Censorship

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

I started to read the list of films cut so far this year.

The majority of the films , Found excepted, are cut by the distributors to achieve kid friendly ratings not the BBFC.

Indeed. This is a common practice by the studios now unfortunately so they can line their bank accounts with a wider demographic's money.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by bizarre_eye@Cult Labs

Indeed. This is a common practice by the studios now unfortunately so they can line their bank accounts with a wider demographic's money.

After reading the full list all but three were exactly this.

As for The Spanish Chainsaw Massacre - sexualised violence to a child - what were they expecting?

[Boo Radley]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

I started to read the list of films cut so far this year.

The majority of the films , Found excepted, are cut by the distributors to achieve kid friendly ratings not the BBFC.

And......does that not mean cut by the BBFC? If I put forward a film requesting a 15 and the BBFC demand it be cut to achieve it, then they are forcing me to abridge my film, cutting it to their order. They have cut a film not classified it, that makes them censors not classifiers, full stop.
And while we're here, all this bullshit about the BBFC working within laws and guidelines is utter tripe. Try writing to them and asking for a list of these "laws" and "guidelines" and you will find out very quickly, like I did , there are no "guidelines" and the "Laws" are so woolly and open to interpretation it is left up to the examiners discretion, based upon their own morals, values and ideals. There is no "law" that states a 12 year old cannot hear the word "Motherfu*ker", there is no "Law" that states a penis can only be seen flaccid, there is no law that states another 1 second of blood spurting from a wound is too much for the public, there are no "guidelines" as to what is morally acceptable. This is all laid in the laps of the BBFC who decide on our behalf what is allowed viewing, NOT through the "Law", NOT through "Guidelines" but through their own personal preferences and dislikes moulded throughout their lives by the parental control, morals and values imprinted upon them throughout their lives. Ferman was the epitome of this with his "Blood on breasts IS a trigger for rapists." WTF??? Seriously? And dumb ass people believe this shit!
Even the "Laws set in Stone" like the animal violence one is open to vast interpretation by the examiners. Slaughter or torture? This is left entirely up to the BBFC to judge and can change like the wind. One day Cannibal Holocaust is the most vile animal killing film in existence, the next it's all okay because it was done quick......different examiners, different outcomes. There are no guidelines as to which is which it is up to the person "classifying" the film.
Laws and guidelines, my arse!!
Draconian sensibilities demanding that we don't question why but just accept it coz "It's the Law" is perhaps the most underhand insidious con perpetuated by the BBFC.
And the worst thing is hearing fans of extreme movies say they are right........... Ahh, Fu*k it, just keep taking the blue pills, girls and boys.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Would being a horror fan have been as much fun or as interesting had we not tried to seek out uncut or banned copies of films like Zombie etc?

Had this never happened and our shelves been stacked of video nasties since the eighties then it could have meant the majority of the cult films we know and love would just have slipped into obscurity 18 months after their vhs release never to be heard of again.

I used to love trawling the fairs seeking out unwatchable, in more ways than one, tat. I know i wouldn't have gained the same pleasure just nipping into Our Price for a copy of Mardi Gras Massacre.

Just a thought.

[Make Them Die Slowly]

Originally Posted by Boo Radley

Assault rifles....unfortunately not but I would if I could. I do have the following though....
Zombie Tools | Makers of Bladed Weapons | Missoula, Montana and,
Crossbows - Hunting Crossbows - Tactical Crossbow: Kodabow and
Diamond Outlaw Review - BowTech Compound Bow Inspection and
Welcome to Strider Knives
plus a few other.....err.....items.... next on my wish list is this little bugger,
WASP Injection Systems, Inc. - WASP Injection Knife

See if that bloody zombie apocalypse doesn't happen......!!!

We need a weapons thread!

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Make Them Die Slowly

We need a weapons thread!

I don't think so!

It's not the place to advertise weapons, the same applies to certain plants.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Boo Radley

And......does that not mean cut by the BBFC? If I put forward a film requesting a 15 and the BBFC demand it be cut to achieve it, then they are forcing me to abridge my film, cutting it to their order. They have cut a film not classified it, that makes them censors not classifiers, full stop.

From my perspective, the BBFC have told a distributor what material would be acceptable for a 12A certificate and what would be permitted for a 15. If the distributor decides to leave the film as it is and have it released with a 15 certificate, all the BBFC have done is advised about classification, not forced any cuts to be made. If the distributor chooses to make changes to the film in order to secure a lower certificate (and therefore a larger audience), the censoring has been done by the distributor and not the BBFC, who have merely classified the film.

[Boo Radley]

Absolutely agree with you! Demdike on the collecting front!
If I had not been told that I couldn't have these films, then I would never have bothered. It's that excitement of having the forbidden, of having what you shouldn't have. I guess its kind of like the feeling an egg collector has when he gets his hands on a rare egg he knows he shouldn't have.

But then when you are dragged into it and watch the unwatchable you start to question why are these films banned in the first place. In truth there is only a couple of "Nasties" that deserve the moniker, the rest are crap, why on earth ban them as, as you stated, if attention had not been focused on them they would have disappeared into the ether years ago.

That is the start of a very deep Bunny Hole right there....It has ties and connections to the PC brigade which in the early '80's decided that they would now teach us how to think and what to say. This land of "Free Speech" was very quickly informed that it was definitely not so! You cannot say this, or that, it "might" offend someone, but they can say what they like about us because we used to rule half the world and were involved in slavery, so we're fair game. We were told we were not to celebrate OUR culture but everyone else's had to be. Control the populace. Control the way we think. It will not work on the older generation that has already had ideals and morals hammered into us but anyone born after 1980 has been brought up this insidious controlling way, to them it is the norm.

Then came Health and Safety. First they control what you think, then they control what you do. No, you can't go up a ladder unless you have ladder training, no you can't quickly change a fuse, that's his job. Don't do anything. Just do and think what we tell you. Don't have autonomous thoughts or deeds, you will be punished for it. Do as we say, it's good for you, join all the other sheeple.
Do you think fluoride in our water and toothpaste is for our teeth....? Really?

Not once the world over has anyone ever used watching a horror film as an excuse to do nefarious deeds but we are told this lie time and time again as a reason to ban films and books. It's not to protect the populace, it's to protect the elite that run the country and our monetary system. They want the populace dumbed down and docile, ready to accept the next load of shit they heap upon us. It's all about control and power, nothing to do with little Jimmy hearing the word motherfu*ker while his mum shoots up crack in the kitchen after getting slapped about by Jimmy's dad.

And when people do come out and tell the truth we vilify and ostracise them, demonize them into bad people. Can't have that! People telling the truth! Cutting and banning films may seem trivial in all this but it is the thin end of a wedge so thick it disappears into the sky. At the moment they cut words and scenes they find objectionable, not a big deal really, get over yourself, right? What happens when they start cutting ideals and thoughts they don't agree with? When they start re-writing history to fulfil the role they want it to portray? Still okay with you? When you are being lied to daily you accept the lies as truth because all the powerful people say so. Vaccines are good for you, they stop flu! What? No, no, don't worry about the animal embryos or the mercury or the aluminium. Who reads the Lancet to see that 4 flu jabs in 10 years increases your chance of Alzheimer's disease by 70 % anyway? No, it's good for you - and your kids - get it.

The BBFC are the scapegoat I accuse because that is what they are there for. If we got rid of the ridiculous BBFC it would be one step nearer to being a free country once again, making our own choices and not being told what we can and can't do. It is human nature to rebel against authority, always has been since Adam and Eve, and it has always been the nature of those in power to hold the populace down and hide things from them. And as the world has become more intelligent, the more they need control.

There is far, far more than I can write about here, and at first glance you will think these are totally unconnected things and have nothing to do with censorship of horror films and that is something I'll never be able to convince you off on my own, especially if you're born after 1980!! You need to make the journey yourself and discover many things before the picture comes into focus but when you have and you do, the truth is far more horrifying than any movie you've ever seen.

Bon voyage. 'nother beer needed!!

EDIT: Sorry about the weapons bit.....get rid of it if you want!!

[SShaw]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

From my perspective, the BBFC have told a distributor what material would be acceptable for a 12A certificate and what would be permitted for a 15. If the distributor decides to leave the film as it is and have it released with a 15 certificate, all the BBFC have done is advised about classification, not forced any cuts to be made. If the distributor chooses to make changes to the film in order to secure a lower certificate (and therefore a larger audience), the censoring has been done by the distributor and not the BBFC, who have merely classified the film.

That is exactly the point I was hinting at. Category cuts mean that the film could have been certified uncut, they are not films censored by the BBFC but are cut by the distributor for commercial reasons.

Of the 5 films that had compulsory cuts three would appear to be because they breach law. Such laws can only be changed by government, the BBFC cannot just choose to ignore them. We could have a debate about whether animal cruelty or explicit representation of child sex abuse should be legal or not but that has nothing whatsoever to do with the bbfc.

So in effect, of the films listed by Melonfarmers, only two have compulsory cuts that are a matter of taste. That is two too many, and particularly for Soulmate difficult to understand.

Perhaps the Melonfarmers list is incomplete, but I can't see how to sort the BBFC's database to see just how prevalent the problem is (I imagine that a bigger proportion of the porn submitted to the BBFC is probably subject to compulsory cuts). From the ire of some in this thread it must be a much bigger problem than I think.

[Crimson Blade]

Not condoning the cuts, but at least Found didn't get cut by 7 minutes like it did in Australia.