Sam Raimi set off the great ‘Video Nasty’ debate in the UK with Evil Dead. For years British audiences were on the short end of the horror stick thanks to this nonsense. Now it looks like the ‘Video Nasty’ is back, as the British Board of Film Classification has flat out banned the DVD release of slasher movie Murder Set Pieces.
Does this mean director Nick Palumbo is the new Sam Raimi? Probably not, but he and the director of Amateur Porn Star Killer* are certainly neck and neck for spamming the shit out of the CHUD boards about their movies, something Sam has not yet done.
Here’s some of the meat of the Variety article about this:
“Rejecting a work outright is a serious matter and the board
considered whether the issue could be dealt with through cuts,”
commented Cooke. “However, given the unacceptable content featured
throughout, and that what remains is essentially preparatory and set-up
material for the unacceptable scenes, cutting the work is not a viable
option in this case and the work is therefore refused a classification.”
A
press release summarizing the ruling outlined the chief concerns: “
‘Murder Set Pieces’ is a feature with a single-minded focus on the
activities of a psychopathic sexual serial killer, who, throughout the
film, is seen raping, torturing and murdering his victims. Young
children are among those terrorized and killed, and their inclusion in
this abusive context is an added concern. In relation to the adult
victims, there is a clear focus on sex or sexual behavior accompanied
by non-consensual pain, injury and humiliation.”
The trade also notes that Ebay UK has five copies of the film for sale now; it’s obvious that in the 21st century world of global commerce and this series of tubes known as the internet banning shit is essentially pointless. All you’re doing is telling the kids what’s good to download. There are 20+ seeders of the film right now on The Pirate Bay, and I’m sure getting this movie will be very simple for the British kids with computers.
In the meantime, my interest in this film is suddenly piqued. TLA Releasing, Nick Palumbo – email me. I want to see this film and see what the fuss is all about. It could make for a good entry in my upcoming CHUDsploitation column.
*is he an amateur porn star who is a killer? Is he killing amateur porn stars? This title kills language. Amateurishly.
9 comments
"Amateur Porn Star Killer" and this "Set Pieces" both just sound stupid. Torture porn in general just sucks – Granted, gore's a great thing, but where's the imaginitvely fantastical, hillariously over the top stuff like BrainDead and Story of Ricky anymore?
I certainly wouldn't presume to tell you not to see the movie Devin, but it's one of the worst pieces of film I've ever seen. Other than having some cute chicks in it, it's a terrible, terrible film. Badly shot, acted, edited…everything about it is bad. And as for the "shocking" violence? Please. CSI is worse. It's a god-awful movie.
I watched twenty minutes of this pile of trash on On Demand cable, for free; I stopped watching after that, feeling like I just got ripped off seriously. The dialogue, is pants; the gore, from what I saw, is just a lot of badly done fake blood. The censorship board got part of it right though: there are at least two fantasy scenes in the small bit of film I saw where the Eurotrash German Nazi-lover (I'm not flame-warring here; that actually is the killer's character in whole) is having a forcible threesome with two hookers, who are already dead. It flashes between him having sex with them, and stabbing them at the same time. No logic, except "he's a Nazi" is offered. Again I say, I saw it for free, and felt ripped off. For Christ's sake, the On Demand description ended with "we're sorry" (from the cable company)! Avoid this movie if you like your life.
You have teased us with your "CHUDsploitation" column since this time last year. When will we actually get to read it Devin.
It sounds like allot of fun, so I hope to read it sooner rather then later.
CHUDsploitation should debut in the next week. I am just finalizing some images and stuff. The first film: ADDIO ZIO TOM.
Fuck MSP and fuck Palumbo. He's ruined his career to hardcore horror fans with his OTT marketing. That wouldn't be bad if he wasn't trying to make hardcore horror.
they were probably just looking for an excuse to ban this movie because it sucks so Much.
Besides The Grudge, this is the worst horror film of the last ten years. It's not awful, and just like said above, I've seen worse on C S I.
Two points; the BBFC are not the British Govenment. If the Govt was in charge of film classification you'd see a lot more films being cut or banned as opposed to the tiny handful the BBFC do.
And the American relase of this film had 23 minutes cut out of it, so it's not like you lot have any high ground to look down from.
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