Bamboo House Dolls is a Hong Kong prison drama by Chin Hung Kuei. With Birte Tove, Lieh Lo and Hsieh Wang.
Banned by the BBFC for 1975 cinema release. Not released in the UK since.
Summary Review: Done Very Well
A nurse in a Japanese women's POW camp during World War II masterminds an escape.
I bought this film on DVD and expected an over-the-top, Women In
Prison exploitation ride that would have me guffawing and slapping my knee as I had a good old time watching the girls get taken advantage of. It's a guy thing. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that BHOD kept me glued to the screen from
beginning to end. It's an exploitation film no doubt, but it's done very well!
The female prisoners are very attractive, and the actors portraying the villains are really digging into their roles. The sex scenes, while violent,
are choreographed very well, and are done tastefully. Many of the erotic scenes have a comedic nature, and are welcome pauses in an otherwise non-stop action fest.
Barbed Wire Dolls is a 1976 Switzerland crime horror thriller by Jesús Franco. With Lina Romay, Paul Muller and Monica Swinn.
Originally banned by the BBFC for cinema release in 1976, but unbanned a year later after significant cuts. Less cut for 2004 DVD. Uncut in Switzerland. Uncut and MPAA Unrated in the US.
Summary Review: Comical,
disorienting and depressing
Women in Prison movies come in several styles, ranging from tongue-in-cheek camp to disturbingly sadistic shockfests. Barbed Wire Dolls is a Jess Franco flick, so, as expected, it
doesn't really fit into any pigeonhole.
Watching Frauengefangnis is like performing an experiment on yourself. The painfully slow pace, downbeat soundtrack, eternal scenes of pointless verbal abuse, mock torture, and
idiotic dialog gradually turn your brain into glue. The movie is so sleazy, depressing, and confusing, that it's almost unwatchable in one sitting.
Cuts required to remove explicit sight of sexual activity (digital penetration) in order to achieve an 18 classification. An R18 uncut was not available for this non-sex work.
The explicit
imagery was not deemed to have a sufficient narrative justification in the Jess Franco work Barbed Wire Dolls, which blurred the line between erotic drama and sex work.
The BBFC kindly provided a further clarification:
According to our Guidelines, you cannot show unsimulated sex at '18' if it is a 'sex work' (ie a work whose main purpose is to sexually arouse). Real sex in a 'sex
work' makes it 'R18'. However, this Jess Franco film is not a 'sex work'.
According to our Guidelines, explicit real sex may only be shown at '18' if (i) it is not a sex work (see above) and (ii) the sex is exceptionally justified by context.
In this case the Board did not feel that the explicit sex was exceptionally justified by context so it was not judged acceptable at '18'. Of course, the explicit sex could have been permitted at 'R18' on its own. However, an 'R18' without cuts was
not a realistic option in this case, not so much because it wasn't a sex work but because the violence and sexual violence that we permitted at '18' would not be permissible at 'R18'. So, if we had permitted the explicit sex at 'R18' (which we could
have) we would have had to make additional cuts for 'R18' (to violence and sexual violence) that would not have been required at '18'.
A Bay of Blood is a 1971 Italian horror by Mario Bava. With Claudine Auger, Luigi Pistilli and Claudio Camaso.
Banned by the BBFC for 1972 cinema release, then banned on VHS as a Video nasty in 1983. Unbanned but cut by the BBFC from 1994 until 2000. Uncut by the BBFC since 2010. The US R rated version is uncut.
Summary Review :
Granddaddy of all slasher movies
Bay of Blood is often called the "Granddaddy of all slasher movies". After watching Bay of Blood you can definitely see where Friday the 13th (made in 1980)
got a lot of it's ideas. Saying that, Bay of Blood does not possess the single element that defined the slasher film, the indestructible, omnipresent killer.
The movie succeeds almost entirely thanks to Mario Bavo, who serves as both
director and cinematographer, with his typical stylish flare which heavily influenced the great Dario Argento, his eye appealing use of color and interesting editing techniques, which include a lot of blurry dissolves give Bay of Blood an almost
dream-like, surrealistic feel.
Versions
uncut
run:
83:54s
pal:
80:33s
UK: Passed 18 with BBFC cuts waived for:
2019 Arrow Macabre Visions Limited Edition (RB) Blu-ray at UK Amazon
2011
Arrow/ArrowDrome [English + Italian Version] R2 DVD at UK Amazon
2010 Arrow [English + Italian Version] R0 Blu-ray at UK Amazon
2010 Arrow [English + Italian Version] R2 DVD at UK
Amazon
US: Uncut and MPAA R Rated for:
2013 Kino [English + Italian] RA Blu-ray at US Amazon
There is an English language version and an Italian language version. Dialogue scenes were shot twice but there is no real difference between the two beyond the language.
The first murder of a teenage girl loses 2s in 2 cuts, the first of her throat being cut from behind and the other of a graphic hatchet blow to the head.
21s (nearly the entire scene) is cut from a boy dying with a machete embedded in his
face.
3 cuts totally 9s diminish the death of couple impaled with a spear whilst making love. We love the blood welling from the wounds and their writhing whilst impaled.
2s When Federica gets beheaded, the tracking shot of her neck
spilling blood is missing.
11s has been cut from the death of Simon being forced up a wall by a spear impaled in his stomach.
uncut
run:
84:16s
pal:
80:54s
UK: Released
uncut on pre-cert video for:
1983 Hokushin VHS
The uncut version titled Blood Bath was released on the Hokushin label in February 1983 and was listed as a video nasty in March 1984. It stayed on the list throughout, so became one of the
collectable DPP39s
Bedtime is a 1967 UK drama short by John Irvin. With Imogen Hassall and Michael
Latimer.
Banned by the BBFC for 1967 cinema release
Summary Notes: Inbetweeners
Film begins at the end of one act of love-making and ends at the beginning of the next. It is a dialogue between
two people who are neither in love nor married to each other.
An explicit compilation of short films with just as
strong scenes of sexual activity filmed during festival parties.
Compilation of 5 short prize winners from previous festivals:
Introduction
Eyetoon
Baby
The stripper
4. Norien ten (uncredited direction)
Life with video
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.
The Big Doll House is a 1971 USA / Philippines action drama by Jack Hill. Starring Roberta Collins, Pam Grier and Judith Brown.
Banned by the BBFC for 1971 cinema release.
Cut by the BBFC for 1987
VHS.
Uncut for 2003 DVD.
Uncut in the US
Summary Review: Naive Silly Fun
Beautiful women prisoners are abused in a Philippine prison, until 5 of them plot an escape by taking the evil female
warden hostage with the reluctant help of 2 male fruit vendors.
The whole film has a tone of naivety despite of its run of sex and violence. The plot couldn't be more simple: a group of women in prison, led by the resourceful
Collier (top-billed Judy Brown), plan an escape. Guards torment and molest prisoners. Prisoners get naked (though not as much as you'd expect for this genre). One evil head guard, Lucian tortures bad girls by tying them to tables and hanging snakes over
them.
The fast paced film is surprisingly well acted, and delivers all the usual thrills you would expect, with a few witty lines and some hysterical monologues.
Availability
Current UK Status: Passed 18 uncut
UK: An extended version was passed 18 uncut with previous BBFC cuts waived for:
Nico Palmieri is a police inspector who battles against
hoodlums terrorising a sleepy Italian village, extorting cash from the locals.
The Big Racket benefits immensely from a strong leading performance courtesy of Fabio Testi. Testi's portrayal of the angry police officer is perfectly
judged to fit the movie, and I don't think there is an actor who could be better suited to playing the lead in this movie.
The script is really good, and finds time to flesh out its characters as well as deliver witty dialogue
that is always a part of this movie's bigger budget American cousins. It all boils down to a fabulous conclusion which serves in ensuring the movie gets the bloody end it deserves, as well as rounding off the story perfectly.
Availability
Current UK Status: Passed 18 after 14s cuts
US: Uncut and MPAA Unrated for:
US 2012 Blue Underground [Midnight Movies Triple Action Feature] R0 DVD at US Amazon
Bijoux de Famille is a 1975 France adult film by Jean-Claude Laureux. With Françoise Brion, Corinne O'Brien and Michel Fortin.
Initially banned by the BBFC for 1975 cinema release.
Later cut for
cinema releases in 1976, 1985 and 1992.
Also cut for 1987 VHS.
Summary Review: What might have been
Between Just Jaeckin's Emmanuelle packing Champs Elyse'es theaters to the rafters and the
dirty movie deluge that was just around the corner, Continental carnal cinema got a taste of what might have been had the budding genre been allowed to progress logically without stringent government interference ruining its potential. French fornication
filmmakers believed that their explicit sexual content would eventually be assimilated by mainstream entertainment. Alas, this was not to be, the country's draconian X Law - slapping humongous taxes on all aspects of adult film production and
distribution - to blame only in part for this evolution or rather lack thereof.
The sole directorial effort of Jean-Claude Laureux, erstwhile cherished collaborator of the late great Louis Malle, remains an ambitious
attempt to blend traditional cinema with the plentiful pulchritude and still simulated yet surprisingly graphic sexual activity allowed by recently relaxed censorship laws. By way of knee jerk reaction, the movie was briefly banned altogether by the
commission for film classification until progressive Cultural Secretary of State Michel Guy overrode their decision, liberating the title for release with an 18 certificate.
This mild-mannered social satire of the
country's privileged upper middle classes, themselves close to extinction post May 1968, plays out like a mixture of neutered Claude Chabrol and French boulevard theater.
Availability
Current UK Status: Passed 18 after 22s of BBFC cuts
The Black Alley Cats is a 1973 US action film by
Henning Schellerup. With Sunshine Woods, Sandy Dempsey and Charlene Miles.
Banned by the BBFC for 1984 cinema release.
Summary Review:
Crude and Tasteless
Wanting revenge on a street gang for a rape attack, four young girls get together, take kung-fu lessons, learn how to shoot, form a gang called the Black Alley Cats and search out the gang that
attacked them.
It's all very cheap, crude and tasteless but the background music during the lengthy sex scenes should be of interest to fans of lounge/psych music.
Black Market of Love is a 1966 West Germany crime film by Ernst Hofbauer Starring Uta Levka, Astrid Frank and Claus Tinney
Banned by the BBFC for 1967 cinema release.
Summary Notes
Harald and Rolf lure young women with newspaper adds promising a lucrative future as dancers. Once the girls get hooked they are drugged to submission.
Black Sunday is a 1960 Italy horror by Mario Bava. With Barbara Steele, John Richardson and Andrea Checchi. Censorship History
UK: Banned by the BBFC for 1961 cinema release UK: The cut US Version (Black Sunday) was passed 15 without BBFC cuts for 1986 Stablecane VHS. The shorter re-edited US
print which was missing around 3 minutes of dialogue and violence .
UK: Uncut European Version (Mask of Satan) was passed 15 uncut for 1992 Redemption VHS
Summary Review: Wonderful black and white film
A vengeful witch and her fiendish servant return from the grave and begin a bloody campaign to possess the body of the witch's beautiful look-alike descendant.
Italian director Mario Bava
exploded onto the horror scene with Black Sunday. The movie succeeds fantastically at conveying a bleak atmosphere of horror.
Availability
Current UK Status: Passed 15 uncut
UK: Passed 15 uncut for:
2019 Arrow Limited Edition [9 films of Mario Bava including Mask of Satan + Black Sunday] (RB) Blu-ray
at UK Amazon
UK 2013 Arrow [Mask 0f Satan + Black Sunday + I
vampiri] RB Blu-ray/R1 DVD at UK Amazon
UK 2007 Starz
Mario Bava Collection R2 DVD via UK Amazon
Blindman is a 1971 Italy/1971 western by Ferdinando Baldi. With Tony Anthony, Ringo Starr and Lloyd Battista.
Initially banned, but soon resubmitted and cut for an X rated 1972 cinema
release.
Summary Review: A Great Movie
A blind, but deadly, gunman, is hired to escort fifty mail order brides to their miner husbands. His business partners double cross him, selling the women to
bandit Domingo. Blindman heads into Mexico in pursuit.
This is currently a comic book western. But that doesn't mean that it's bad! It's a great movie and it's violent for a movie made in 1971, one scene at the end is really
disgusting.
A great music score by Stelvio Cipriati, good action scenes and an amazing Tony Anthony makes it to one of the better spaghetti westerns. Don't miss!
The Bloody Fists is a 1972 Hong Kong martial arts film by See-Yeun Ng With Sing Chen, Kuan Tai Chen and Ta Chuan Liu.
Banned by the BBFC for UK 1973 cinema release
Passed X after BBFC cuts
for UK 1976 cinema release A short version was passed 18 after 57s of cuts for UK 1986 Sheptonhurst VHS titled The Bloody Fist
A Re-edited Version was passed 18 uncut with previous BBFC cuts waived for UK 2004 Firefly R2 DVD titled Dragon Showdown.
Summary Review: A Classic!
Basically it's about a bunch of Japanese martial arts experts harassing a Chinese village on the lookout for the secret dragon herb . The
Japanese face hard resistance from the Chinese fighters who run a martial arts academy up in the mountains. Unanticipated assistance in terms of fighting expertise, however, comes from a refugee on the run.
The fighting
scenes are not very realistic but cool anyway. A classic!
Availability
Current UK Status: Passed 18 uncut
A Re-edited Version was passed 18 uncut with previous BBFC cuts waived
for:
UK 2007 Dragon R2 DVD titled Bloody Fist at UK Amazon
UK 2006 Firefly R2
DVD titled Dragon Showdown at UK Amazon
UK 2005 Dragon
R2 DVD titled Bloody Fist
UK 2004 Firefly R2 DVD titled Dragon Showdown
v Bloody Friday
- 1972 West Germany/Italy bank heist film by Rolf Olsen and Lee Payant.
Bloody Friday is a 1972 West Germany/Italy bank heist film by Rolf Olsen and Lee Payant. With Raimund Harmstorf, Amadeus August and Gianni Mttacchia.
Banned by the BBFC for 1973 cinema release. The film has not been
resubmitted to the BBFC since the ban. Uncut and MPAA R rated in the US
Summary Review: Gratuitous Violence
Based on an actual Munich bank robbery.. Things don't go exactly as planned (wouldn't you
know it); and, the heist turns into a hostage situation. Bloody Friday offers plenty of gratuitous violence, which must have been considerably more shocking in its day.
Passed 18 after 11s of BBFC cuts for the 1986 Rank VHS
Passed 18 uncut for strong violence, sexual violence and incest references with previous BBFC cuts waived for the 2009 Optimum R2 DVD
Summary Review: Humour and repugnancy
Machine gun totin' Ma Barker lead her family gang (her sons) on a crime spree in the Depression era. Her loyal brood have every perversion imaginable. The sadistic
Herman sleeps with his Ma and Lloyd Barker is a spaced-out drug addict who sniffs glue.
It's a morbidly colourful mixture of negative southern poor white trash stereotypes, encapsulated in a family of sociopaths, with a vintage
Shelly Winters bringing her trademark intensity to the role of Ma Barker and a great cast as her sons.
A mishmash of humour and repugnancy, it's definitely not for the squeamish.
Availability
Current UK Status: Passed 18 uncut
UK: Passed 18 uncut for strong violence, sexual violence and incest references with previous BBFC cuts waived for:
Bloody Pit of Horror is a 1965 Italy/US horror by Massimo Pupillo. With Mickey Hargitay, Walter Brandi and Luisa Baratt.
Banned by the BBFC for 1967 cinema release.
Summary Review:
Pyschovision
A photographer and his models go to an old, abandoned castle to shoot some sexy covers for horror novels. Tragically for them, the castle is inhabited by a lunatic and closet torturer.
Bloody Pit of Horror is one weird Gothic horror film with a creepy castle, a legend of a ruthless torturer promising vengeance from the grave, and really cool instruments of death lying round in abundance. It was even filmed in Psychovision
.
On the negative side reviewers have found the plot silly and/or just weird. But on the whole the positives have outweighed the negatives and the general result is very much thumbs up.
Availability
Current UK Status: Never released after ban
US: The Original Italian Version is uncut and MPAA Unrated for:
Blue Story is a 2019 UK crime drama by Andrew Onwubolu. Starring Stephen
Odubola, Micheal Ward and Khali Best.
Passed 15 uncut by the BBFC for 2019 cinema release. Cinema bosses temporarily banned the film after violence broke out a Birmingham screening in November 2019.
Summary Notes
Blue Story is a tragic tale of a friendship between Timmy and Marco, two young boys from opposing postcodes. Timmy, a shy, smart, naive and timid young boy from
Deptford, goes to school in Peckham where he strikes up a friendship with Marco, a charismatic, streetwise kid from the local area. Although from warring postcodes, the two quickly form a firm friendship until it is tested and they wind up on rival sides
of a street war. Blue Story depicts elements of Rapman's own personal experiences and aspects of his childhood.
Versions
uncut
run:
91:16s
pal:
87:37s
UK: Passed 15 uncut for very strong language, strong
violence, threat, sex, drug misuse:
2020 Paramount Home Entertainment R2 DVD at UK Amazon
2019 cinema release
banned
UK: Banned from the Vue cinema chain after gang violence with machetes at a screening in inner city Birmingham.
The Born Losers is a 1967 USA action thriller by Tom Laughlin (as TC Frank). Starring Tom Laughlin, Elizabeth James and Jeremy Slate.
Banned by the BBFC for 1969 cinema release. A shortened re-release was
passed X without BBFC cuts for 1975 cinema release. The BBFC required cuts for the 18 rated full length 1987 VHS. Uncut and MPAA PG rated in the US. Cinema releases were also banned in New Zealand and Sweden.
Summary Notes
A malicious motorcycle gang harasses the residents of a small California town, intimidating most residents to not report them to the police. Among the gang's crimes is the rape of four young women. As the gang attempts to threaten the
women into not testifying at the indictment hearing, one of the women, Vicki, comes under the protection of Billy Jack, who has also had several altercations with the gang. The gang escalates their pressure on both Vicki and Billy Jack to keep her out of
the courtroom.
Availability
Current UK Status: Last release cut for 18 rated VHS in 1975
Brute Corps is a 1971 USA action drama by Jerry Jameson. Starring Paul
Carr, Joseph Kaufmann and Jennifer Billingsley.
Banned by the BBFC for 1972 cinema release
Summary Notes
A couple runs into a strange Marine camp where soldiers perform training exercises. The girl gets tormented, and the guy goes
after them.
A beautiful hitchhiker and a draft dodger travel to Mexico and encounter a pack of mercenaries awaiting their next mission in Central America. A terribly psychotic merc takes a liking to the girl
which sets the couple on a brutal and violent course of torture and rape. Gritty and exciting, this one is not for the faint of heart.
The Candy Snatchers is a 1973 US crime film by Guerdon
Trueblood. With Tiffany Bolling, Ben Piazza and Susan Sennett.
Banned by the BBFC for 1973 cinema release.
Summary Review: Classic exploitation
The Candy Snatchers is a very good example of the exploitation genre. It boasts a good plot
with fine one liner dialogue and a wicked black sense of humour. The actor is also good. And to add to the mix, the plot featuring incest, drugs, murder, rape, and kidnapping is described as sleazy but light on violence.
There are several scenes that seem to have inspired Quentin Tarantino's homages to the genre.
Availability
Current UK Status: Banned in the UK
US: Uncut and MPAA R Rated for:
2020 Vinegar Syndrome R0 Blu-ray/R0 DVD Combo at US Amazon
The Case of the Smiling Stiffs is a 1973 USA comedy horror by Sean S Cunningham and Brud Talbot. Starring Sheila Stuart, Jed Ziegler and Cathy Walker.
Banned by the BBFC for 1974 but was passed later that same year after cuts.
Uncut in the US but there is an unconfirmed report of a harder version
Summary Notes
Is Emma a voyeur vampire who can turn into a bat? Apparently, and she leaves many smiling faces on her victims after
going down on them during a full moon. When they're not having sex with their suspects, two cops investigate the murders.
Long before Friday The 13th Sean Cunningham made this little beauty.
It's actually the best movie he's ever made!
Chelsea Girls is a 1966 USA drama by Paul Morrissey and Andy Warhol.
With Brigid Berlin, Randy Borscheidt and Ari Boulogne.
Banned by the BBFC for 1967 cinema release and not released since. It was broadcast by Channel 4, presumably uncut, in December 1993.
Summary Notes
Lacking a formal narrative, Warhol's art house classic follows various residents of the Chelsea Hotel in 1966 New York City, presented in a split screen with a single audio track in conjunction with one side of screen.
For four odd hours Warhol, using the double-screen technique, declares war against every sensory logic we have grown used to in the movies. Sometimes, the movie just doesn't move. Sometime it does, but at an odd speed. But if you
endure, your perception of the art of motion pictures is in for a ride! Depicting the lives of underground characters known from Lou Reed and Velvet Underground songs, this movie is not only cinematic beauty at its extreme, but also a fascinating
documentation of an era in which modernist art reached its climax.
Close Encounters of a Handyman is a 1976 West Germany adult comedy by Johnny Wyder. With Jan Boven, Rainer Peets and Tina Traven.
The film was banned by the BBFC for 1978 cinema release. A softcore version
was then cut for an X rated cinema release also in 1978. There is also an uncut hardcore version.
Summary Notes
Buddies Frank and Fred have their own company, "Frank & Fred's All-Around
Service", a maintenance company that services a large apartment complex. However, the main "services" they provide are to the lonely and horny housewives who live in the complex.
Versions
uncut
run:
86:15s
pal:
82:48s
Germany
worldwide
Germany: The hardcore version is uncut
Worldwide: The hardcore version is available on XHamster titled Ein guter Hahn wird selten fett
cut
cut:
run:
76:08s
pal:
73:05s
UK: A softcore version was passed X (18) after BBFC cuts:
1978 cinema release
banned
UK: Banned by the BBFC for:
1978 cinema release
v Coffy
- 1973 USA action crime thriller by Jack Hill.
Coffy is a 1973 USA action crime thriller by Jack Hill. With Pam Grier, Booker Bradshaw and Robert DoQui.
Initially banned by the BBFC for 1973 cinema release. Resubmitted with cuts
and then further cut by the BBFC for 1974 cinema release. Passed 18 uncut in 1988. Uncut in the US
Summary Review : Blaxploitation classic!
Coffy is a nurse whose younger sister gets involved in drugs
and is severely injured by contaminated heroin. Coffy sets out on a mission of vengeance and vigilante justice, killing drug dealers, pimps, and mobsters who cross her path.
Maxim magazine lists Coffy as number 7 on its
list of the 50 best B-movies of all time, and there can clearly be no mistake about its status as a B-movie. Pam Grier shines in this hilarious action-packed blaxploitation flick where she first got her name as a 'black pin-up queen' during the early
70's.
This brilliant film mixes comedy right in there with the action. From the campy catfight scenes when Coffy dumps a salad bowl onto a blonde girl's head, to when King George makes his first appearance and steps out of his car in
his pimp outfit, complete right down to the feather in his hat! The action is fairly consistent. There are a lot of guns firing off and endless catfights.
UK: A short version was passed X (18) after
BBFC cuts for:
1974 cinema release
From IMDb. The BBFC cuts were
Cut to the stabbing of Omar
Thanks to Craig who wrote to the BBFC who responded:
Coffey was initially rejected because the BBFC felt too many cuts would be required to make it acceptable at X and that these cuts would damage the film. However, the
following year the distributor submitted a heavily re-edited version (renamed Coffy), which was finally passed X, I believe after further cuts.
The softcore film was originally made as The Coming of Seymour but was released in the US as The Fabulous Fanny to relate it to a cartoon strip in Playboy. It was not a success and was reworked with extra
scenes and re-released in 1977 as The Boob Tube Strikes Again!
The film is about a couple interacting with an X rated film on hotel TV. The film within a film is about the voluptuous cartoon character of Fanny, who
dominates the daydreams of young Seymour. This sexual obsession stands in the way of his siring a child that will enable him to inherit the family fortune. Seymour thoroughly enjoys his attempts to impregnate as many beautiful women as possible, but each
time he is unable to reach that million dollar climax.
Confessions of a Blue Movie Star is a 1978 West Germany documentary by Wes Craven & Andrzej Kostenko. With Carl Amery, Josephine Bayerl and Sonja Embriz.
Initially banned by the BBFC for 1978 cinema release but it was quickly passed X after cuts. Pre-cut for 1986 18 rated VHS.
Summary review: Mockumentary
A mockumentary showing the
process of casting a porn movie, the legalities of underage wanna-be participants and the effects of becoming a porn star.
Trying to play it as an actual documentary, it doesn't really work but it is interesting
nonetheless. A so-called snuff element comes into it at the very end but is rather disappointing. The only redeeming feature is actual deleted scenes from Wes Craven's Last House On The Left, which they play up as actual snuff footage.
Versions
pre-cut
cut:
run:
74:25s
pal:
71:26s
UK: A cut version was passed 18 without further BBFC cuts for:
1986 Sheptonhurst VHS
cut
cut:
run:
78:01s
pal:
74:54s
UK: Passed X (18) after BBFC cuts for:
1978 cinema release
banned
UK: Banned by the BBFC for:
1978 cinema release
v Crash
- 1996 Canada / UK drama by David Cronenberg.
Crash is a 1996 Canada / UK drama by David Cronenberg. Starring James Spader, Holly
Hunter and Elias Koteas.
British newspapers whipped up a moral panic and the film was banned in
Westminster. No problems for the BBFC though and it was passed 18 uncut for cinema and home video. In the US the NC-17 version is uncut whilst the R rated version is significantly cut.
Summary Notes
Since a road accident left him with serious facial and bodily scarring, a former TV scientist has become obsessed by the marriage of motor-car technology with what he sees as the raw sexuality of car-crash victims. The scientist, along with a crash victim he has recently befriended, sets about performing a series of sexual acts in a variety of motor vehicles, either with other crash victims or with prostitutes whom they contort into the shape of trapped corpses. Ultimately, the scientist craves a suicidal union of blood, semen, and engine coolant, a union with which he becomes dangerously obsessed.
The film adaptation, directed by David Cronenberg, becomes a futuristic love story set in the present . James (James Spader) and Catherine (Deborah Kara-Ungar) are a married
couple so filled with inertia that they are desperate for some emotional connection by any means necessary. After a series of extra martial encounters they find themselves attracted to a group of disturbed members of a bizarre car-crash sect who enact
famous car crashes for kicks. The pair soon find themselves willing accomplices in a tableaux of violence and desire until finally they attain some provisional approximation of actual love. Kara-Ungar's portrayal of Catherine exemplifies perfectly the
icy detachment of a woman who appears to be observing herself from another galaxy.
Crash is, above all, a brave attempt to explore an almost un-bearable subject - the death of affect and our unconscious desire for
violence.
Perhaps in the light of the continuing media onslaught against the film, Westminster Council - who had previously given permission for the film to be premiered in their area as part of the 1996 London Film Festival - parted company with the BBFC at this point, insisting that cuts should now be made to the film before it was shown in the West End. The distributors declined to make cuts solely for screenings in Westminster and the film was therefore effectively banned from screens in the West End, including Leicester Square. However, cinema goers could easily see the film in neighbouring Camden where the council allowed the film to play uncut with its BBFC certificate
Cry Uncle is a 1971 USA sex comedy by John G Avildsen. With Jackson Beck, Pamela Gruen and Allen Garfield.
Initially banned by the BBFC for 1972 cinema release but it was later passed X after heavy cuts. The film was further cut for 18 rated VHS in 1987. Uncut and MPAA R rated in the US.
Summary Notes
Private detective takes on a case and gets mixed up in murder, sex and blackmail.
Cry Uncle! is a real curiosity piece...a raunchy, sex- and naked body-filled detective yarn with decent acting, some
genuine laughs, some amazingly tasteless scenes, and one brief bit of hardcore porn involving a 65-year-old man. Oh, yeah, and it was directed by the guy who would eventually bring you Rocky and The Karate Kid.
It is highly unusual for an MPAA R rated movie to include visible sexual genital contact, although the impact of this scene is greatly reduced by it being shown in the negative.
cut
US: The Prism VHS release was cut
total
cut:
~10m
run:
77:08s
pal:
74:03s
1:10s
pre-cut
UK: A pre-cut version was passed 18 after 1:10s of further BBFC cuts for:
Daddy, Darling is a 1970 Denmark/USA drama by Joseph W Sarno. With Helli Louise, Gio Petré and Ole Wisborg.
Banned by the BBFC for UK 1970 cinema release
But then passed X (18) uncut for UK 1973 cinema release
Summary Review: Intelligent erotica
A young Danish girl (Helli Louise) seduces everything in sight after daddy refuses her naughty come-ons. She'll have a lesbian affair with her teacher, pretend that her teenage boyfriend is dear old dad and finally get to
her stepmother
The taboo of incest is explored/exploited by Joe Sarno in this flick, but it's the daughter lusting after Dad and not the other way around.
For a film made in 1969, it's notoriety lies in its
stretching the limits and possibilities of soft-core erotica, just before the advent of hardcore movies. It helps that the actresses are attractive, the nudity abundant, and the exploitation envelope pushed. All in all, a good example of reasonably
intelligent erotica from a lost era, well-handled and well-executed.
Availability
Current UK Status: Passed 18 uncut for cinema but never released on video.
Dashcam is a 2021 UK/US horror by Rob Savage Starring Annie Hardy, Amar Chadha-Patel
and Angela Enahoro
Passed 18 uncut by the BBFC for very strong language, strong bloody violence.
In the US: Rated R for bloody violence, pervasive language, and crude sexual references throughout
Banned by Vue Cinemas, May 2022
A new horror film is apparently considered so offensive that Vue cinemas have cancelled all scheduled screenings.
Those who had purchased tickets to see Dashcam, the new found-footage horror from director Rob Savage, were surprised
when they realised screenings would no longer take place. This was brought to the attention of Savage himself, who shared an email from a Vue employee received by one customer.
Apparently @vuecinemas have canceled our
screenings of DASHCAM because the movie is too offensive! If that doesn't make you want to watch this film, what will?
In the email, Vue told the customer:
Thank you for your question regarding Dashcam . I
have received feedack from our staffing screen and they have decided we won't be showing Dashcam at any of our venues due to the contents of the movie, which may offend our audiences.
We at Vue believe in diversity and any movie
which may offend audiences, we may decide to no longer show at the last second without notice. I'm sorry this is not the outcome you were looking for.
Vue later made an unconvincing attempt to row back on offensiveness being the
reason for the ban and cited commercial reasons instead.
The BBFC rating information reveals more about offensive aspects of the film. The BBFC explains:
The protagonist expresses homophobic attitudes, including
the use of discriminatory terms ('fag' and faggot'). Other discriminatory language includes 'retard, libtards and mongoloid.
A scene involves focus on human excrement after a woman soils herself in the backseat of a car.
The Demons is a 1972 France/Portugal horror by Jess Franco. With Anne Libert, Britt Nichols and Doris Thomas.
Banned by the BBFC for 1972 but the GLC awarded a local X rating for
screenings in London. The video was seized by the police during the video nasties moral panic in the early 80s. The Director's Cut was passed 18 uncut by the BBFC for 2008 DVD. The Original Version was passed 18 uncut for 2017 Blu-ray.
Summary Review :
A decent effort
The UK DVD of the Demons by Redemption is 103 minute directors cut restored by Franco in 2003 and is longer than the previous UK VHS release (which ran for less than 80 minutes). It is a decent
effort not as good as some of Franco's earlier work but definitely better than the stuff he directed in the early 80's for Eurocine. Some scenes are in French without English subtitles!
Availability
Current UK Status: Passed 18 uncut
UK: The Original Version was passed 18 uncut for strong sex, nudity, violence for:
Deported Women is a 1976 Italian women in prison film by Rino Di Silvestro. With John Steiner, Lina Polito and Stefania D'Amario.
Banned by the BBFC for 1977 cinema release. Available in the US
Summary Review: Sombre
A classic of Nazi filth & degradation according to one enthusiastic website. Deported Women of the SS Special Section offers not just women in prison, but women
in a Nazi concentration camp.
This 1976 film is written and directed by Rino Di Silvestro ( Werewolf Woman ), who mixes and matches characters and plots to keep our attention beyond the nudity.
We start with
a train car full of women, who are brought to the concentration camp and inspected by the medical staff. This means they get to be naked, which is obviously a main goal of this film.
As a sexploitation film this one is rather
depressing, with appropriately somber music, and a tacit acknowledgment that there is some history behind some of what we are seeing. Still, there are several interesting vignettes as Silvestro comes up with plausible vignettes for the sex in this one,
although provoking thought would not seem to be an obvious goal for a sexploitation film.
Derek and Clive
Get the Horn is a 1979 UK comedy by Russell Mulcahy. Starring Dudley Moore, Peter Cook and Richard Branson.
Banned by the BBFC for 1980 cinema release. Unbanned and uncut for home
video
The film was banned on the grounds of the supposedly abusive overuse of the swear words: Fuck & Cunt.
Summary Notes
Look... this isn't for everyone. It's Peter Cook and Dudley
Moore going back for one last excursion into the world of Derek and Clive. For the uninitiated, Pete and Dud hit on an unsurpassed comic concept of wallowing in vulgarity and absurdity which knew no bounds. Fortunately, Cook was a brilliant comic
who was at his best at improvisation. Moore could not have been a better foil and was able to keep up with Cook's ideas and helped taking them all the way to their - sometimes very clever or dreadful - end.
This is
great fun and highly recommended to anyone who appreciates extremely ribald, imaginative comedy.
Desires of a Naughty Nympho is a 1984 USA adult film by Chuck Vincent. Starring Samantha Fox, Jack Wrangler and Carol Cross.
Banned by the BBFC for UK 1985 cinema release
Promotional
Review: Classic porn!
VCA Gold Classics brings you a tale of orgies gone wild! Jill wants Jack to stop engaging in his carnal desires of group sex and tasting forbidden fruit. Tired of his exploits, she has some
of her own. Filled with drama, laughs and some good old fashioned group trysts, Jack n Jill 2 will take you back! Classic porn!
The Devils is a 1971 UK drama by Ken Russell With Vanessa Redgrave and Oliver Reed.
Cut by Warner Brothers and the BBFC for X rated cinema release in 1971.
The BBFC X rating was overruled and banned by 17 local councils.
In the US the film was further cut for an R rating. The UK cinema version was later released in the US with an X rating and misleadingly labelled as a Director's Cut.
The best
available version, with some cuts restored, is held by Warner Brothers, but has never been released except for a screening at the 100 years of the BBFC cinema event.
Much to the irritation of genre fans Warner's are sitting on the Director's Cut and refuse to release it. The Director's Cut was shown at an event celebrating 100 years of the BBFC.
Thanks to Gary. The Director's Cut consists of the
BBFC X rated version with 2 extra scenes that were previously cut, including the pre-cut scene known as the Rape of Christ. There is other cut footage which is now lost.
best available
cut:
run:
111:08s
pal:
106:41s
cinema cuts
cuts
UK: The cut UK
Cinema version/X Rated US Version was passed 18 without further cuts for:
This version restores the US cuts made for an R Rating and so is the cut/pre-cut UK Cinema Version. Note that this is misleadingly noted in the US as a Special Uncut Restored Version.
UK: A pre-cut version was passed X (18) after BBFC cuts
for:
The film was first seen by the BBFC in an unfinished rough cut on 27 January 1971. At around the same time, this rough cut was also shown to senior executives from
Warner Brothers, the film's distributor. Both the BBFC and Warners expressed strong reservations about the strong religious and sexual context of the film, which seemed likely to provoke significant controversy. Warners and the BBFC therefore drew up
separate lists of the cuts they would require before the film could be distributed in the UK. Warners were content with their own plus the additional cuts requested by the BBFC and a full list of required changes was forwarded to the director.
The cuts were intended to reduce:
(i) the explicitness and duration of certain sexual elements, including an orgy of nuns
(ii) elements of violence and gore during an interrogation scene and the final burning of the
character played by Oliver Reed
(iii) scenes that mixed sexual activity and religion in a potentially inflammatory fashion.
A modified - but still technically unfinished - version of the film was seen again by the BBFC on 8 April 1971, incorporating many (but not all) of the cuts requested by both the BBFC and by Warners. Ken Russell had toned down or
removed what had been regarded as the most difficult scenes, including the entire Rape of Christ sequence in which a group of nuns cavort on a crucifix, whilst hoping that the significant reductions he had already made would perhaps allow certain
other shots to remain. The BBFC requested further reductions in four sequences. Russell responded by complying fully with three of the cuts but insisted that the fourth additional cut could not be made properly because it would create continuity
problems.
On 18 May 1971 the BBFC awarded an X certificate to the cut version of the film. Because of the scale of the changes made to the film (including the deletion of one entire scene) it is difficult to
calculate accurately how much was removed from the film between January and May 1971. However, it is safe to say that several minutes were removed.
The resultant version suffered cuts as follows:
A scene showing nuns assaulting an effigy of the cross was deleted (approximately 30s)
An enema scene loses some details
The crushing of Grandier's legs
loses details.
Grandier's tongue torture loses details
Shots of a priest being assaulted by nuns after the King's visit are missing
Jeanne
masturbating with a chard bone was cut
Whippings scenes throughout were removed
cinema cuts
cuts
cuts
cut:
run:
107:59s
pal:
103:40s
UK: The extensively cut US R Rated Version was
passed 18 without further BBFC cuts for:
1988 Warner VHS
US: The cut UK Cinema Version was passed X for its US release but was further cut for an R Rating. This R Rated version was cut as follows:
Grandier (Oliver Reed) drives doctors away from dying woman loses some of hers screams and a little nudity.
Sister Jeanne (Vanessa Redgrave) dream of Grandier as Christ does not show her
licking Christ's wounds, clasped hands by a crown of thorns and some of the lovemaking scene.
Shots of Jeanne masturbating and two shots of her whipping herself have been removed.
A nude Phillipe (Georgina Hale) brought before Laubardemont (Dudley Sutton) has lost the pubic hair.
An enema of Jeanna on the altar does not show the insertion of a syringe between her legs.
Shots of nuns stripping and one vomiting have vanished
the King's visit to Loudon has lost vomit and pubic hair along with a nun masturbating with a candle and an enema.
A needle is Grandier's tongue has been cut.
Whilst Laubardem collects statements against Grandier, we miss naked nuns kissing and caressing.
The
shot of a nun's hanging body been taken down has been cut to remove nudity.
The torture of Grandier has lost 4 hammer blows and a shot of his bloody legs.
As Grandier crawls to
the stake, kicks by Barre (Michael Gothard) have been deleted
The burning of Grandier has been reduced
Jeanne inserting a purging device between her legs is no more.
UK: banned on by
17 local authorities who overruled the BBFC X rating, including Surrey, Blackpool, Sevenoaks, Plymouth and Nottingham.
In Tunbridge Wells, the film was in the middle of its run when it was subject to pickets from local church bodies and, despite a
petition signed by 2,500 people in support of the film, the decision was made to cease screenings.
Glasgow magistrates banned the film in 1971 on grounds it offended good taste and public decency.
World: The film was banned at the time of
release in Finland, Italy, Ireland, Chile and New Zealand.
Django is a 1966 Italy/Spain western by Sergio Corbucci. With Franco Nero, José Bódalo and Loredana Nusciak.
The BBFC banned the 1969 cinema release. The film was passed 18 without
BBFC cuts for 1993 VHS and then passed 15 without BBFC cuts for 2004 Argent DVD. A restored and extended version as been released in the US.
Don't listen to any claims made made for
Bullet For A General, Django is without a doubt the best non-Leone spaghetti Western of all time. Corbucci's direction is more controlled here than anywhere else--less zooms, less jarring close-ups, and neater editing. And Django has to be one of the
first action heroes to fire a heavy machine gun from the hip (without even pulling the trigger, no less!).
But make no mistake. This is Italian exploitation--love it or hate it. An ear is cut off, prostitutes fight in the
mud, and our hero's hands are crushed in gory detail that would make One-Eyed Jacks mumble in disgust.
Versions
Restored Version
run:
90m
pal:
86m
US: A restored version with a little extra material is MPAA Unrated for:
2020 Arrow Steelbook Limited Edition [Django + Texas Adios] RA Blu-ray at US Amazon
2013 Blue Underground [Spaghetti Westerns Unchained] R0 DVD at US Amazon
It is not clear which version of the film is released but in the absence of a BBFC submission ten presumably it is the same as the previous 15 rated release.
UK: Effectively banned after the BBFC who nominally offered very heavy cuts. Then withdrawn by the distributor so the rejection was not formally recorded for:
1974 cinema release
UK: Stephen Murphy of the BBFC advised prospective distributors that the ban would be continued for:
1972 cinema release
UK: Banned by the BBFC for:
1967 cinema release
The BBFC commented on Twitter in 2014:
When the BBFC saw Django they were concerned by the excessive violence in the film & the moral tone
Django was refused a certificate unless heavy cuts
were made to violence in the film
The distributor decided the film would be of little value to him if heavily cut & so withdrew it
v Escape from Hell
- Escape from Hell is 1980 Spain/Italy prison drama by Edoardo Mulargia.
Escape from Hell is a Escape from Hell is 1980 Spain/Italy prison drama by Edoardo Mulargia. With Anthony Steffen, Ajita Wilson and Cristina Lay.
Banned by the BBFC for UK 1980 cinema release titled Escape from Hell
A
version of Hell Prison substantially reworked for the US market with additional material featuring Linda Blair and re-titled
Savage Island . This was passed 18 after 22s of BBFC cuts for UK 1986 EIV VHS
Original version was passed 18 after 3:46s of BBFC
cuts for UK 1988 Sheptonhurst VHS titled Hell Prison
Summary Review: Eurotrash
All the girls look sweaty, stinky & dirty as they work, fight and make out with each other. That's about it for
plot until they do escape and most of them get killed. Europeans love those downbeat endings.
It's always nice to see Peter Lorre lookalike Luciano Pigozzi in another piece of low-rent Eurotrash like this. It's OK.
Availability
Current UK Status: Passed 18 after 3:46s of BBFC cuts
US: Uncut and MPAA Unrated for:
US 2009 Shock-O-Rama Women in Prison Triple Feature R1 DVD via UK Amazon and
at US Amazon titled Escape from Hell
A version of Hell Prison substantially reworked for the US market with additional material featuring Linda Blair and re-titled
Savage Island
Exhibition is a 1975 France adult documentary by Jean-François Davy. Starring Claudine Beccarie, Benoît Archenoul and Noëlle Louvet.
Banned by the BBFC for a UK 1976 cinema release
A softcore version played in London cinemas with a GLC X certificate
A softcore version was released on pre-cert video for UK 1979 World of Video 2000 VHS.
The Director's Cut is
complete and MPAA Unrated for US DVD release coupled with Transgression.
Summary Review: French Success
This is a documentary about French porno star Claudine Beccarie, the original containing several
staged hardcore scenes.
Jean-Francois Davy's motivation was noble he really tried to present his subject as a fully rounded human being who just happened to be working in the sex industry. The result was a huge commercial hit
in France where it played regular cinemas packed to capacity, before the 1976 X -law relegated it to more specialized venues until 1983 when Minister of Culture Jack Lang removed the X-rating which enabled Davy to re-release the film with added
footage, again with great success.
Availability
Current UK Status: Not submitted to the BBFC since the ban
US: The Director's Cut is complete and MPAA Unrated for:
2015 Artsploitation Films [Transgression + Exhibition] R1 DVD at US Amazon released on 28th
July 2015
v Fanny Hill
- 1964 USA/West Germany comedy by Russ Meyer and Albert Zugsmith.
Fanny Hill is a 1964 USA/West Germany comedy by Russ Meyer and Albert Zugsmith. With Letícia Román, Miriam Hopkins and Ulli Lommel.
Banned by the BBFC for 1965 cinema release. A number of local authorities
overruled the BBFC ban and allowed the film to be shown.
Summary Notes
Young, pretty and innocent Fanny Hill has lost her parents and must find her way in life amidst the perils of turbulent 18th
century London. She is fortunate enough to find rapidly a place as chambermaid of the effusive Mrs. Brown. Mrs. Brown lives in a large house teeming with female "relatives" in négligée and with very relaxed manners. She also insists that Fanny
meets alone various gentlemen who show an ardent interest in Fanny.
Inane dialogue in this Russ Meyer burlesque farce/love story....but the naughty subject matter and low cut dresses were probably enough to keep the viewing public
interested.
Availability
Current UK Status: Banned by the BBFC
US: Uncut and MPAA Unrated for:
2013 Vinegar Syndrome (RA) Blu-ray/(R1) DVD Combo at US Amazon
v Fantasm
- 1976 Australia comedy by Richard Franklin (as Richard Bruce).
Fantasm is a 1976 Australia comedy by Richard Franklin (as Richard Bruce). Starring John Holmes, Uschi Digard and Candy Samples.
Banned by the BBFC for 1977 cinema release but passed X the next year after
very heavy cuts. Still heavily cut by the BBFC for 2010 DVD. Uncut in the US.
Summary Notes
Professor Jurgen Notafreud explores the 10 most
common female sexual fantasies.
Thanks to Gary:
The film is softcore bit you can glimpse John Holmes's erection very briefly in an underwater sex scene (which was mostly cut by the OFLC on original
release) but it really is blink and miss it. There is also brief penis kissing in the pool scene. Does that count as fellatio?
Reviews
This is an erotic
film, quite advanced for its time. A must see for those wishing to see softcore stars Rene Bond, Uschi Digart in the nude with their hairy bushes.
All the outrageous nudity is innocently explained away in scientific jargon
by a Professor to get under the oppressive censorship of those times.
Fiebre is a 1971 Argentina drama by Amando Bo. With Isabel Sarli, Armando Bo and Horacio Priani.
Banned by the BBFC for 1975 cinema release
Summary review from
IMDB: Atmosphere of strangeness
In 1968 and 1969, Amando Bo and Isabel Sarli produced their three masterpieces: Carne , Fuego y Fiebre , three films that are unique in the world, three films
that influenced John Waters big time and were a clear precedent to his revolutionary work.
Fiebre is an amazing piece of experimental film-making. The idea is Isabel falls in love with a horse . An so we see shots of
her touching her breast over imposed with shots of the horse's organ for an hour nd a half. It sounds boring. It's not.
Bo's movies have an atmosphere of strangeness. They deserve a place in film history.
Fight for your Life is a 1977 Canadian crime drama by Robert A Endelson. With Robert Judd, Catherine Peppers and Lela Small.
Banned by the BBFC for 1981 cinema release.
The 1982 uncut video release
from Vision On was banned as a video nasty in September 1984 a nd remained on the DPP list throughout the panic and so became one of the collectable DPP39's
Not seen since in the UK.
Summary Review : Disturbing Scenes
Strange entry in the list in that most of the video is taken up by talking about vengeance rather than getting on with the job.
Three
escaped convicts seek refuge at the home of a black minister and his family, there the family is humiliated and beaten. When his daughter is violated the family begin to embark on some vengeance.
A film which has very little to offer other than
racial hatred and some rather disturbing scenes of violence. But so became a grindhouse classic.
Yoko Ono's experimental film from 1966 consists entire
of close-up shots of male and female buttocks, as the people involved walk backwards to the camera and the soundtrack plays the thoughts of the participants. Part of the problem was that the film occasionally afforded glimpses of male or female
genitalia, seen from behind. These glimpses were hardly explicit.
The film was intended to be shown at the Albert Hall as part of a collection of avant-garde filmmaking. Any exposure would have been projected at a vast size, and
the event was likely to attract the press, looking for films to both scoff at and be outraged by. Film censor John Trevelyan reverted to type, and so the film was rejected with the suggestion that it be submitted to the GLC instead, who approved it
without concerns, though still with an X rating
So Number Four and the other films eventually played in a Charing Cross Road cinema club to a small but appreciative audience. The film was never resubmitted to the BBFC. Perhaps the
most sensible decision on the film came from Birmingham council, who passed this innocuous and harmless film with a U certificate.
Summary Notes
This film consists entirely of
close ups of famous persons' bottoms. Ono meant it to encourage a dialogue for world peace.
Versions
uncut
run:
6m
pal:
6m
X
Birmingham U
GLC: Passed X uncut:
1967 cinema release
Birmingham: Passed U uncut:
1967 cinema release
banned
run:
6m
pal:
6m
UK: Passed X (18) after BBFC cuts for:
1972 cinema release
Said to be Britain's very first 3D feature film.
v Flossie
- 1974 Sweden erotic romance by Mac Ahlberg
Flossie is a 1974 Sweden erotic romance by Mac Ahlberg Starring Marie Forså, Jack Frank and Anita Ericsson
Banned by the BBFC from a 1976 cinema release. A significantly cut version was later
passed X for 1977 cinema release and 18 rated VHS in 1987. The film was released uncut in the US in 2022.
Summary Notes
A young embassy officer in Stockholm has an unexpected and
mysterious encounter with a strange woman who introduces the fascinating, yet inexperienced teenager Flossie to him with the intention to gently and softly seduce her.
Versions
uncut
run:
92:01s
pal:
88:20s
US: Uncut and presumably MPAA Unrated for:
2022 Dark Force [Flossie + Keep It Up Jack] (RA) Blu-ray at US Amazon #ad
pre-cut
run:
66m
pal:
63m
UK: A pre-cut version missing about 25m was passed 18 without further BBFC cuts:
1987 Sheptonhurst VHS titled Swedish Sex Kitten
The original version contains erections but no penetration. Presumably it was scenes with these hardcore elements that were cut.
pre-cut
run:
67m
pal:
64m
UK: A pre-cut version missing about 25m was passed X (18) without further BBFC cuts:
Forced Entry is a 1975 US thriller by Jim Sotos. With Tanya Roberts, Ron Max and Nancy Allen.
There was a 1973 hardcore film, Forced Entry , by Shaun Costello that
featured a maniac war vet killer. It obviously impressed and was remade by Jim Sotos without the hardcore. It was titled The Last Victim , originally with an MPAA PG rating. It didn't do well and was beefed up with stronger material. It was then MPAA R
rated and reissued theatrically as Forced Entry . This was a little too strong for the UK market and was toned down. However it was still banned by the BBFC from 1982 cinema release, but it did make it on to pre-cert VHS.
More recently the Director
reworked the Forced Entry version into his Director's Cut which drops most of the stronger footage.
Summary Review: Rapist in the 1st Person
Likened to Joe Spinell's Maniac except the focus is
more on the sexual perversion and assault rather than gory killing scenes.
It is filmed from the point of view of a serial rapist as he cruises round town looking for victims. Nancy Allen and Tanya Roberts fit the bill.
The first person narrative adds to the scariness and makes it more effective than most in the genre.
Availability
Current UK Status: Still banned
US: Stronger
footage was added and the film was theatrically reissued with an MPAA R rating now titled Forced Entry:
2020 Dark Force [The Last Victim + R rated Forced Entry] (RA) Blu-ray at US Amazon
491 is a 1964 Sweden drama by Vilgot Sjöman. With Lars Lind, Leif Nymark and Stig
Törnblom.
Banned by the BBFC for 1968 cinema release
Summary Review: Shocking
It is written that 490 times you can sin and be
forgiven. This motion picture is about the 491st.
This movie was an absolute bombshell when it opened in 1964. Proved shocking at the time with scenes including tacit allusions to sodomy and a scene depicting (out of shot) a dog
rape!
Apart from that there was the naked portrait of a society in change where young people behave in a way unknown to their parents. This was unnerving, unsettling.
But the Problem with the movie is that
despite its good intentions it doesn't work.
Garden Of Torment is a 1976 France drama by Christian Gion Starring Roger Van Hool, Jacqueline Kerry and Tony Taffin
Banned by the BBFC for 1976 cinema release under the title Garden of
Torture but passed X uncut the next year with the title Garden of Torment.
Summary Notes
In the 1930's a young doctor is forced to flee from Paris because he is involved in a drug
scandal. On his passage to China he meets a beautiful, eccentric woman. After their arrival in China, she introduces him into a circle of decadent Europeans which created a torture garden for their amusement. While the bored imperial upper class is
torturing the locals the revolution is rising.
This
very curious completely silent comedy includes some dramatic sequences and some fairly pornographic ones. The movie is made with titles, very much in the manner of early silent films.
Ginger is a 1971 USA crime drama by Don Schain. With Cheri Caffaro, Duane Tucker and
Herbert Kerr.
Banned by the BBFC for 1971 cinema release
Passed 18 after 14:20s of BBFC cuts for 1983 cinema release
Not released on UK home video
Summary Review
A rich society girl is
recruited to go undercover and expose a drug/blackmail/prostitution ring in her small town.
This is pure 70s sexploitation. Yes it is sexist, unPCand everything modern Hollywood tries not to be. But that's its charm. It is about
cute women toting unfeasible weapons and getting naked in an unbelievable B-movie plot.
A Girl Called Jules is a 1970 France / Italy drama by Tonino Valerii. With Silvia Dionisio, Gianni Macchia and Esmeralda Ruspoli.
Banned by the BBFC for 1971 cinema release. Unbanned for 1975 cinema
release and uncut on home video.
Summary Review: Worth the effort.
Teen girl Jules must deal with her budding sexuality, and the fact that some men and women want her adds to her confusion.
A distinctly Bergmanesque sexual melodrama. Silvia Dionisio is perfect in the title role and this remains her best film. A bit difficult to trace but well worth the effort.
Hells Angels on Wheels is a 1967 USA crime thriller by Richard
Rush. Starring Adam Roarke, Jack Nicholson and Sabrina Scharf.
Banned by the BBFC for 1967 cinema release. Unbanned after cuts for 1977 X rated cinema release. Massively cut for 18 rated 1988 VHS, and slightly less cut for 2005 15 rated DVD. Uncut and MPAA Unrated in the US.
Summary Notes: Classic
At first gas station attendant Poet is happy when the rockers gang "Hell's Angels" finally accepts him. But he's shocked when he learns how brutal they are - not even murder is a taboo to them. He gets
himself in trouble when the leader's girlfriend falls in love with him - and he welcomes her approaches.
Anyone with a more than curious interest in the Hells Angels will enjoy this piece of nostalgia. This is one of
the few films to be openly supported by the Hells Angels themselves.
While the story line may seem somewhat dated by modern standards, it does encompass what I feel to be some of the most classic aspects of the Angels
lifestyle of the time. A real treat for the biker movie buff.
The Horror of Party Beach is a 1964 USA musical horror by Del Tenney. Starring John Scott, Alice Lyon and Allan Laurel.
Initially banned by the BBFC for 1964 cinema release but later passed 'X'
after cuts. Passed 12 uncut for 2004 DVD. Uncut and MPAA Unrated in the US.
Summary Notes
While the hot-rodders and motorcyclists are having a rock-and-roll beach party, a barrel of radioactive material
is unloaded from a passing ship, plunges to the bottom, and splits against a jagged rock. A black liquid oozes out and covers a shapeless mass on the ocean floor, which suddenly moves and becomes an encrusted vicious monster. Soon there are several
monsters who must have human blood to survive. Tina is the first victim, and football hero Hank Green and airhead Elaine Gavin enlist the aid of her science-professor father, Dr. Gavin, to find and capture the killer. Not working fast enough to prevent
the attack on 20 teenagers at a slumber party or the killing of three girl motorists, Dr. Gavin finds an arm lost by one of the monsters and discovers that only sodium will destroy the monsters, whose composition is mostly water. Can they gather enough
salt in southern California to put an end to this horror?
Horrors of Spider Island is a 1960 West Germany horror by Fritz Böttger (as Jaime Nolan). Starring Harald Maresch, Helga Franck and Alexander D'Arcy.
Started life in 1960 as an adults only nudie, although it seems there
was also a clothed version available. The UK cinema release was banned banned by the BBFC. 3 years later the film was cut down into a horror film for US release. This US Version was passed 12 by the BBFC for DVD release in 2012. The original uncut
version was released on MPAA Unrated Blu-ray in 2020.
Summary Notes
En route to a show in Singapore, a troupe of beautiful dancers are stranded on a deserted island by a plane
crash. Their routine of skinny-dipping and devising new skimpy outfits is interrupted when a radioactive spider bites their manager and turns him into a wild-eyed, furry-faced monster with three fangs and a passion for strangling.
Continental Version/It's Hot in Paradise
Continental Version
run:
84m
pal:
81m
US: The Continental Version is uncut and MPAA Unrated for:
2020 Severin [Continental Version + US Version] RA Blu-ray at US Amazon
2020
Severin Amazon Prime VoD [US only] at US Amazon
Produced in 1960 as a notorious Adults Only feature throughout Europe (though banned in the UK), titled It's Hot in Paradise. Three years later and sheared of its nudity, it was repackaged for American audiences as Horrors of Spider Island, a
brain- melting monster movie filled with stripper-cat-fights, skimpy lingerie and radioactive arachnids.
Clothed Version
cut Clothed Version
cut:
run:
82:02s
pal:
78:45s
Germany
Germany: The German Version seems to be a clothed variant of the Continental Version
banned
UK:
Presumably it was the Clothed Version that was banned by the BBFC:
1960 cinema release
US Version
cut US Version
cut:
run:
77:52s
pal:
74:45s
UK: The US Version was passed 12 for moderate
sex references and infrequent nudity without further BBFC cuts:
2010 Archive Media Publishing R2 DVD
US: The Continental Version is MPAA Unrated for:
2020 Severin [Continental Version + US Version] RA Blu-ray at US Amazon
House on the Edge of the Park is a 1980 Italian horror thriller by Ruggero Deodato With David Hess and Annie Belle.
Banned by the BBFC for 1981 cinema release. Banned as a video nasty in 1983. Unbanned after 12 minutes of cuts in 2002. Cuts reduced to 43s in 2011, and then uncut for 2022 Blu-ray. Uncut and MPAA Unrated in the US.
Summary Review:
Interesting yet Chilling
A couple of rapists Alex and Ricky who are invited to a rich person's party. They decide to make their own cruel and twisted kind of fun such as murder and rape.
A harsh and
unsettling Italian horror thriller from director Ruggero Deodato who definitely knows how to shock his audience.
The acting isn't all that great but the music is good with a funky disco song, some gory violence with
torture, nudity, and sleaze abound.
Versions
uncut
run:
91m
pal:
87m
UK: Passed 18 uncut for sexual violence, sadistic violence, strong threat:
2022 88 Films video
Set for Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray release in late 2022 in a release advertised as the Uncut Nasty Edition.
UK: Passed 18 for strong sexual violence and threat after 43s of BBFC cuts for:
2014 Shameless [Deadato's Cinema of Death set] R2 DVD
2011 Argent/Shameless R0 DVD
The BBFC commented:
Company was required to make cuts to one sequence of sexualised violence in which a razor is traced over a woman's naked body, after which her body is cut with the razor.
According to Shameless, the BBFC originally asked for 16 cuts totalling 1:20s. The BBFC was asked to think again, and it reduced the cuts by 37s, leaving 43s still cut.
The waived cut was 37s to the sex scene between Alex and Lisa which had
previously been cut due to the questionability of whether or not Lisa is enjoying her ordeal.
sight of razor being traced between woman's breasts.
sight of razor being traced over woman's breast and nipple.
sight of razor being traced over woman's breasts and nipples.
sight of razor being traced over woman's breast
and nipple and over her body.
sight of razor being traced over woman's stomach, with her breast visible.
sight of razor being eased inside woman's jeans.
As man approaches woman with razor blade, remove all sight of breast and
arm being slashed with razor.
all sight of razor cutting woman's breast and arm.
all sight of razor cutting woman's breast and arm (again).
all sight of razor cutting woman's breast and arm (again, for a third time).
close sight of razor cutting woman's leg, next to her genitals.
close sight of razor cutting woman's leg, next to her genitals (again).
sight of razor cutting down woman's body, between her breasts.
cut
cut:
11:43s
run:
79:15s
pal:
76:05s
UK: Passed 18 after 11:43s of BBFC cuts for:
2009 Cornerstone R2 DVD
2002 Protected/Vipco R2 DVD
The BBFC commented:
Cuts required to several sequences of sexual violence, humiliating depictions of female nudity and gross violence
From IMDb:
BBFC removed most of the rape and assault scenes
heavily edited the razor-slashing of Cindy
heavily edited the opening murder scene
removed shots of Tony's head being slammed against a table.
uncut
UK: Released uncut on pre-cert video for:
1982 Skyline VHS
Released in October 1982, it was listed as a video nasty in July 1983. It stayed on the list throughout the panic so became one of the collectable DPP39s
How Sweet It Is is a 1978 USA adult fantasy by David Worth (as Sven Conrad). Starring Jon Roy Jones, Maggie Williams and Brigitte Maier.
Banned by the BBFC for 1982 cinema release and not released since. Uncut in
the US.
Summary Notes
A couple lies in bed and are turned on reading fantasy letters to a sexually oriented newspaper and the fantasies are acted out in vignettes as they read. Finally we see them
perform themselves. Ordinary 70s pornography but notable for the performance of 1974 Penthouse Cover Girl Brigitte Maier who appeared in several vignettes, which may have been edited in from 8mm loops done earlier.
How to Seduce a Virgin is a 1974 France erotic drama by Jesús Franco. With Alice Arno, Robert Woods and Howard Vernon.
Banned by the BBFC for cinema in 1974 and not released since. Released
uncut in the US 2013
Promotional Material
The beautiful Countess Martine de Bressac is released from the expensive asylum where she was incarcerated after castrating her former lover. She returns to her
luxurious villa on the coast and goes at once down into her private underground dungeon. It's here that she indulges herself in the perverse sexual practices that give her life meaning, surrounded by the bizarre human statues of her previous victims. Her
husband, Charles, feeds his wife's sick fantasies, aware that she is his meal ticket to a life of luxury. He announces that he has a new game for her - they will befriend and seduce the young and virginal daughter of a rich neighbor. But things do not go
exactly as planned... Games of decadence and debauchery lead to mayhem and murder.
From cult director Jess Franco. His most outrageous film.
I, a Woman is a 1965 Denmark / Sweden drama by Mac Ahlberg. Starring Essy Persson, Preben Mahrt and Jørgen Reenberg.
Banned by the BBFC for 1967 cinema release.
Summary Notes
Liv is a frankly sexual being. She finds herself in a series of sexual relationships with men who, she says, fall too much in love with her and become oppressive. Finally she meets a
man who is very much like her, but that brings its own problems.
I Love You, I Don't is a 1976 France drama by Serge Gainsbourg. With Jane Birkin, Joe Dallesandro and Hugues Quester.
Banned by the BBFC for its 1976 cinema release. Passed uncut for home video
in 1993. Uncut and MPAA Unrated in the US.
Summary Review: Twisted Love Story
The petite waitress Johnny works and lives in a truck-stop, where she's lonely and longs for love. She develops a crush on
the garbage truck driver Krassky, although her sleazy boss Boris warns her that he's gay. Maybe because of her boyish looks, Krassky likes her too. Both don't notice the growing jealousy of Krassky's boyfriend Padovan - until an escalation.
I went in with high hopes and wasn't disappointed. People familiar with Gainsbourg's body of work will know to expect to unexpected, what with his love for the surreal, bizarre and perverted.
The sex
scenes are genuinely uncomfortable, but the two stunningly beautiful leads are perfect for this twisted love story.
Availability
Current UK Status: Passed 18 uncut
UK: Passed 18 uncut for strong sex and violence for:
2007 Optimum R2 DVD titled Je t'aime moi non plus at UK Amazon
Iguana with the Tongue of Fire is a Italy/France/West Germany giallo by Riccardo Freda. With Luigi Pistilli, Dagmar Lassander and Anton Diffring.
Banned by the BBFC for 1972 cinema release. Later passed 15 uncut for 2019 video. Uncut in the US
Summary Review: Brutal Gaillo
In Dublin, a young woman is brutally murdered in her
home by a maniac that throws acid in her face and then slits her throat with a razor. The Swiss Ambassador, who was the dead woman's lover, refuses to cooperate with the police due to his diplomatic immunity. John Norton, an ex-cop famed for his brutal
working methods, is brought in to help and gets too deeply involved when he starts an affair with the Ambassador's beautiful step-daughter, Helen. Meanwhile, the brutal killings continue.
Versions
uncut
run:
95:30s
pal:
91:41s
UK: Passed 15 uncut
with a BBFC trigger warning for strong gory images, violence, threat, suicide scenes, nudity:
2023 Arrow Giallo Essentials White Limited Edition (RB) Blu-ray at UK Amazon #ad
Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks is a 1976 Canada/US women in prison film by Don Edmonds. With Dyanne Thorne, Max Thayer and Jerry Delony.
Banned by the BBFC from 1973 cinema release. Unbanned and uncut in 2013. The US R rated version is heavily cut for violence
Presumably there is a date error in the BBFC database as the ban is 3 years before the worldwide release
Summary Review : Resplendent in khaki shorts
Dyanne Thorn returns in the storming sequel to She Wolf , and it seems to have
been given a budget boost, as the setting moves to an Arabian oils sheik's kingdom in the middle of the desert, where Ilsa presides over his palace as right hand security guard and keeper of his harem of kidnapped beauties.
The film doesn't quite match the excesses of the first film in bad taste, and the camp comedy elements have all been increased, but there are still many gruesome scenes as the harem women are abused and tortured for various reasons,
including a pretty revolting sub-plot to assassinate the sheik by deploying a bomb placed inside a woman's body that will detonate during sex!
Uniform fans will be pleased to see Ilsa resplendent in her khaki shorts and
boots, but she does not have the same presence as in the previous film because she is herself punished at one point by despotic sheik, and its a shame to see that the film recycles her weakness of falling in love with a hunky American, which once again
leads to her downfall.
Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS
is a 1974 US/W Germany film by Don Edmonds. With Dyanne Thorne, Gregory Knoph and Tony Mumolo.
Banned by the BBFC for UK 1975 & 1976 cinema release. No submission
since the bans.
Summary Review : Brutal
This film takes place in a Nazi concentration camp dedicated to pseudo medical experimentation on its prisoners. Ilsa, the commandant is portrayed in ruthless
fashion by the stunning Dyanne Thorne. Thorne designs and carries out the most excruciatingly painful and torturous experiments on her helpless victims.
Thorne is the essence of cruelty for cruelty's sake. Thorne is the
screen's incarnation of pure evil. I can think of no other film that is as disturbing as this one. The explicit sadism portrayed in this film may or may not have actually occurred as depicted. But unthinkable sadism, torture, cruelty and debauchery did
actually occur in Nazi camps.
This is an unbelievably difficult film to watch because the brutality depicted is extremely graphic. After viewing this film I was shocked and I had a feeling of just how brutal the Nazis
actually were.
The Incident is a 1967 USA crime drama by Larry Peerce. Starring Victor Arnold,
Robert Bannard and Beau Bridges.
Banned by the BBFC for 1968 cinema release. Passed 12 uncut for 2014 DVD.
Summary Notes
Stark melodrama about two
thrill seeking tough guys who terrorize late-night passengers on a New York City train. The random victims are more concerned with their own problems than helping each other and pray that they won't be next. But it's going to take a lot more than prayer
to end this nightmare of fear and violence. Film debut of both Martin Sheen and Tony Musante as the hoodlums.
Availability
Current UK Status: Passed 12 uncut
UK: Passed 12
uncut for moderate threat, violence, discriminatory language, sex references for:
2019 Eureka Entertainment (RB) Blu-ray/R2 Combo at UK Amazon
This Pakistani comedy seizes on the controversy where Muslims were wound up by Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses. Salman
Rushdie is depicted in the film played by Afzaal Ahmad. He is portrayed as a criminal mastermind, working for an international organization devoted to destroying Islam.
The film was banned by the BBFC. The board cited the safety of Salman Rushdie as
an argument for refusing the certificate, arguing that it could inflame some to violence.
Although the film portrayed Salman Rushdie very negatively, he opposed the ruling of the BBFC, arguing that:
As a writer, I am
opposed in principle to the use of the archaic criminal laws of blasphemy, sedition and criminal libel against creative works, even in the case of a film which quite plainly vilifies me.
The ban was then overturned on appeal and the
film was passed 18 uncut.
Rushdie later said:
If that film had been banned, it would have become the hottest video in town: everyone would have seen it.
While the film was a great hit in Pakistan, it
enjoyed only a limited release in the West, where it went virtually unnoticed.
Jungle Love is a 2012 Philippines drama by Sherad Anthony Sanchez. Starring Gloria Morales, Mei Bastes and Martin Riffer.
Banned by Thurrock Council
Local ban
From The Thurrock International Celebration of Film in September 2018. Councillor Deborah Huelin, Portfolio Holder for Communities, explained:
Based on an initial review by the council, it was identified that two of the films could likely be rated R18 if a full assessment were carried out under the guidelines issued by the BBFC. These types of films can only be
shown in specially licensed sex cinemas or supplied by licensed sex shops. The entertainment license for the Thameside Theatre does not allow them to show R18 films which means that these two films cannot form part of the festival.
Summary Notes
A jungle in an undisclosed Philippine location hosts a middle-aged woman who runs off with a baby, two juveniles lost in sexual games, military cadets leisurely wandering
about and a guide with an obscure presence. All consumed with the game of their own lives until the jungle comes to play.
The film won an Honorable Mention (Feature Film), at the Porn Film Festival Berlin 2013.
Justine and Juliette is a 1975 Sweden adult comedy by Mac Ahlberg (as Bert Torn). Starring Marie Forså, Anne Bie Warburg and Harry Reems.
Banned by the BBFC for 1975 cinema release.
Summary Notes
Two sisters, Justine and Juliette, are as different as it's possible to be, but they both wind up working as prostitutes. The main difference between the two, however, is that Juliette enjoys every minute of it,
romping with the rich and powerful in the lap of luxury, while Justine detests her position, lives in squalor and poverty and is dragged deeper and deeper into degradation and perversion.
Kiss Me Quick is a 1964 US Sci-Fi comedy by Peter Perry Jr. With Max Gardens, Frank A. Coe and Natasha.
Banned by the BBFC for UK 1971 cinema release.
Passed 18 uncut for
strong sex, sexualised nudity for UK 2012 Freemantle/Revelation Harry Novak Collection R2 DVD
Summary Review: Staggeringly bad
This was the first film produced by Harry Novak
Sterilox,
asexual ambassador from a distant planet, comes down to earth in search of feminine breeding stock. A mad scientist treats the alien to dancing sex robots.
OK Kiss Me Quick is one quirky film with very little plot and enough bare
chested women to go around for all. The make-up/FX are so lame you have to laugh.
Staggeringly bad. But of course that makes it bad enough to be good.
Availability
Current UK Status:
Passed 18 uncut.
UK: Passed 18 uncut for strong sex, sexualised nudity for:
UK 2012 Freemantle/Revelation Harry Novak Collection R2 DVD at
UK Amazon for release on 23rd April 2012
Kitten With a Whip is a 1964 USA action crime thriller by Douglas Heyes. Starring Ann-Margret, John Forsythe and Peter Brown.
Banned by the BBFC for 1964 cinema release. Uncut and MPAA Unrated in the
US.
Summary Notes
Jody, a juvenile delinquent, escapes from reform school by stabbing a matron and attempting to burn down the building and then takes refuge in a house owned by
an ambitious politician David Patton. Despite the hellcat's ample charms, the would-be officeholder wants nothing to do with her and tries to drive her away. She responds by shortly returning to his house accompanied by a gang of delinquent pals and
taking him hostage. A sudden act of violence causes more trouble, leading Jody and her gang to hijack David and force him to drive a getaway car to Mexico.
La Bête is a 1975 French erotic fantasy by Walerian Borowczyk. With Sirpa Lane, Lisbeth Hummel and Elisabeth Kaza.
Originally banned by the BBFC for 1978 cinema release. A pre-cut version was then passed X by the GLC. The BBFC allowed a pre-cut video release in 1988 and finally passed the film uncut in 2001. There are now 2 uncut versions A
shortened Director's Cut and a less liked Complete Version.
Summary Review : Most controversial film of the decade
An insane adult reworking of The Beauty and the Beast tale. This erotic fable
was originally to be part of the Immoral Tales (1974) anthology, yet was put aside due to it's controversial subject matter then later transformed into this film.
The financially unstable son, Mathurin (Pierre
Benedtti), and very rich, and horny Lucy Broadhurst (Lisbeth Hummel) are soon to be arranged in marriage. The home is full of history relating to the families most famous ancestor, Romilda. Lucy immediately becomes fascinated with Romilda, and stumbles
upon her diary.
The tale is told of the day she was brutally attacked in the woods by a comical man / beast creature with a extra large penis. This scene is both shockingly powerful and hilariously funny all at once.
Combining black humour, with graphic sexuality.
Versions
Complete Version
run:
102:05s
pal:
98:00s
US: The Complete Version is uncut and MPAA Unrated for:
Given that the basic theme of the film had been accepted on VHS back in 1987, the main issue this time was whether the more explicit moments of sexual detail could now be reinstated. Although some of the sexual detail was quite
explicit, none of it was unsimulated (the beast's spectacular ejaculation obviously involved the use of prosthetics). Accordingly it was passed 18 uncut.
This shortened version is accepted as the Director's Cut and is generally preferred over the longer Complete Version. All sex scenes are intact but there are a few scenes missing (for pacing reasons). Thanks to Marc:
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.
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.
Missing scene: The cook sets the table while singing, prior to the
farcical meal that the Mathurin, his father and the guests attend.
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
pre-cut
cut:
~9m
run:
89:29s
pal:
85:54s
UK: A heavily pre-cut (~9:00s) US version was passed 18 without further BBFC cuts for:
1988 Global Sales VHS titled Death's Ecstacy
The BBFC still felt that the bestiality theme was contentious and that the dream sequence may feed into the rape myth that women secretly desire to be raped.
Ultimately, it was concluded that the very fantastical nature of the sequence and
its clearly symbolic nature mitigated against any likelihood of harm.
pre-cut
X
UK: The extensively pre-cut version banned by the BBFC was passed X by London's council in 1978, the GLC. The film was also shown in cinema
clubs without a BBFC certificate.
The film had previously been pre-cut to address James Ferman's concerns of:
sight of horses copulating in explicit detail;
a line drawing of a woman being mounted by an animal;
close shots of masturbation
close shots of genital detail;
the more explicit moments in the dream sequence , including the beast rubbing his penis against a tree, the beast masturbating and placing his
head between a woman's legs, and sight of the beast's semen flowing over the woman's buttocks, breasts and stomach.
The film opened at the Prince Charles cinema in September 1978. Following public complaints about the film, possibly provoked by some sensationalist press reporting, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) was asked to consider
a prosecution of the film under the Obscene Publications Act. In the event, following consultation with legal advisers, the DPP concluded that there was no reasonable prospect of a conviction against the cut version of the film and no further action was
taken.
banned
pre-cut
UK: An extensively pre-cut version was banned by the BBFC for:
1978 cinema release
Distributor pre-cuts reduced the length of a masturbation scene and removed some of the more explicit shots from the dream sequence, in which the heroine imagines having intercourse with the beast .
In spite of the reductions already made,
the Board was sceptical about whether the film would be acceptable to the majority of local authorities, on whose behalf the BBFC classified films. Part of the problem was the film's sexual explicitness, even in the reduced version, which exceeded the
standards currently accepted for the X category. However, a more serious problem was whether the central dream sequence might raise legal issues because of its suggestion of bestiality.
James Ferman wrote to the distributor:
We see considerable problems in passing this film as it stands, although I realise you have made a few cuts of [sic] the most extreme sexual material. Certainly, there are still a great many shots which we feel might be vulnerable
at law, and beyond that, there is also much footage which we feel vastly exceeds the standards accepted by the vast majority of local authorities. The problem is that, with a director of Borowczyk's stature, the cutting required might be such as to
damage the film artistically, and I do not think the Board would want to become involved in a war of attrition on a film of such consequence .
The film was further pre-cut to address James Ferman's concerns of:
sight of horses copulating in explicit detail;
a line drawing of a woman being mounted by an animal;
close shots of masturbation
close shots of genital detail;
the more explicit moments in the dream sequence , including the beast rubbing his penis against a tree, the beast masturbating and placing his
head between a woman's legs, and sight of the beast's semen flowing over the woman's buttocks, breasts and stomach.
But to no avail as the film was still banned by the BBFC
La Grande Bouffe is a 1973 France / Italy comedy drama by Marco Ferreri. Starring Marcello Mastroianni, Michel Piccoli and Philippe Noiret.
Banned by the BBFC for 1973 cinema release but was allowed to be shown in
London cinemas with a GLC X rating. Later passed 18 uncut for 1994 VHS.
From IMDb:
The film was originally shown unlicensed in the UK at the Curzon Cinema in Mayfair, and led pro-censorship campaigner Mary
Whitehouse to bring a prosecution against the film under the Vagrancy Act (accusing the cinema owners of keeping a disorderly house ). The case was thrown out and led censor James Ferman to extend the Obscene Publications Act to cover films, thus
preventing movies with artistic merit from suffering prosecution. The film was eventually passed fully uncut for video in 1994.
Summary Notes
Four successful middle-aged men Marcello, a
pilot; Michel, a television executive; Ugo, a chef; and, Philippe, a judge go to Philippe's villa to eat themselves to death. After the first night, Marcello insists that women should join them. Three prostitutes make it through a day or two; Andrea, a
local school teacher, stays to the end. The villa, the food, and a Bugati roadster are essential props.
Availability
Current UK Status: Passed 18 uncut
UK: Passed 18 uncut for
strong sex for:
2015 Arrow Academy RAB Blu-ray/R12 DVD Combo at UK Amazon
2015 cinema release
2006 Nouveaux Pictures R2 DVD
1994 Arthouse VHS
UK: Passed X uncut by the GLC for screening in London:
The Lady Hermit is a 1971 Hong Kong martial arts film by Meng Hua Ho. With Pei-pei Cheng, Lieh Lo and Szu Shih.
Banned by the BBFC for the UK 1972 cinema release.
Summary Review:
Quite spectacular
The film offers two wonderful swordswomen for the price of one. Shaw Bros.' top female martial arts star of the late 1960s, Cheng Pei Pei, stars as the title character, a famous
veiled crusader who fights bad guys with her sword but has dropped out of sight when the film opens. Shih Szu plays an eager, whip-wielding aspiring swordswoman who seeks to track down Lady Hermit and become her student.
The villains are a gang of evil Taoist monks, led by Lady Hermit's old adversary, Black Demon. Lady Hermit and her two followers engage the gang in a series of extremely lively sword battles which are spread throughout the entire film. There are several great set pieces, including a bit where the characters fight on one of those perilous rope bridges across a gorge and the bad guys cut the ropes and Shih Szu has to hang on to the dangling remains of the bridge and climb and fight her way to the top. The climactic battle in a towering pagoda is quite spectacular.
The Lady Of Heaven is a 2021 UK action drama by Eli King Starring Ray Fearon, Denise Black and Christopher Sciueref
There are no BBFC issues with this release but the film was withdrawn from all
Cineworld cinemas and some Vue cinemas after muslim protests. The film was banned in Morocco.
Summary Notes
The heart-wrenching journey of Lady Fatima, the daughter of the religious
character Muhammad. Separated by 1400 years, an Iraqi child, in the midst of a war-torn country, learns the importance and power of patience. After losing his mother, the child finds himself in a new home, where a loving grandmother narrates the
historical story of The Lady and how her suffering as the first victim of terror spun out of control into the 21st century.
The film was withdrawn from all Cineworld cinemas and some Vue cinemas after muslim protests.
One issue is reported as being a CGI depiction of the religious character Mohammed, something forbidden
in islam. The BBC's Religion Editor, Aleem Maqbool, said that the criticism also centres on the the way the Shia Muslim film-maker and cleric, Yasser Al-Habib, has portrayed prominent revered figures in early Sunni Islam, implying that there are
comparisons between their actions with those of the Islamic State group in Iraq.
Moroccan film censors have banned the British film Lady of Heaven, after it was condemned by the country's religious council.
The Supreme Ulema Council said the movie was a
flagrant falsification of the established facts of Islam. The council accused the film of loathsome partiality and accused the filmmakers of seeking fame and sensationalism and hurting the feelings of Muslims and stirring up religious sensitivities.
There have been protests against the film in the UK. Egypt, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq have also denounced it.
Transferred from old 1970s video
tape. content dated and not what I call erotic. It is about old duffers talking about sex. not recommended for viewing.
Availability
The BBFC banned the 1970 cinema release
No cuts noted for the 1973 X rated cinema release
A short version was passed 18 without BBFC cuts for the 1988 Sheptonhurst video
The film was passed 18 uncut for the 2008 Revelation DVD.
The Last House on the Left is a 1972 USA horror by Wes Craven. Starring Sandra Peabody, Lucy Grantham and David Hess.
In the US the Original Theatrical Version was uncut and X rated but was
soon heavily cut for local censorship requirements and then for a series of attempts made in attaining an R rating. Much of the material cut for an R rating has now been declared lost. In 1986 director Wes Craven assembled his best remaining material
previously cut from the film and declared that this version was his Director's Cut. It was released in the US Unrated by the MPAA.
The R rated version was banned from 1974 UK cinema release by the BBFC and the Greater London Council. The film,
presumably still in the R rated version was released in the UK when BBFC certificates were not required but it was soon banned as a 'video nasty'. The BBFC continued its ban with the Unrated version being banned from cinema release in 2000.
In 2001
the DVD was resubmitted and was again banned, but this time cuts were being discussed. A resubmission in 2002 resulted in a BBFC offer of an 18 rating after cuts. The distributors appealed against the cuts but lost their case, and ended up with even more
cuts than requested by the BBFC. The film was released in the following year with the same BBFC cuts but in two versions, including an alternative cut called Krug & Co.
By 2008 the BBFC had relented and the film was released without BBFC cuts in
both the Unrated Version and the alternative Krug & Company.
While I think that people tend to get a bit hyperbolic when they talk about The Last House on the Left , I do think it's a fairly good film, especially given what the filmmakers were trying to do and
considering their lack of experience, the era and the budget. Also, despite a filmic precursor, it just may be the earliest example of the horror subgenre of brutal, realist tragedy . However, it has flaws that would be difficult to overlook in a
distanced assessment of the film.
But again, focusing on that amounts to hype now, and shouldn't be taken too seriously, lest it lead to inflated expectations. Just as surprising on a first viewing is that The
Last House on the Left has an intermittent goofy sense of humor and a groovy attitude that is firmly mired in the early 1970s. The two policemen are really comic relief characters (and very funny at that), but there is also a lot of humor
surrounding the criminal quartet--this almost becomes a black comedy at times. These sensibilities even extend to the music, which has a frequent hillbilly edge and lyrics that supply ex-positional material. Surprisingly, Hess, who plays Krug,
wrote the music.
Availability
Current UK Status: Passed 18 uncut
UK: The Krug & Co Version was passed 18 uncut for:
2018 Arrow Limited Edition [Unrated Version + Krugg & Co + R rated Version] RB Blu-ray at
UK Amazon
2010 Metrodome/In2film Ultimate Edition [Unrated Version + Krug & Co Version] R2 DVD
at UK Amazon
UK: The Unrated Version was passed 18 uncut with previous BBFC cuts waived for:
Last Tango in Paris is a 1972 France / Italy romance by Bernardo Bertolucci. Starring Marlon Brando, Maria Schneider and Maria Michi.
Cut by the BBFC for an X rated 1973 cinema release, although a few local
authorities banned the film anyway. Later passed uncut for all releases since 1978. Also cut for an R rating in the US although the NC-17 rated version is uncut.
The Festival
of Light, a pro-censorship pressure group, started a concerted campaign to prevent the film reaching British cinema screens, circulating copies of the script to MPs and writing to local authorities - with considerable success, since several dozen banned
it.
However, it received favourable write ups from the film critics and played unopposed in most areas.
Events took an unprecedented turn, however, when Edward Shackleton, a Salvation Army member, brought a private prosecution
against the film's distributors for publishing obscene material. The case ultimately collapsed when it was found that the Obscene Publications Act (OPA) did not apply to film.
Pre-release press hype suggested that the film would contain a
blasphemous scene in which Christ fantasises on the cross about making love to Mary Magdelene. The Board received nearly two thousand letters and petitions from the public and pressure groups, a majority anxious about what they regarded as
potentially blasphemous content, and the minority supporting the film's uncut release in the UK. .
The BBFC took the unusual step of inviting twenty-eight representatives of the major Christian churches to view the film at
the Board, and also took legal advice from a QC before making a decision. All who saw the film at the BBFC agreed that the film was not blasphemous in the legal sense, although it might have the capacity to offend some Christian viewers.
The film was duly passed 18 in 1988 without cuts and subsequently viewed by the Director of Public Prosecutions who supported the BBFC's decision that the film was not likely to be found Guilty of blasphemy by a Jury.
A handful of local authorities took the decision to ban the film, on the grounds of possible offence (in response to petitions against it) rather than blasphemy.
Late Night Trains is a 1975 Italian horror by Aldo Lado. With Flavio Bucci, Macha Méril and Gianfranco De Grassi.
The BBC rejected the cinema release in 1976 under the title Late Night
Trains.
Video Warehouse International released a cut video as Late Night Trains in 1981.
Cinehollywood released an uncut video in November 1981 under the title Night Train Murders . This version was listed as a video nasty in July 1983. This
was dropped from the list in March 1984
T
his film borrowed heavily from Last House on the Left , but Night Train Murders is the better of the two. Good production values, excellent cinematography, an Ennio Morricone score, decent acting and a tight
script .
The first third of the film introduces the main characters, most of whom seem to be prone to indulging in one perversion or another.
The "defilement" section of the film is a gripping, harrowing affair that escalates in viciousness before climaxing in a very brutal fashion.
The final act does not live up to the scenes that precede it. The director's desire to keep from glamorizing violence is probably why the ending feels somewhat restrained.
Availability
Current UK Status: Passed 18 uncut
UK: Passed 18 uncut for strong scenes of sexual violence for:
UK 2011 Shameless Slasher Nasties Triple Bill R2 DVD at UK Amazon
Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III is a 1989 US horror film by Jeff Burr. With Kate Hodge, Ken Foree and R.A. Mihailoff.
Banned by the BBFC for cinema release in 1990. Uncut and BBFC 18 rated by
2004. In the US cut for an R Rating but the Unrated version is uncut.
Summary Review : Unique and interesting
The film itself is extremely well-acted, especially by the lead,
Kate Hodge. It is however, not the most pleasant film you will ever see and if the filmmakers intended it to be a gruelling and punishing experience, they definitely succeeded.
Despite these strong performances and
excellent (and very gruesome) special make-up effects, the completed film is left damaged and confused in several key places. But, it is still one of the better entries in this particular series and is well-worth a look as a unique and interesting horror
film.
New Lines Unrated Version
New Lines Unrated Version
run:
85:17s
pal:
81:52s
UK: The New Lines Unrated Version was
passed 18 uncut for:
Spain: See
article from movie-censorship.com . A VHS was released in Spain which was a bit
longer than the first Unrated Version and apparently cut differently.
First Unrated Version
First Unrated Version
US: The first unrated version, which was at least considerably longer than the R-rated, came out on VHS and LD soon afterwards in the USA. But it quickly came to light that this unrated version didn't contain all scenes
See
pictorial version details from movie-censorship.com . The Unrated Version is
1:36s shorter then the New Lines Unrated Version. It is missing some banter about hammer design being heard by a couple who are trussed up and waiting to be dispatched
Rough Cut
Rough Cut
run:
94:51s
pal:
91:03s
The rough cut contains the most scenes, however it has never made an official release and the quality is poor
the real trouble began when the film was submitted
to the MPAA for a rating. Its biggest obstacle to overcome (besides its bloody content) was the fact that it mixed dark humor with violence, which was not unlike its predecessors, but was something that the MPAA had a big problem with. Receiving an X
with little to no chance of achieving anything else, the film went through many drastic re-edits, eventually receiving an R-rating. Judging from the deleted scenes that didn't make the final cut, it's fairly tame by comparison and could have potentially
been a much gorier film.
Alfredo using scissors to deface pictures of girls in a porn magazine
Various blood spattered shots are missing from a chainsaw attack on Gina by a tree
The scene or Ryan stuck in a mantrap is missing a shot of his blooded foot and
a subsequent scream
A shot of a pen stabbed into Michelle's leg and its removal by a little girl is missing along with the subsequent maniacal laughing about the incident
A shot of Michelle's bloodied hand nailed to a chair is gone as
is a shot of a hook in Ryan's leg as he is suspended upside down. Further scenes of these victim's predicaments are also cut. As have the lines with Tex teasing Ryan: Hey, if you need anything... just twitch!; and Tex teasing Michelle: Don't
ever think of leaving! Not before diner!
Missing shots of Alfredo with a cut off leg and kissing a severed head before spitting on it and chucking it away
The little girl's big chance for a kill has been deleted. She gets to pull
the chord that releases a large hammer that swings down to hit Ryan on the head. Subsequent drinking of a cup of Ryan's blood is also trimmed
Leatherface marking a line across Michelle's face to aim his chainsaw is missing
Missing shots
of Tinker's finger stumps and his ear on a grill and blood spattering onto Michelle
Missing shots of gandpa being shot
Missing shots of Michelle ripping her hand to free it from the nail in the chair.
Missing shots of mom dying
and uttering son of a bitch with her last breath
Michelle gets less hits on Leatherface's head with her rock
Let Me Die a Woman is a Not for the faint of heart
This hilarious and horrifying documentary on transsexuals includes actual surgical footage of the operations and close-up looks at the results inside and out. Not for the faint of heart.
Availability
The 1980 cinema release was banned by the BBFC.
Passed X after BBFC cuts for a 1982 cinema release
Little Miss Innocence is a 1973 USA drama by Chris Warfield. Starring John Alderman, Sandy Dempsey and Terri Johnson.
Banned by the BBFC for 1976 cinema release. Uncut in the US.
Promotional Material
Two beautiful teenage hitchhikers are picked up by a wealthy older man and brought to his mansion, with lustful intentions. However, his erotic dream soon turns into a horrifying nightmare as
the seemingly innocent girls begin to reveal their own deadly intentions... Starring Sandy Dempsey in a career performance.
Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun is a 1977 West Germany / Switzerland horror adventure drama by Jesús Franco (as Jess Franco). Starring Susan Hemingway, William Berger and Herbert Fux.
Banned by the BBFC from 1979 cinema release. Heavily cut on 2004 18 rated
DVD to remove sexualised torture and nudity of an under 18 year old actress.
Summary Notes
16-year-old Maria is forced into Serra D'Aires convent, secretly run by Satanists. Her confessor is in
collusion with the Mother Superior. Maria is tortured, forced into sex with men, women, and the horned Devil, and told that it's all a bad dream. She writes a letter to God, and a Knight rescues her, only to fall into the hands of the Inquisition, put on
the rack, and condemned to death like Joan of Arc.
Versions
uncut
run:
89m
pal:
85m
US: Uncut and MPAA Unrated
cut
cut:
6:15s
run:
82:58s
pal:
79:39s
UK: Passed 18 for strong violence and sex after 6:15s of BBFC cuts:
2004 Anchor Bay R2 DVD
The BBFC commented:
The cuts were Compulsory. Distributor was required to cut indecent images of a child under the terms of the Protection of Children Act 1978, and images of sexualised torture.
Resubmissions of old works highlighted the impact of the change in the definition of a child. Love Letters Of A Portuguese Nun featured sexualised nudity involving an actress who was under 18 at the time of filming. The BBFC judged
some of the images to be indecent and cuts were therefore made.
In summary:
All reference to Susan Hemingway's nakedness have been removed in their entirety, this includes the actual torture scenes.
Presumably the actress was over the age of consent though, so this falls under legal acts that are illegal to film.
Love Variations , one of the first British sex education films to show nudity in the UK, consisted entirely of
alternating scenes of a family doctor showing diagrams of sex positions and illustrative tableaux of posed figures faking coition in increasingly unlikely and back-breaking postures.
The producers, of course, stressed their good intentions to
the censors. The press book for Love Variations stated, a little disingenuously:
The film does not seek to entertain -- only to inform. The producers wish to point out that although the film is frank, comprehensive and explicit it will almost
certainly prove unrewarding to those looking for titillation or sensation and will be of interest only to those motivated by a sincere desire to be informed.
The BBFC, indecisive about how to treat sex education films, accepted this but
nevertheless at first rejected Love Variations on the splendidly perverse grounds that since the film was not entertaining it was unsuitable for cinemas, which were essentially places of entertainment.
When finally released, Love Variations smashed
house records at the Jacey Tatler cinema in London,
Availability
Banned by the BBFC in April 1970 for UK 1970 cinema release
Passed X (18) uncut in November 1970 for
UK 1971 cinema release
A short version was passed 18 without BBFC cuts for:
UK 2011 Odeon Slap & Tickle Double Bill R2 DVD at UK Amazon
Madras Cafe is a 2013 Indian action drama by Shoojit Sircar. With John
Abraham, Nargis Fakhri and Rashi Khanna.
Passed by the BBFC but banned by UK cinema chains. Similarly banned by cinemas in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu
UK: Passed 15 uncut for strong violence and injury detail for:
2013 cinema release
The BBFC passed the film 15 uncut for strong violence and injury detail. The BBFC InSight alluded to the emotional impact of the film:
This is a sombre drama and the violence is depicted realistically, with a strong
emotional impact. In the opening scene people are forced off a bus and made to kneel in a field as they are massacred. Blood spurts are seen as several of them are shot in the back, and in a more distant image a little girl is shot too as she tries to
run away. Several executions are shown, including a man tied to a post, his body juddering under fire with lots of blood as he is killed.
Now the film has been banned by British cinemas in August 2013. UK cinema chains, Cineworld,
Odeon and Vue, have banned the film saying in a statement:
Our policy is to show a wide range of films for different audiences ...HOWEVER... following customer feedback and working with the film distributors,
we have decided to not show Madras Cafe. We apologise for any inconvenience.
Press reports suggested that some Tamils had complained that the film was anti-Tamil. The Facebook page of the Tamil Youth Organisation UK has been full of
agitation against the film.
Availability
Current UK Status: Passed 15 uncut by the BBFC but banned by cinemas
After a second viewing with Lord Harlech and other Examiners, we now agree that this is really a picture which cannot be granted a national certificate at this time.
We all feel it is a film of some merit which deserves a showing in Britain, but its subject matter and very frank treatment would, we believe, make it unacceptable to the majority of licensing authorities in the country without very heavy cuts, and these
might change the nature of the film.
Summary Review: Bound to Intrigue
Gérard Depardieu as Olivier enters an apartment in order to rob the place, but unknowingly breaks into a haven for sadomasochistic
fantasies. During the burglary he encounters Ariane (Bulle Ogier) who he had met earlier, but this time she is a dominatrix who controls situations as she dives into other people's madness.
Olivier is spellbound by Ariane
as he falls in love with her, and it leads him into a scorching affair where he is bound to be burnt as he is mystified by Ariane's dark trade.
Maitresse is an avant-garde film as it explores in-depth the theme of
sadomasochistic fantasies and its sub-culture as set in a love story.
Availability
The BBFC banned the 1976 cinema release. The GLC also refused a local cinema certificate while Berkshire passed the film for
local distribution after cuts.
However the film was shown uncut on the cinema club circuit.
The BBFC required 4:47s of cuts for the X rated 1981 cinema release.
The movie was a long time coming
to video/DVD but all BBFC cuts were waived for the 18 rated 2003 BFI DVD.
The Man from Deep River is a 1972 Italy horror romance by Umberto Lenzi. With Ivan Rassimov, Me Me Lai and Prasitsak Singhara.
Banned by the BBFC for 1975 cinema release. Banned as a video nasty in
1984. Passed 18 after extensive animal cruelty cuts for 2003 DVD. Slightly fewer cuts for 2016 DVD & Blu-ray. Uncut in the US
Summary Notes: Not much gore
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.
A photographer on assignment in the rain forest is ambushed and held slave by a primitive
tribe, until the chief's daughter chooses him as her groom. After being initiated by various tortures, he becomes a part of the tribe and helps them against modern dangers and a cannibal tribe they're at war with.
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.
Availability
UK Censorship History
Rejected for a cinema release in 1975 as The Man from Deep River
Derann released the uncut version
on video in November 1982. It was listed as a video nasty in March 1984 but it was dropped from the list in September 1985
Maniac is a 1980 US serial killer horror by William Lustig. With
Joe Spinell, Caroline Munro and Abigail Clayton.
The Uncut Unrated Theatrical Version is preferred over the shortened Director's Cut. Once Banned by the BBFC, then released later with cuts in 2002 and then uncut in 2022. The film was also cut in the US for an R Rating.
Summary review:
Shocking
This is definitely a film that will leave you thinking. The main reason being the main character Frank Zito aka Joe Spinell plays the most realistic psycho/deranged person I've ever seen on film. The
whole time I was thinking is this guy really insane? Either this guy is a genius actor or he's really nuts. That's how real he is in this role. His presence will creep you out. He's the biggest weirdo I've ever seen on film.
The story focuses on frank the serial killer and his killings and insanity. Some of the scenes are gruesome, but they will keep you on the edge of your seat. You will be able to put yourself in both franks shoes and feel the victims
terror as she is stalked and hides from Frank... Especially the subway bathroom scene. That's an intense scene. Frank keeps on killing till the end when his own demons finally come back to haunt him.
Any horror fan should
have this in their collection.
UK: The Theatrical Version was banned by the BBFC for:
1998 Exploited VHS
1981 cinema release
The BBFC explained the 1998 ban:
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.
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.
Director's Cut
Director's Cut
US: There is also a shortened Director's Cut that is missing plot scenes the director wasn't happy with. But this version hasn't made much impact. From IMDB:
a scene depicting Joe Spinell in a hotel room with a prostitute has been shortened.
Another scene showing Joe and the photographer in a restaurant has been completely removed,
US Version
cut
US: There is also a cut US R rated version to avoid.
Mantis in Lace is a 1968 US erotic thriller by William Rotsler. With Susan Stewart, Steve Vincent and James Brand.
Banned by the BBFC for UK 1972 cinema release.
Passed 18 uncut for
strong sex, sexualised nudity, hard drug use and bloody violence for the UK 2012 Freemantle/Revelation Harry Novak Collection R2 DVD.
Summary Review: Trippy
A topless dancer attracts, seduces, then murders the men
she sleeps with using household tools.
This little gem is one of the first key films to combine gore with sleaze. Groovy 60s psychedelia, go-go dancers, sexploitation and horror, all beautifully photographed by Laszlo Kovacs,
collide in a kaleidoscope of color and LSD laden sensibilities.
Not to everyone's tastes though, but Susan Stewart will win a few converts.
Availability
Current UK Status: Passed 18
uncut.
UK: Passed 18 uncut for strong sex, sexualised nudity, hard drug use and bloody violence for:
UK 2012 Freemantle/Revelation Harry Novak Collection R2 DVD at
UK Amazon for release on 23rd April 2012
Massage Parlour is a 1972 West Germany comedy adventure by Eberhard Schröder.
Banned by the BBFC for UK 1973 cinema release
From IMDb:
France, a reporter working from an international news agency,
manages to be paid to visit all of Munich's massage parlors. He wants to find the whereabouts of Sonia, a personal masseuse with whom he experienced perfect bliss.
Midnight Desires is a 1977 US hardcore film by Amanda Barton
A clue to the reasons for the ban may lie in the synopsis: She describes herself as a naked prisoner in a windowless, doorless room from which she is finally delivered to hooded men with naked cocks in cock rings. With her head in stocks, she
is whipped, fucked and humiliated.
v Mikey
- 1992 USA horror thriller by Dennis Dimster (as Dennis Dimster-Denk).
Mikey is a 1992 USA horror thriller by Dennis Dimster (as Dennis Dimster-Denk). Starring Brian Bonsall, Josie Bissett and Ashley Laurence.
Withdrawn from cinema release in 1993 and banned by the BBFC from 1996 VHS release. Uncut and MPAA R rated in the US.
Summary Notes
A strong thriller directed by Dennis
Dimster-Denk. Brain Bonsall is extraordinary good as the young smart psycho.
The film received some controversy, because of Mikey's age in the film, when it's came out in the Spring of 1992.
Versions
uncut
run:
90m
pal:
86m
Amazon
Germany
Spain
Ireland
UK: Available on Amazon Prime
Note that BBFC bans do not apply to online video. However BBFC bans do
apply to TV broadcasts although TV companies can get the nod from the BBFC that if a film were to be submitted it would no longer be banned.
Ireland: Available on Irish video with the boast that it is banned in the UK
banned
run:
91:29s
pal:
87:49s
UK: Banned by the BBFC in 1996 (in the fallout from
the James Bulger killing) for:
1996 VPD VHS
The BBFC explained their ban:
A 9 year old boy kills his foster family one by one, including the realistic drowning of his 3 year old sister. It was argued that this was a fantasy horror film and not to be taken literally, but three distinguished
child psychiatrists advised us that the video was sufficiently realistic to have a dangerous impact on a significant proportion of vulnerable children.
UK: Passed 18 uncut for:
1992 cinema release
However the certificate was withdrawn in the fallout of the James Bulger killing. See article from en.wikipedia.org , (thanks to Jonathan)
The film was withdrawn from release in the United Kingdom following the James Bulger murder in Liverpool in 1993. It had been classified with an 18 certificate for cinema in November 1992, but head censor James Ferman
demanded the certificate be returned.
The BBFC cinema certificate is no longer in the BBFC database.
v Mondo Cane
- 1962 Italy documentary by Paolo Cavara & Gualtiero Jacopetti.
The film consists of a series of travelogue-vignettes providing glimpses into cultural practices throughout the world intended to shock or surprise the mostly Western film audience, including an insect banquet and a memorable look at a practising South Pacific cargo cult. Mondo Cane's shock-exploitation-documentary style was the inspiration for numerous imitations, including Shocking Asia and the Faces of Death series of movies.
It was nominated for the Palme d'Or, the highest prize given to a competing film at the Cannes Film Festival.
Monty Python's Life of Brian is a 1979 UK comedy by Terry Jones. Starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese and Michael Palin.
Passed AA uncut by the BBFC for 1979 cinema release and 15 uncut for home
video. Some local authorities overruled the BBFC rating and banned the cinema release in their areas. Uncut and MPAA R rated in the US. Banned from 1979 cinema release in Ireland, Singapore and Norway.
The film contains themes of religious satire which were controversial at the time of its release, drawing accusations of blasphemy and protests from some religious groups. Thirty-nine local authorities in the UK either imposed an outright ban,
or imposed an X certificate (effectively preventing the film from being shown as the distributors said the film could not be shown unless it was unedited and carried the original AA certificate).
The film was also banned in Ireland, Singapore and
Norway. The marketeers made use of the latter with the promotional line: The film so funny that it was banned in Norway.
One of the councils to ban the film, Bournemouth, made the news in 2015 with the first public screening in 35 years.
Glasgow was one of 39 local authorities in the UK that refused to grant the film a general release on blasphemy grounds. The unofficial 30-year ban was only lifted back in 2009, when the council's licensing and regulatory committee approved a request from the GFT to show the biblical satire under a 15 certificate.
Hugely controversial at the time, the subject matter of The Life of Brian was considered strictly taboo in 1979, and even today it can still rattle a few cages, but ultimately the Python
team all shared the same conviction that they were not poking fun at religion (or Jesus) per se, but at the people who blindly follow and misunderstand. In this way, The Life Of Brian became not just a comedy classic, but a ground-breaking movie
that pushed the barriers of what was previously considered off-limits .
Each member of the Python team contributes immensely to the film, with Eric Idle supplying a classic Python tune as Brian is being crucified (
Always Look On The Bright Side of Life ), Terry Gilliam with some great visual gags, Terry Jones as the director of the film, Cleese and Palin turning in multiple brilliant performances (like Cleese's Reg, the leader of the PFJ, and the classic
What have the Roman's ever done for us? sketch), not to mention Chapman as the unsuspecting hero.
Availability
All UK releases passed AA/15 uncut by the BBFC.
However the cinema release was banned by 39
councils. (Who can overrule the BBFC for cinema showings)
More about the Language of Lov is a 1970 Sweden/Denmark sex education documentary by Torgny Wickman.
The BBFC banned the 1972 cinema release under the title More about Language of Love.
The BBFC noted in the 2009
Annual Report:
Collection 2, Swedish Erotica, a compilation of three early 1970s films from Sweden (Wide Open, Love Play and More About the Language of Love) was passed 18 without cuts. The work, which includes
explicit images of sexual activity, is now very dated. By contemporary standards it is clearly not a sex work, but rather a genuine attempt to inform and educate, and the Board concluded that there was sufficient contextual justification to allow these
scenes at 18 .
Availability
The BBFC banned the 1972 cinema release under the title More about Language of Love
The BBFC cut 2:55s under the title Language of Love 2 for the 1983 cinema
release and 1987 video
Passed 18 uncut for the 2009 Revelation R2 DVD titled Swedish Erotica Collection 2
Current UK Status: passed 18 uncut
Uncut 2009 Revelation R2 DVD is available
at UK Amazon
Mother's Day is a 1980 US comedy horror by Charles Kaufman. With Tiana
Pierce, Nancy Hendrickson and Deborah Luce.
Banned by the BBFC for 1980 cinema release. Passed 18 uncut for 2015
Blu-ray. Uncut and MPAA Unrated in the US.
Summary Review: Camp Horror Classic
When you go into the woods today, you're in for a big surprise. When you go into the woods today
you're not going to believe your eyes. But it ain't no teddy bear picnic . Three girls discover that two men are willing to do anything to impress Mother and what impresses Mother is watching her son commit acts of rape and murder. Now these women
are prisoners and lowered to pawns in the game of checkers between two dim wits and their Maniac Mommy and the question becomes, can any of them escape, alive?
This is a true 80's horror classic, with a little bit of
camp thrown in for fun! I can't say enough about this under seen little gem! For it's time and genre, the gore and killings are just fantastic. I really dig the script as well. I say that in my opinion, the acting is absolutely fantastic.
Versions
uncut
run:
90:16s
pal:
86:39s
UK: Passed 18 uncut for strong violence, sexual violence for:
UK: Released
uncut on pre-cert video for:
