Top 5 Nastiest Video Nasties

For some people of a certain age, the term ‘video nasty’ evokes memories of hunching over a 14” TV set watching a video tape a friend “acquired” (you’ve no more desire now to probe their sources than you did back then). They were the lowest of the low. Films so unspeakable that parents everywhere were terrified of their children seeing things they couldn’t unsee. In the intervening decades, the loosening of historic bans and the greater freedom afforded to film-makers mean that the video nasty has passed almost into folklore. But prior to the Video Recordings Act 1984, pretty much anything could make it into your living room. Even films which had been cut or banned prior to theatrical release saw no such censorship for the home video market. Not surprisingly, something had to be done to protect us. Accordingly, films were judged under the provisions of the Obscene Publications Act 1857, and the Director of Public Prosecutions issued a list of those films he believed to contravene it.

Here are the top 5 worst from their list. The list is more about how legitimately these films were banned than a commentary on how good the films actually are. That would be a very different list.

First – an Honourable Mention: The Exorcist (1974)

The Exorcist never actually made it onto the BBFC’s Video Nasties list, nor was it ever prosecuted for obscenity in spite of the headlines surrounding its troubled cinematic outing. It was released for home video in 1981. However, the Video Recordings Act 1984 required all video releases be assessed for certification (U, PG, 15, 18). By 1988, the BBFC had still not reached a decision and so The Exorcist was removed from circulation – and remained “banned” for 11 years. It is interesting to note that when the film returned to cinemas in 1998, it experienced none of the hysteria or controversy that it suffered on first release. Times – and sensibilities - had obviously changed.

5. The House on the Edge of the Park (1980)

Taking just three weeks to shoot, and with David Hess all but reprising his role as Krug from Last House on the Left, this house invasion film is so violent that when it was finally released in 2002, nearly 12 minutes had been cut. It had previously been refused a cinematic release, even though the film in its uncut glory was widely available to home video owners. While David Hess appears twice in the video nasties list, Italian co-star John Morghen (real name Giovanni Lombardo Radice) makes three appearances thanks to his charming performances in Cannibal Apocalypse (1980) and Cannibal Ferox (1981). Cannibalism (and zombies) featured heavily on the video nasties list. The Director of Public Prosecutions obviously had a thing about it.

4. The Last House on the Left (1972)

Keep repeating…it’s only a movie, it’s only a movie, it’s only a movie. In some ways it’s a coming of age movie, with all the terrible things happening after the teenage heroine’s act of rebellion against her conservative upbringing. This is a theme that writer and director Wes Craven would explore again in Nightmare on Elm Street, just as producer Sean Cunningham would explore it in Friday 13th. The Last House on the Left has always courted controversy thanks to its brutal scenes of rape and torture. It was refused a cinema certificate in 1974 (and again on re-release in 2000), and was eventually only released uncut in 2008. The film was re-made in 2009 to far less outcry, perhaps because the remake had none of the social commentary or backbone of the original.

3. I Spit on Your Grave (AKA Day of the Woman) (1978)

This is arguably little more than an exploitation piece with a heavy emphasis on violence against women. It’s a point the director fervently denies, but one can’t help but notice the gruelling realism of the scenes in which actress Cammille Keaton is abused, offset against the cartoon violence in the scenes where she exacts her revenge. This film has suffered perpetual editing throughout its life: when it was finally released in 2001, it endured no fewer than 7 minutes of cuts; the Ultimate Collector's Edition bluray issued in 2011 remains cut by 3 minutes.

2. Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

Whether art or exploitation, this is arguably the godfather and grand master of the found footage genre. It follows the discovery of footage shot by a missing film crew, and after the film was wrapped up, actors Francesca Ciardi, Luca Barbareschi, Carl Yorke and Robert Kerman were contractually obliged to remain out of the media spotlight in order to make their disappearance in the film seem more real. Cannibal Holocaust saw scandal like no other, culminating in the director being arrested and accused of murdering the four members of the film crew. All of which paints a picture of an important horror movie. That is, until you factor in the cannibalism, the brutal portrayal of rape, the graphic [on-sceen] deaths of the film crew, and the real scenes of animal killing. Director Ruggero Deodato was required to reveal how certain visual effects were created in order for the murder charges to be dropped. The film’s legacy is therefore an intriguing one. Unsurprisingly, several scenes were cut when the film finally saw a release in 2001.

1. Faces of Death (1979)

With its jarring music and unsettling editing, this mock/shock/documentary is difficult to watch even when you know portions of it are fake. From upsetting newsreel and crime scene videos of fatal accidents and plane crashes to horrifying footage shot in slaughter houses, there is no comfort to be found in the dubious legitimacy of Faces of Death – it’s obvious which bits are real, and those bits are as shocking now as they were 30 years ago. I opened this list with an image of video enthusiasts hunching over a TV set watching one of these contraband titles. Faces of Death is surely the one that would stay with people the longest, haunting them for the rest of their days. Arguably, it is the one which most richly deserves to be banned, and is by turns also the only one which is real.