60’s-
This decade, to most people is usually associated with hedonism and free living. To some the 60’s was made to look like a peace loving decade but in actual fact the 60’s ended violently. The Attamont Festival ‘Woodstock’ was one of these acts of violence, an act that carried the 60’s out with violence and controversy. The Woodstock festival was a massive outdoor festival in America which ended the sixties with the death of Meridith Hunter, killed by the hells angels are after he pulled a gun out near the stage. Students in the west had clashed with the government and democracy was to slow, all of this ended up amounting to violence and eventually terrorism.
In terms of the film industry, the 60’s had really taken off with the feature length, cinema had started becoming popular and enjoyable. Films had started to break boundaries and venture into the taboos. Things like sex and violence had started to become seen and aired in films, the cultural movement of the 60’s was reflected massively in the Hollywood hits, the films were dramatic and very hectic. Many people have described the sixties as the start of the ‘MTV style editing’, fast paced, quick, and very hectic. A good example of this is the film ‘A Hard Days Night’ a film which is really just a feature length music video, this film is a perfect reflection on the cultural developments and also the films of the era. . Some say this was the start of a new era, a New Hollywood, which in actual fact plays a key part in the development of the video nasties. Although there has been no direct link, in my opinion i think that the sixties was just the start, the kick that gave the 70’s the edge and want for something a little more than what they had. The sixties ended with violence and a lot of anger towards the higher power’s, this eventually became a rebellion and flowed into the later decades.
70’s-
A decade that had been lead into with lots of anger and rebellion being something that many people felt was the only way to get the message out. In the mid 70’s around 76′, the rebellion known by most as ‘Punk’ was introduced to England. Bands such as the ‘Sex Pistols’ and ‘The Clash’ began a new style and new scene for kids and people to grow into. Punk was all about rebelling and avoiding the control of the higher powers, It all started in America, which in my mind is a strong connection to the clash between the students and the government. It wasn’t the start of punk, but in my opinion i think it might have given some people an excuse to be a part of a cultural rebellion. Punk started solely through music and the revolution in the music tastes, kids getting bored of the endless solo’s and pointless riffs. Bands starting taking the music back the basic, ‘No Bull Shit.’ style edge of rock n roll, it became an image, fashion, style and personality.
All of this coincided with the release and invention of the VHS, allowing people anywhere to view films in the privacy of their own homes. In most areas of this decade, everything became about expressing your self in a very true and real nature. Music became more Raw and less produced with lyrics that cut into society and issues that many wouldn’t even think to discuss, opinions and getting your point across became something that people wanted to do. Now with the release of VHS audiences didn’t have to stick to whatever Hollywood said to watch, the concentration was placed on the ‘Home Video’… Soon to become Video Nasties. As the 70’s drew to an ended audiences were realising that censorship would only cover films for cinema, Low budget production companies and people just making the home video soon came to realise that these films could feature anything and it wouldn’t be censored. The BBFC had no power over ‘Straight to video releases’ therefore they couldn’t control what was being distributed.
The Video Nasties themselves became something that didn’t push the taboos they found what they were and treated it as a list as of what to feature in a film, nudity, rape, violence, killing, cannibalism and more. Later explained by some of the small town distributor’s they told the media that there was a demand for it and nothing stopping it, so they supplied it. This whole cultural movement wasn’t just reflected in film because of VHS, VHS fueled it and then other mediums followed suit. Magazines began to push boundaries and challenge what was moral, pushing the common states of taste and sex, everything became about expression and avoiding ‘The Norm.’
The Video Nasties circled around ‘Horror’ as a genre and featured many other aspects that challenged the moral thinking of society.
80’s-
After the extreme natures and the cultural rebellion in the 70’s the 80’s had a lot to live up to. Music and fashion became something new and the decades popularity became something other than punk. As for the film industry it continued to thrive in the video nasties without law to control the straight to video releases. In 1983 the first step in the governments approach to the video nasties was releasing the DPP list, this was a list that contained 72 video nasties, it was made public to make people aware of these films and their content. Although, this approach just fueled the fans. It acted as a to do list, films they needed to get or see. The ‘Obscene Publications act’ 1559, was the only thing in place to cover the films, but then this didn’t have any say over VHS. The Act was amended in 1977 to cover erotic films. The DPP list acted as are target list for the government, 39 of the films were prosecuted under this act. Some had even been passed by the BBFC for cinema release, as you can see there was a very mixed reception and understanding of what to do with the films.
The Obscene Publications Act defined obscenity as that which may “tend to deprave and corrupt persons who are likely, having regard to all relevant circumstances, to read, see or hear the matter contained or embodied in it“.
– -Source;Wikipedia.
As you can see from this statement the definition is very vague and can be left to many interpretations, so to prosecute under this act would have been very hard. The video nasties got to a stage where it became a well known issue, an issue that the Pope even released a statement on. The statement focused on the demonic nature of the films and the influence it will have on us.
1984- Probably being one of the most key years in the era of the video nasties a new act was brought in to help add more control over the home release and straight to video films. The British Board of Film Censors became known as the British Board of Film Classification, the new BBFC became responsible for all releases in cinema and on VHS. Anything after September 1st 1985 had to be submitted to the BBFC for classification, anything before was resubmitted. The act in forced to the degree of criminal offense, it became illegal to supply a certificated film to an underage person, and to supply unclassified/certificated films. One film that cause a fair amount of discomfort and contraversy during this period was ‘The Exorcist’. A year after the Popes speech detailing the demonic influences in today’s society the film The Exorcist was released. The film then became known and was released by Warner Home Video in 1981, it was then soon after denied Certification by the BBFC and removed from the shelves in ’86.
The Copycat Theory–
“It is often mistaken that Stanley Kubrick’s film adaption of A Clockwork Orange was banned by the BBFC. It was actually Kubrick himself who decided to withdraw the film from exhibition in the UK after reports of copycat behavior. The film was only released in the UK shortly after the death of Kubrick in 1999.”
–Source; Wikipedia.
In the 90’s, when the second wave of video nasties struck a slightly less intense and more controlled, but still classed as video nasties came to light. A development came with this, Obviously now the BBFC had control over films release and the distribution of a film but some films would still be classed as okay even though they might have something ‘edgy’ content. People where able to now see these films, a demand was still around for the video nasties and industries being industries they jumped on the opportunity to create these films to get through and still supply the demand. Some films such as ‘Chucky’ and ‘Natural Born Killers’ have fell into the copycat theory. The copycat theory is basically underlining the media’s influence on an audience, saying that people are watching these films and feeling compelled to go out and perform acts of violence or sexual assault in relation to the film they have viewed. Attempted and successful persecutions have been made based on this theory. The director of ‘Natural Born Killers’ was successfully sued after a couple went on a killing spree after taking hallucinogenic drugs and watching the film. There are lots of opinion and views on this theory, it’s been debated for years and there’s more than enough to discuss. But it has recently come down to personally moral values to be able to understand a film for what it is and know that what they are doing it for the purpose of entertainment or to place a message across. To blame a film for someones acts is a very skeptical approach and just passes responsibility.
The copycat theory has been applied almost every medium going, music, games, film and so on. To blame a film for someones actions just doesn’t add up in my opinion, if anything the society and culture they live in is more to blame. If they feel as though they can watch a film and consider any actions viewed to be something right or doable, then that personality has moral issues. A film is entertainment, not instructions.
Posted by Elliott 
Elliott Steel 