's story about a group of young innocents who are forced to take part in orgy of depravity that accelerates into a massacre. The setting is supposedly metaphorical of World War II fascism. Infamous for a shit eating scene.

The uncut region 2 DVD is available from UK Amazon

Rejected for an R18 in 1999 when the BBFC were being inconsistent with their treatment of hardcore

• Histoire d'O

Depicts willing women humiliated in the name of love and eroticism. Softcore and in the same vein as director Just Jaeckin's other film, Emmanuelle.

This is a pre-cut version that has lost some dialogue but there are no cuts to the sex and violence

• Li Wang
• Riki O
• Riki Oh
• Story of Ricky

Described by a reader as the grossest HK movie I ever saw, By all accounts its a pretty good movie too.

Jason added "Although it's a pretty good movie it doesn't really know what to be, a serious prison drama, kung fu movie or a gore fest. As a kung fu movie and a prison drama it falls pretty flat.

Available on German uncut VHS/DVD from label Screen Power. Banned in Germany since 1999. Also available is the uncut and letterboxed HK version (VHS/DVD) - no subtitles. There's also a Japanese version, no subtitles and very expensive.

The official BBFC comment from their website just before the granting of the cinema certificate:

Most questions about THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (and sequels) assume that the problem is one of violence or horror. In fact the reason that the film was refused certification was the result of the perceived degree of terrorisation of women and threat to defenceless women. The Board has for many years operated a very strict policy with regard to sexual violence, based on the incidence of this sort of behaviour in real life and the fact that a great deal of research does indicate that this is the one area where media representations do seem to have quite direct effects on attitudes and behaviour. The film was rejected by the Board on film and is most unlikely to be classified on video, where the law demands a stricter test, under amendments to the Video Recording Act 1984 contained in the Criminal Justice & Public Order Act 1994.

The official BBFC comment from their website just after the granting of the cinema certificate:

The notoriety of the film may owe a lot to its original rejection by the BBFC in 1975. It was passed for viewing in Europe, the USA, Australia and other countries. It received a GLC licence in the 1970s and was most recently shown in central London in 1998 under a licence from Camden Council. There is, so far as the Board is aware, no evidence that harm has ever arisen as a consequence of viewing the film. For modern young adults, accustomed to the macabre shocks of horror films through the 1980s and 1990s, THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE is unlikely to be  particularly challenging. Unlike more recent examples of the genre, violence in THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE is throughout implied rather than explicit. By today's standards, its visual effects may seem relatively unconvincing.

Possibly the most notorious feature is the relentless pursuit of the
'Final Girl' throughout the last half hour or so of the film. The heroine in peril is a staple of the cinema since the earliest days. It is nonetheless legitimate to question the unusual emphasis THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE places on the pursuit of a defenceless and screaming female  over such an extended period. The Board's conclusion, after careful consideration, was that any possible harm that might arise in terms of the effect upon a modern audience would be more than sufficiently countered by the unrealistic, even absurd, nature of the action itself. It is worth emphasising that there is no explicit sexual element in the film (so who wrote the previous commentary given above, did they watch the same film?), and relatively little visible violence.

Finally obtained an uncut 18 video certificate in 2000

More gory but more light hearted than the original. It at least features chainsaws including a notable chainsaw duel with Dennis Hopper. The previous generation of censors were asked about the possibility of a video release but they suggested that 20 minutes would probably have to be cut.

Was previously shown on Bravo

Apparently a bit of a camp remake of the original.

Unavailable on video for a long time more for an association with the classic original than for it's content

• Topaazu
• Topaz

Tokyo call girl dreams of a better life but in the meantime must perform some kinky sex with business men and Yakuza. She meets a dominatrix who puts her on the right tracks towards her goals.

There appear to be a hard and a soft version of this film

A 112 minute version was passed uncut on 2007 but there is still a 135 minute version to look out for.

Released in the US with an NC-17 rating

Finally passed uncut in 2002

Intended for an R18 certificate and at one time offered a cuts list of 2:57s.

One of the seven contested R18 videos that went through the BBFC appeal process and then went on to the High Court victory.

• Angels for Kicks

• Doctor Butcher MD
• Dr Butcher MD
• Island of the Last Zombies
• Medicale Deviate
• Queen of the Cannibals
• La Regina dei Cannibali
• Zombie Holocaust

Ian McCulloch gets involved in a jungle island quest for information about a cannibal tribe implicated in deaths in the US. There he finds a mad doctor experimenting on brain transplants.

Somehow cannibal films don't seem too popular at the BBFC so this video didn't make it past the VRA.

Note that the US version Dr Butcher MD has been prefixed with a totally unrelated title sequence from another film and dialogue has been cut for pacing reasons