A good documentary but a superb DVD release.
"Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship & Video Tape"
http://www.beardyfreak.com/rvnastiesguide.php
This new documentary on the infamous UK 'Video Nasty' scare (directed by Jake West and released by 'Nucleus Films') doesn't really cover any new ground to those who have followed and studied this dire period, but the many new faces (and voices) that we see talking about the debacle add a freshness to the subject and add a welcome, often fascinating, new slant on old information.
Such famous and diverse people as directors Christopher Smith ("Severance") and Neil Marshall ("The Descent"), film writers like Alan Jones, Stephen Thrower and Kim Newman, critics like Derek Malcolm and educational intellectuals like ( wonderfully off the wall for her profession, in full Goth get-up and sporting a 'The Beyond" tattoo) Dr. Patricia MacCormack are amongst those who deliver the scorn towards the whole mess with knowledge and enthusiasm and relay many a fun story of how the 'pre-certification' period effected their lives both then (as kids) and now as adults in their chosen careers.
But it is perhaps researcher/author Martin Barker who delivers the most crippling blows to the 'pro-censorship' brigade. And also shows a weakness in the documentary.
Barker delivers lost of juicy tales of the scheming, lying and double dealing that 'concerned' groups and individuals.
His ripping apart of a (bogusly named) Parlimentary study committee on the 'effects' of videos of children and the corruption of truth (let alone data) that they took part in is great and tragic at the same time (especially when we are shown how influencial and widely reported these bogus finding were), but these key findings are not then levelled at the two (alive...as we also have footage of the late James Ferman and Mary Whitehouse) interviewees who used this false data to push through their argument and cause.
The two cretins involved are the then head of the 'Obscene Publications Squad' and the M.P (now a *beep* 'Sir') Matthew Bright, who brought the 'private members' bill to get 'video nasties' banned that was the wellspring of the 'Video Recordings Acts' that would see the crackdown on videos.
At one point Bright (in some of the wonderfully interesting and extensive archive footage in the documentary) is shown declaring, on national TV, that he has proof that videos not only disturb children...but can harm dogs too!
Well you have him here. Damn will hit him with his own words and lets hear him try to squirm out of his insane 'video nasties mentally damage dogs' remark. But no.
Also they have footage showing the 'Obscene Publications' guy, on TV, quoting the bogus data that decided 40% of children aged 6 had seen at least one 'nasty'. Well you have him here now...hit him with Barker's facts about the fiction he used to back up his argument. But again, no.
True the makers often let Bright hang himself (his, even today, assertion that some of the deaths that he saw in these 'nasties' were real) but the 'Obscene Publications' guy is given a free ride.
And when you add the hideously weasel-like, nasal voiced, Himmler glasses wearing, cretin John Beyer (who took over the leadership of the 'Viewers and Listeners Association' from Mary Whitehouse after she snuffed it) into the mix but only on archive tape so again given automatic free-reign...you feel that not enough is being done to counter these people directly during what may be the only chance anyone will have.
At 70 minutes the documentary is full of good stuff (and the great 'wall of old VHS' backdrop for the interviews is a joy) but I was hoping for at least a 90 minute documentary given the sheer number of juicy tales and years of tragic farce the topic takes in.
And we could have done without Emily Booth pointlessly popping up for a silly 'attack of the VHS tape' film break.
But overall this was a well made, interesting and often insightful thanks to those they chose to interview, look at this dark (if now grimly fascinating) period in British censorship and law upheaval that has much for 'Nasties' fans or just the general horror fan to enjoy.
It's also only part of a new 3 disc DVD collection that also contains (over 13 hours in total) trailers and (optional) lengthy and interesting introductions (with various people involved from the documentary) on ALL 72 films (the 39 'Official' Nasties, and the 33 titles later removed from the 'DPP' list before the final 39 title draft was drawn up) caught up in the 'Nasties' trouble.
It's an amazingly comprehensive set and a real treat.
Want to hear a female, black clad, tattooed University Dr. talk in detail for about 5 minutes about "Hell of the Living Dead"? Well you can now!
As well as that we have TRUE geekdom in the form of 50 minutes of pre-cert video label/distributer idents and logos (some professional, some with ZX81 graphical wizardry, some obviously knocked up in some guy's shed) that should bring back a few memories.
Galleries containing masses of 'Nasty' and general pre-cert VHS covers.
A few easter eggs.
And even some 'Nucleus' 'other titles available' promotional stuff actually work as extra trash movie trailer content as we have trailers for the likes of 70's porn flicks like "Fantasm" to cult horror/trash movies like "Cannibal Girls", "Night of the Bloody Apes" and "Death Ship" to name just a few.
Add to all that 5, large, full colour postcards of some choice 'nasty' VHS cover art, and a great Graham Humprey's (the artist who gave us classic VHS covers for the likes of "Evil Dead", "Basket Case", "ANOES" and "Santa Sangre") cover art and you have an essential release for not just 'Nasty' fans, but for fans of cult/horror/trash cinema in general.
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