An Introduction
Video Nasty (def): A term coined by Mary Whitehouse that has become a British colloquialism referring to a number of low-budget horror and exploitation films.
I want to take you on a journey, over several articles in fact, through the films that were once considered as ‘video nasties’. Because of this, I thought it would be easier to provide you all with an overall introduction to the, I guess, genre so that I don’t end up repeating myself with each article that goes by explaining the significance of what you are going to read. Especially as I’m sure I do that enough already.
Having wanted to talk about these type of films for as long as this blog was being birthed in my mind – truthfully for as long as I knew they even existed – I decided to do some research before getting completely stuck in. I originally believed that there were only 72 films in this category because that was the only information I could find on several websites. However, this is just the start of the films featured on the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) list when it was released publicly in 1983. Along with this came a supplementary list which contained another 82 films deemed as ‘video nasties’. That’s 154, ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY FOUR, films that you were legally not allowed to own.
Obviously this list is broken down into sections, like any legal document would be. Here’s a breakdown of those sections:
Section 1: Prosecuted Films
Of the original 72 films (before the addition of the supplementary list) a total of THIRTY NINE! films were successfully prosecuted under the Obscene Publications Act 1959 (don’t ask me to explain this, because I genuinely cannot seem to find a proper breakdown of the Act). It seems to me from what I have watched that the majority of these films were prosecuted due to scenes including rape or animal cruelty of some sort or another. It’s interesting to note that there are still 9 films of these 39 that even up until 2021 still have not been released in the UK – however I was somehow lucky enough to get hold of The Beast in Heat.
I am afraid however, that the rest may not feature in this wonderful yet gory section of the blog unless something drastic changes
- The Ghastly Ones
- Forest of Fear
- Fight for your Life
- Gestapo’s Last Orgy
- Love Camp 7
- Mardi Gras Massacre
- Snuff
- Werewolf and the Yeti
Section 2: Non Prosecuted Films
This is the place you will find the other 33 of the 72 whose prosecution attempts failed. There probably isn’t much more to say about these in comparison to those that were actually prosecuted as the reason are exactly the same reasons except swinging more towards animal cruelty than rape, which I guess explains why their prosecutions failed. Also similar to the prosecuted films, 2 of these are not supposed to be accessible in the UK as they never had a formal release. However, thanks to streaming services that shall not be named – I am able to get hold of both of these films.
Section 3: Video Nasties
We come to the final section of the DPP list. A collection of 82 films that were unable to be prosecuted for obscenity like the other 72. However, if you were caught with one of these films and willingly gave it over to the police – you would receive a slap on the wrist for your trouble. Funnily enough, it is actually this list that contains the majority of films having not been released in the UK, a whopping 23 films out of 82.
I realised when compiling this list and doing my research that I actually own one film from each of these sections – but I will enlighten you all with what they are in future articles.
Your journey continues with Prosecuted Films Pt.1
