Connect with us

Features

Banned! The Ultimate Midnight Movies

With the ever increasing number of provocative movies looking to push the boundaries of human taste and decency, we here at THN have decided to take a look at the stand-out movies that really got us this far and did they really deserve the notoriety they received. Growing up with my love of films and hearing about certain titles I was not allowed or unable to see because of the BBFC’s banned list of video nasties only made me more intrigued to see what I was missing out on.

It’s only human nature to be intrigued as to why we are not allowed to view such entertainment. Which only prompts people to seek them out even more. A fact someone should have told Mary Whitehouse before her crusading journey began in the early eighties. These are the movies that I grew up watching, fascinated at their content and the context that made them so notorious in this country. Memories of back alley video stores that if you gave a nod and wink to, could get you the film that everyone in the school yard were hounding you about to ‘get seen’, even if they were made decades before.

One of the earliest films to shock audiences not only in the UK  but all over the world was Todd Browning’s FREAKS (1932). A brilliant and actually heartbreaking film that outraged many for its use of actual circus freaks, who were put front and centre on screen for the world to see, only not as the object of ridicule or fascination but to show that these are human beings with feelings, whether its a ‘midget’ in love with the beautiful female trapeze artist or the vengeful actions of his protective deformed fellow circus friends.

‘We’ll make her one of us’

The end of the sixties brought with it a new breed of filmmaker. Names like George A. Romeo, Tobe Hooper and Wes Craven adding to list of already gritty movie masters. It was the early seventies that began in controversial circumstances with Stanley Kubrick’s interpretation of the Anthony Burgess novel A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971). Malcolm McDowell’s mesmerising portrayal of Alex, a young thug who along with his three hoodlum friends, get up to all sorts of criminal activities before one extreme act lands him in prison. There, he volunteers to undergo a bizzare new treatment program that he hopes could ‘cure’ him of his violent tendencies, but at what cost to Alex himself upon his parole. The film was praised on its release and is still considered a masterpiece but Kubrick’s self imposed decision to pull it from cinemas, and not a BBFC ban, was the cause for it’s unavailabilatly until 1997. This all due to the press highlighting articles of copycat gangs causing havoc on Britain’s streets. One particular attack mimicking a scene from the film. The film’s futuristic vision is almost frightingly accurate for today’s youth.

‘Viddy well, little brother, viddy well.

In the same year, Sam Peckinpah brought his unique talents of the violent westerns that built his career to the unusual setting of Cornwall for STRAW DOGS (1971). A moral tale of how far a mild mannered mathematician can be pushed before he takes extreme action to protect his home and lover. STRAW DOGS features a tour-de force performance from Dustin Hoffman, but its the controversial ‘rape’ scene that blurred the lines of ‘No’ means ‘Yes’ involving Susan George’s Amy, that made it unavailable for so long. (Check out our full retrospective feature of the film HERE).

‘ I will not allow violence against this house’

LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972) was Wes Craven’s first attempt at making a name for himself. An uncomfortable film to watch because of its gritty unsettling voyeuristic style setting. An update of Ingmar Bergman’s THE VIRGIN SPRING (1960), Craven showing the themes similar to STRAW DOGS of how far civilised people, parents in this case, would go in order to take extreme revenge against those that have harmed their loved ones in such a despicable manor.

‘Why don’t you lay back and enjoy being inferior’

The film that everyone talked about in my teens was William Friedkin’s THE EXORCIST(1973), a powerful film about religion and demonic possession that had people fainting in the ailes (my mother being one of them) at the sight of a teenage girl using extreme language, vomiting pea soup and self harming with a crucifix in intimate parts of her anatomy. It is still quite as shocking today as it was back then with an amazing (literally) head-turning performance from a young Linda Blair.

‘The power of Christ compels you’

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974) is another unsettling watch due to its raw documentary style of filmmaking, although very little gore is seen on screen it’s the unnerving and realistic tone of the film that gained its infamy. The title itself creeping under the skin to give the viewer a sense that there was a lot more guts and gore than there actually was. The faux ‘What happened is true’ blazened on the poster working a treat at the box-office.

‘There’s always been meat in my family’.

The late seventies and early eighties brought a host of films to make it onto the BBFC’s video nasties list most of them no where near the standard of quality film-making as the titles mentioned above but that didn’t stop the us wanting to see them. Most notable were the two most popular flesh-eating themed features, CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST (1980) and CANNIBAL FEROX (1981), as well as Fulci’s Romero knock-off, ZOMBIE FLESH EATERS (1979), with its infamous splinter in the eye scene. Also exploitation classic I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (1978) that even with all the unintentional comedy acting, as well as a number of difficult to watch rape scenes, features one notorious set up that made us boys wince whilst crossing our legs rather uncomfortably.

‘I don’t like women giving me orders’.

The films and the titles got sillier as time moved on with ANTHROPAGUS THE BEAST (1980), featuring a ridiculous scene of George Eastman’s beast pulling an unborn fetus from a unlucky female victim, released heavily cut years later under THE GRIM REAPER and its suitably titled sequel ABSURD (1981). Both utterly forgettable amongst the growing number of these type of movie’s scraping the bottom of the barrel but just letting your friends know that you have seen them gave you an edge of mystique coolness in the school yard, even in the nineties amongst fellow ‘Fangoria’ and ‘The Dark Side’ readers.

There were a good few cracking gems amongst the dreck of those tarred with the video nasties label. William Lustig’s slasher MANIAC (1980) Sam Raimi’s THE EVIL DEAD (1982), Dario Argento’s TENEBRAE (1982) and Lucio Fulci’s THE BEYOND (1981) were amongst the many films deemed likely to ‘deprave or corrupt’ in the crackdown that saw many video stores raided for such content and even filmmakers themselves prosecuted. What time certainly shows is that censorship, whilst still a major part of the movie business, has somewhat softened, considering the recent remakes of THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT and I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE having a lot more realistic gore and disturbing scenes than their previous incarnations. Yet, those efforts passed by UK cinemas and video stores without much fuss. Try telling that to director Tom Six whose recent brush with the BBFC has saw his HUMAN CENTIPEDE 2: FULL SEQUENCE refused a certificate. Could it really be that bad, another title for the gore hounds to seek out in the near future just because someone has told them it’s not for you… Sound familiar?

Why not let us know your favourites?

Craig was our great north east correspondent, proving that it’s so ‘grim up north’ that losing yourself in a world of film is a foregone prerequisite. He has been studying the best (and often worst) of both classic and modern cinema at the University of Life for as long as he can remember. Craig’s favorite films include THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, JFK, GOODFELLAS, SCARFACE, and most of John Carpenter’s early work, particularly THE THING and HALLOWEEN.

23 Comments

23 Comments

  1. goreguy

    Jun 7, 2013 at 1:04 am

    Both Human Centipede movies we MAJOR letdowns in terms of gore. If you want lots of blood and violence I recommend Martyrs and Inside. Both French movies, both awesome.

  2. filmgeek1983

    Jun 14, 2013 at 12:23 pm

    how could they leave out the most banned sick movie of them all, this movie was so messed up and sick they took the director to court because they thought he actually murdered cast members Ruggero Deodato, this vile movie is entitled, CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST (1980)

  3. Craig Hunter

    Jun 14, 2013 at 2:32 pm

    It is mentioned above article filmgeek1983

  4. Cameren Lee

    Jul 30, 2013 at 7:13 am

    What about Salo?

  5. frankt78

    Aug 1, 2013 at 2:33 am

    The most f’ed up film is ” A Serbian Film” totally crazy

  6. nino

    Aug 1, 2013 at 2:33 am

    Dead Alive has got to be the goriest thing ive seen. The new evil dead is up there, however uncool it might be to recognize

  7. THE COUNT OF METHE CRISTO

    Aug 10, 2013 at 12:58 am

    Cannibal Holocaust is fucking Brilliant you pretty little flower

  8. Cakeblast

    Aug 28, 2013 at 2:15 am

    The director’s cut of Murder-Set-Pieces is very graphic, very violent, and really really good. I have never seen the watered-down remake that Lion’s Gate released, which was cut for an R rating, but have heard the movie was ruined. The original is OOP, and I sold my copy a few years ago for $60 which was amazing to me because I had bought it a few years earlier for less than $20.

    Reading articles like this kind of makes me wish I had it to rewatch though.

  9. Jed Bartlet

    Sep 5, 2013 at 5:32 pm

    Not sure how you can put a list like this together and not include Ken Russell’s The Devils.

  10. Roger Moore

    Sep 5, 2013 at 8:31 pm

    Lolita by Stanley Kubrick was banned, as well as Paths of Glory also by Stanley Kubrick.

  11. Chainsaw

    Sep 14, 2013 at 10:35 pm

    Salo and A Serbian Film make Cannibal Holocaust look like Finding Nemo.

  12. Buck Waste

    Sep 24, 2013 at 11:03 pm

    Seen it, I’ve never been the same since.

  13. jjayjasonfriday

    Oct 12, 2013 at 2:56 am

    both salo n siberian film are just messed up with jungle holocaust as an honorable mention.

  14. robger65

    Jan 9, 2014 at 11:35 pm

    A good number of Little Rascal episodes are banned despite the fact that the series had very liberal views of integration for its day.

  15. Danielle Whitaker Owens

    Feb 6, 2014 at 7:53 pm

    Really want to see A Serbian Film and Salo.. Not WANT to see, but I feel like I have to see those two movies before I die. I hear such crazy horrible things, it’s gotta be worth watching one time. CANT FIND THEM ANYWHERE.

  16. melissa

    Feb 17, 2014 at 3:22 pm

    believe it or not you can watch both on youtube…I did

  17. Bryan

    Feb 17, 2014 at 10:22 pm

    NO YOU HAVENT SEE FCKED UP FILMS UNTIL YOU’VE SEEN “SALO or 120 of Sodom”! That movie was so sick they killed the Director over it. Only a twisted puppy could dream up that kind of sick.

  18. Intheknow

    Feb 19, 2014 at 11:06 pm

    You betcha.

  19. Danielle Whitaker Owens

    Feb 21, 2014 at 9:48 pm

    No. You can’t. I’ve tried.

  20. Mr. Mayday

    Apr 23, 2014 at 10:55 pm

    Salo, 120 days of sodom i’ve watched alot of f* up movies but that one tops the list fo sho!

  21. the other guy

    Apr 26, 2014 at 2:16 pm

    Have to disagree with you about the remake of I Spit On Your Grave. I thought the rape scenes in this and it’s sequel were mild due to the editing when compared to the original. Plus the revenge scenes in these two were so over the top that they ruined the films. At least in the original the revenge scenes were carried out in a believable fashion.

  22. AFBV

    May 9, 2014 at 4:13 am

    a Serbian film made the human centipede 1 and 2 look like an episode of E.R.

  23. Nacho006

    May 17, 2014 at 2:23 am

    Human Centipede 2 got through Australian censors without any editing at all. But I guess when we allow the F bomb at 7:30pm on a national free tv stations, what is a bit of violence and disturbing graphical scenes.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Latest Posts

More in Features