Dead and Buried
An underrated horror film from directer Gary Sherman (Death Line),
starring James Farentino as the sheriff of the small seaside town of Potters Buff, who is baffled by a series of bizarre, brutal killings that have recently occured.
But he's even more baffled when the victims are seen casually walking around the town a few days later.
He begins to suspect the local mortician, played by Jack Albertson (who also played the Grandad in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) may somehow be
involved in all these strange goings on, but is anyone in this town really who they appear to be?
Also starring Melody Anderson (Flash Gordon), the film was scripted by Ronald Shusett and Dan O'Bannon, who also wrote Alien and
Return of the Living Dead, and is actually quite a good horror film, with special effects by Stan Winston (Terminator). Look out for
horror veteran Robert Englund (Freddy Kruger) in a minor role as one of the psychotic townsfolk.
Other Information.
The film had been passed uncut for a cinema release, which is probably one of the reasons it was later dropped from the nasties list and not prosecuted.
The pre-cert video here was also uncut, but when submitted for a post-VRA video release in the late 80s, the BBFC cut 30s from it. Later releases were
passed uncut. An uncut DVD was released in the UK in 2004.
Death Trap
AKA: Eaten Alive, Horror Hotel Massacre, Horror Hotel, Brutes and
Savages, Legend of the Bayou, Murder on the Bayou, Starlight
Slaughter.
Another low budget horror film by director Tobe Hooper of Texas Chainsaw Massacre fame, which was apparently based on a true
story.
The plot revolves around a redneck motel owner (Neville Brand) who likes killing his patrons, then feeding them to his pet alligator
in the swamp outside.
Marilyn Burns, who also appeared in Texas Chainsaw Massacre, gets tied up and terrorised all over again, whilst US TV actor
Mel Ferrer has a role as one of the victims. Robert England also turns up in a small co-starring role as a chap named Buck, who
opens the film with the line "My names Buck, and I'm ready to fuck" (a line Tarantino borrowed for Kill Bill).
Had previously been shown at the London film festival, but still earned a place on the "Nasties" list. Apparently, Hoopers 2000
film "Crocodile" was originally intended as a follow up of sorts to this film.
Other Information.
Cut for a UK cinema release, VCL released the same cut version to video, but Vipco here released an uncut print, which is what
got it noticed by the authorities. The film was unsuccessfully prosecuted under the OPA, but the BBFC still cut 25 seconds for
the post-VRA release in 1990. The film was finally passed uncut in 2000. Has more recently been re-issued under its US title
"Eaten Alive" (not to be confused with the cannibal film of the same name).
Deep River Savages
AKA: Man from Deep River, Mondo Cannibale, Au pays de L'exorcisme, Il paese del sesso selvaggio, Sacrifice.
The film that started off all these sicko Italian cannibal
flicks from the 70's and 80's was this 1972 offering from Umberto Lenzi (who would go on to direct another entry on the Nasties list, Cannibal Ferox).
Italian B-movie regular Ivan Rassimov plays a photographer who's out on location somewhere in the Philippines. After killing a guy in a bar brawl he
flee's into the Jungle, only to get captured by a primitive tribe, who initially string him up and torture him, then surprisingly initiate him into the tribe,
rather like what happened in "A Man called Horse", whilst former TV presenter Me Me Lay plays the Chief's daughter.
Like all of Lenzi's cannibal flicks there's plenty of vile genuine animal butchery, including the top of a monkey's head being chopped off and its brains eaten.
Lenzi re-used several scenes from this film for his other cannibal film "Eaten Alive", which surprisingly escaped inclusion from the list. Me Me Lai and
Ivan Rassimov also starred together in that film, and again in Deadato's "Cannibal", which also surprisingly escaped inclusion.
Other Information.
The film had previously been rejected for a cinema release in 1975 under the name "Man from Deep River", the video was uncut, though was surprisingly
removed from the DPP's list and not prosecuted. The full uncut version was submitted in 2003 and passed with only the animal cruelty scenes removed, totalling
3:45s. The 2016 UK release was slightly less cut, suffering just 3mins of cuts. Available uncut on disc in the US and Europe.
SEE MAIN REVIEW.
Delirium
An underground society of former Vietnam veterans go around executing
criminals that escape justice. But one of them flips out and proceeds to start bumping off young women.
The friend of one of the victims helps the police track down the killer, leading to a mass police shootout that ensues during the films finale.
Though I was a little surprised to hear the theme from the quiz show "Mastermind" being used for the end title music.
Directed by Peter Maris, the film should not be confused with the 1972 film of the same name by Renato Polselli or the 1987 film by Lamberto Bava.
There were two different covers issued for this release, the one pictured here being the more common
Other Information.
The film was dropped from the DPP list and not prosecuted. It was re-released on video in 1987 under the title "Psycho Puppet",
with 16s of BBFC cuts. The film then languished in obscurity until 2021, when it was finally released to Disc in the US, with a
UK release the following year.
The Devil Hunter
AKA: Il Cacciatore Du Uomini, Jungfrau unter Kanninbalen, The Man Hunter, Mandigo Man Hunter, Sexo Canibal.
A model gets kidnapped by a gang of thugs whilst working in South America,
who take her into the jungle and demand a huge ransom. Unfortunately, a rather unconvincing cannibal tribe (made up largely of white people), capture her for
themselves and offer her as a sacrifice to some strange devil-beast that inhabits the area (actually a naked black man, with a couple of ping-pong balls for eyes).
Enter Al Cliver from Zombie Flesh-Eaters, who goes into the jungle in true Indiana Jones style to try and rescue her from the kidnappers, the natives and
the devil-beast, which he does (eventually).
Another entry on the list by director by Jess Franco, who's typically shoddy direction and editing do nothing to help the awful, incoherent plot. There's a hilarious
scene where Al Cliver "climbs" a rock face, in which he is actually crawling horizontally along some rocks with the camera turned on its side, and the fight scene between
him and the naked devil-beast just has to be seen to be believed!!!!
Other Information.
Unbelievably, despite being just a thoroughly dreadful film, it was succesfully prosectued and banned under the OPA. This version missed out a
couple of dialogue scenes that were present in foreign language releases. The film was finally released uncut on UK DVD in 2008 by Severin
films, who also released the US discs, however the restored dialogue scenes were in Italian language only.
Don't Go in The House
Originally, the title for this film was going to be
"The Burning" until another film beat them to it. In this, Actor Dan Gimbaldi plays a young chap who was brutally abused by his mother as
a child, who used to burn his arms over the gas stove.
Now working in a foundry, when he discovers his mother has died he flips out, burns her corpse in his fireproof basement, sticks a dress on it
and puts it in a chair in her bedroom.
He then proceeds to start picking up and murdering tarty looking women who remind him of her, in the same manner.
The film undoubtedly borrows a few ideas from "Psycho" and is actually not a bad low budget horror movie.The film undoubtedly got included
on the list owing to the graphic scenes of women being strung up naked and burned alive.
Other Information.
The film had been cut by the BBFC for a UK cinema release, though Arcade Video released both the cut and uncut versions on video. The title
was dropped from the Nasties list and not prosecuted after the distrubers agreed to pull the uncut version. A more heavily cut version, missing
3:07s, was released on UK video in 1987. The uncut version was finally passed in the UK in 2011.
Don't Go in the Woods... Alone
AKA: Don't Go in the Woods.
A psychotic wildman is stalking the Utah woodlands, preying on teenage
backpackers, nerdy birdwatchers, overweight tourists as they huff up the hillside and pretty much any other passer-by that happens to blunder into his neck of the woods.
Some of the more entertaining scenes include some guy having his arm ripped off, then beaten to death with the soggy end and a guy in a wheelchair, who having managed
to push himself up a steep trail to the top of a hill, is swiftly decapitated by the maniac's machete.
Eventually, the wildman is hunted down by the extremely obese (in other words, fat git) Sheriff, and dealt some extremely vengeful treatment by 2 of the survivors.
I'm not certain whether the humour in this was intentional or not, but I found much of this an absolute scream.
Other Information.
One of the successfully prosecuted DPP titles on the list, the film languished in obscurity for many years, but was then passed uncut in the UK
with a 15 certificate in 2007.
Don't Go Near the Park
AKA: Nightstalker, Curse of the Living Dead, Sanctuary for Evil.
A couple of young adults, cursed to eternal life as vampires, go
around disembowelling people who enter the national park they inhabit, eating their entrails in order to stay looking young.
When a chance to rid themselves of the curse by sacrificing a young virgin during a 12000 year planetary alignment cycle, one of them goes to father a young
girl by seducing scream queen Linnea Quigley (of "Return of the Living Dead" fame). Intending to sacrifice the daughter when the time is right.
There's also something about a locket the daughter is wearing that can make people explode (eh?). Crappy special effects, bad acting and inept direction are
the order of the day here. The film is made (barely) watchable, only by Linnea Quigley who, as per the usual, ends up getting her kit off.
Other Information.
Removed from the DPP Nasties list, was eventually passed uncut in 2006, but has only been released in the UK as part of a "Box of the Banned" DVD set.
However, this version missed out a close-up shot of someone's entrails being pulled out due to print damage. The Horror Channel screened this same slightly
cut version, which appears to be the same as the supposedly uncut US DVD, though the US disc did include the missing footage as an extra, which was taken
from a VHS source.
Buy Online [Amazon UK]
Not Available
Don't Look in the Basement
AKA: The Forgotten, Death Ward 13, Don't Go in the Basement.
The lunatics take over the asylum when the chief doctor is
beheaded by one of the inmates after his unorthodox methods of treating the patients goes horribly wrong.
The lady impersonating the director subsequently implements some new treatment methods of her own, involving acts of sadism on the fellow inmates, which only
inspires them to start killing each other. As matters escalate, one of the newly arrived nurses at the sanitarium begins to suspect the cheif Doctor isn't who she says
she is.
Directed by S.F.Brownrigg, I couldn't help but wonder if the writers had read the Edgar Allen Poe tale "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether"
when they penned this, as it had a similar theme. It's not quite "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest" or "Ninth Configuration", but proved
to be extremely popular at American drive-ins when released back in 1973, although personally, I found this to be quite dull.
Other Information.
The film was cut by the BBFC for a UK cinema release in 1977, the video release here though was even more heavily cut, which was taken
from a heavily censored American print. So was dropped from the nasties list soon after. The film was passed uncut in the UK in 2005.
The Driller Killer
Arguably the most infamous of the video nasties, owing to the fact that this
title was one of, if not THE main culprit, for kick starting the whole nasties furore by the media, owing to its lurid title and graphic box art.
This early offering by the now mainstream director Abel Ferra (Bad Lieutenant) centres around a struggling artist (played by the director himself, under the
pseudonym Jimmie Laine), who is being driven to distraction by the punk band next door. Eventually he flips out and decides to clear the streets of homeless low life's
by means of a cordless power drill.
Watchable, though relatively boring and unremarkable, this was really more of an "arty" sort of movie than a horror picture, with the killings only making up a
fraction of the films running time.
Other Information.
Needless to say, this was one of the successfully prosecuted titles on the list.The video was uncut in terms of gore, but had been trimmed of a
couple of minutes to fit onto a 90 minute tape. Eventually passed for a UK DVD release in 1999, which re-insated the previous missing scenes,
but had 54s of BBFC cuts to the more graphic footage. The film was finally passed fully uncut in 2002.
The Evil Dead
AKA: The Book of the Dead.
Better known these days for directing those Spiderman films starring Toby
McGuire, director Sam Riami's first cinematic venture was this cult shocker about a group of teens, holed up in a woodland cabin, trying to fend off the evil
spirits unleashed by an ancient book.
Each person becomes possessed and has to be killed in turn by sole survivor Bruce Campbell. Although the film held an 18 certificate for it's cinema release
and the fact that the video was of the edited cinema version, it was still subject to numerous police seizures when it appeared on the DPP's Video Nasties list.
The scene where the woods seemingly come alive and one of the female victims is apparently "raped" by a tree branch is probably what got this film into trouble,
though the police failed to secure convictions on any of the prosecutions.
The film spawned 2 sequels "Evil Dead 2" (1987) and "Army of Darkness" (1993) along with a much maligned remake
in 2014. A spin-off TV series in 2015 wisely ignored the remake and picked up from the original trilogy.
Other Information.
The film was eventually dropped from the list and no further attempts to prosecute were taken after the DPP failed to secure convictions on any
of the 40 odd seperate prosecutions this film had been subjected to around the country. The video was the same as the cut cinema version,
which had been trimmed of around 49s of gore, but when submitted to the BBFC for a post VRA video release they cut another 1:06s from it (1:55s total).
The film was eventually passed fully uncut in 2001. SEE MAIN REVIEW.
Evilspeak
AKA: Evilspeaks, Computer Murder, The Devil's Cry.
Clint Howard of "Gentle Ben" fame (and the
brother of Ron Howard) stars as a poor sod at a Military Academy, whose always being picked on by the other cadets because of his
obsession with computers.
He finally gets his revenge when he discovers a book on black magic, which after onto his hard drive, allows him to do all sorts
of weird stuff including summoning up packs of man eating pigs
Dog lovers won't like the scene where his puppy is murdered by some of the sadistic cadets, but the scene where a female tutor is
attacked in the bath by pigs was rather amusing.
Other Information.
The pre-cert video was originally released uncut, but once the nasties furore got underway, they issued a cut version which
trimmed some of the gorier scenes. However, it was still banned along with the uncut version after the uncut print was
prosecuted under the OPA. The film was later re-issued with 3:47 of BBFC cuts. The film was finally passed uncut in 2004, although
it should be noted that the original UK video contained several additional dialogue scenes not in other releases, which are
also absent from most present disc releases. The 2004 UK Anchor Bay DVD contained the extra scenes, which were spliced in from a
video master tape, however the curren UK BD is of the shorter version, with the longer print included as an extra in standard
def.
Expose
AKA: Trauma, The House on Straw Hill.
A novelist (Udo Kier) rents a quiet British country house so that he
can work on finishing his latest novel and has his agent arrange for a secretary to stay with him, in order to help speed up its completion
(played by Linda Hayden).
This, however, turns out to be a big mistake as she later reveals that she's actually come to kill him for stealing the manuscript for his
previous novel from her husband, which drove him to suicide.
Subsequently, the housekeeper, Kiers girlfriend (played by 70's sex superstar Fiona Richmond) and a couple of local thugs all meet horrific
ends as Hayden goes on her killing spree.
This film probably got noticed for its rape scene where Hayden apparently seems to enjoy the act halfway through, much like the rape scene
in Straw Dogs, which drew similar ire from the censors. Look out for Brush Strokes star Karl Howman as one of the village thugs.
Other Information.
The UK cinema version had been cut by around 3mins by the BBFC. The pre-cert video from Intervision was uncut, but was banned after
being successfully prosecuted for obscenity under the OPA. The film was passed in 1987 with an additional 51s of cuts (3:51s
total), but would undoubtedly be passed uncut if resubmitted today. The cut version has also been shown on the (now defunct) Bravo TV and
the UK Horror Channel on Sky. The uncut version was released on disc in the US 2013.
Buy Online [Amazon UK]
Not Available
Faces of Death
This 1979 US video is supposed to be a documentary on the study of death.
But in actuality, is a vastly faked exploitation pic, narrated by the aptly named Dr Gross (in reality, actor Michael Carr).
Originally made for the Japanese market, the film features slaughterhouse footage (Bleeeuurrrghhh!!!), stock footage of road accidents and airline
disasters, but the rest of the film, including the scenes of animal attacks, are in fact staged and in some places quite badly, although this doesn't
stop you from cringing in disgust at some of them.
This video had actually been cut by the UK distributors Atlantis Video by about 35 minutes, but that didn't stop it from being included on the DPP's
hit list. The US distributors also filmed a further 3 "Faces of Death" films, as well as a "Worst of" special and a documentary entitled
"Faces of Death : Fact or Fiction". A German distribution company also released a "Faces of Death parts 5 & 6", which featured
rehashed footage from the other films and were exclusive to mainland Europe.
Other Information.
Banned after being successfully prosecuted under the OPA. A much more complete version, trimming only 2:19, to remove a dog fight and partially
trimming the "monkey brain bashing" scene was eventually passed by the BBFC in 2003. The film is available uncut on US disc.
Fight For Your Life
AKA: I Hate Your Guts, Bloodbath at 1313 Fury drive, Held Hostage, Staying Alive, Getting Even.
A mean trashy exploitation pic about 3 convicts who escape from jail,
flee to the countryside and subsequently hide out at the house of a black minister and his family, who they proceed to hurl racist abuse at and subject them
to all manner of unpleasantries.
There's a few nasty scene's, particularly where a young child is blugeoned by one of the thugs and an attempted rape, though the rest of the film isn't much
better, as the ministers family are repeatedly terrorised by the thugs and forced to listen to their constant racial diatribes, though most cinema prints tended
to miss out some of the nastier moments.
In the end the minister turns the tables on the 3 convicts and gives them their just desserts. The film was actually marketed in some US city areas as a
story promoting black empowerment, though it seemed like little more than a rather violent episode of "Love thy Neighbour".
Other Information.
The film had already been rejected for a cinema release in 1981. The video was uncut, but was banned in 1984 after being successfully
prosecuted for obscenity under the OPA. Still currently unavailable in the UK, though would probably scrape through the censors if
submitted today. An uncut US disc has been released.
Buy Online [Amazon UK]
Not Available
Forest of Fear
AKA: Bloodeaters, Blood Butchers, Toxic Zombies.
A group of hippy degenerates have been growing marijuana plants in a
Pittsburgh forest, when the FBI have the whole area sprayed with an experimental herbicide.
Enter John Amplas (a regular in George Romero's earlier films) as a young FBI agent, intent on busting the dope dealing "flower power" followers,
only to find that the herbicide has turned the once peaceful hippies into flesh eating zombies.
Gore galore follows, as passers by are hacked up by the undead stoners, who've got the muchies for human flesh and gone out on a flesh hunt.
The UK version was apparently lacking the epilogue seen in the original, in which one of the FBI agents quits his job after the ordeal then
drives off to see his family.
Other Information.
The film has not, to date, been resubmitted for classification and so is unavailable in the UK. Massacre Video released a US Blu-Ray in 2021 taken from
various 35mm film prints, but this was a strictly limited edition and only available through their website. Presently, only available on a US DVD from
bootleg label Jeff Films, which appears to have been taken from a VHS source.
Buy Online [Amazon UK]
Not Available.
Frankenstein, Andy Warhol's
AKA: Flesh for Frankenstein, Andy Warhol's Young Frankenstein, Frankenstein, The Frankenstein Experiment, Chair pour Frankenstein,
Carne per Frankenstein, Il mostro e in tavola Barone Frankenstein, The Devil and Dr. Frankenstein, Up Frankenstein.
German horror regular Udo Kier, who also
starred in Expose, plays the part of Dr Frankenstein who in this version is married to his own sister and has necrophiliac tendencies. This
bloody, tongue-in-cheek, gore fest has the doctor building a couple of monsters who he hopes will breed and create a master race.
A half descent film, with excessive gore and outrageous performances by the cast, the film was shot back to back with Warhol's even gorier
"Blood for Dracula" which surprisingly, didn't make the list. Mary Shelly must be turning in her grave.
Directed by Paul Morrisey and the unaccredited Antonio Margheriti (who also directed Cannibal Apocalypse), this movie was originally
filmed in 3-D and produced by Andy Warhol.
Other Information.
Passed for a UK cinema release with 8 minutes of BBFC cuts, the vipco release (pictured) was the same as the cut cinema version,
however Video Gems released the uncut version, which is what got this included on the DPP's nasties list and prosecuted under
the OPA. The film was passed with just 56s of cuts in 1996, but was finally passed fully uncut in 2006. Channel 4 TV in
the UK screened the uncut version in 3D in 2010. The 3D version was released in the US by Vinegar Syndrome in 2021.
Frozen Scream
A couple of university lecturers start secretly conducting cryogenic
experiments on their students with grim results. Killing them, holding them in suspended animation, then attempting to revive them later.
The operation works, but turns them into literal cold blooded killers. As their subjects go on murderous rampages, whilst a bungling detective
struggles to investigate the lecturters extra curricular activites.
One for lovers of bad movies only, with its dodgy acting, bad dubbing and duff effects, though there's very little gore, apart from a syringe being
very falsely stabbed into someone's eye.
Some of the soundtrack was also used in the film "Don't go in the Woods" which also made the nasties list.
Other Information.
The film was dropped from the DPP list and not prosecuted, but to date has not been re-released in the UK. The film has been
released onto DVD in Germany and in the US in a double pack with "Executioner 2" .
Buy Online [Amazon UK]
Not Available
The Funhouse
AKA: Funhouse : Carnival of Terror.
Director Tobe Hooper's second entry on the Nasties list (though ironically,
his infamous Texas Chainsaw Massacre somehow escaped inclusion). The story for this one centres around a group of teenagers who decide to break
into a carnival fun house and spend the night there for a bit of fun.
They find very few laughs however, as they spend the film being chased around by a knife wielding freak from the carnival.
It is widely believed the film ended up on the list by mistake, as it may have been confused with "The Last House on Dead End Street"
which was also known as "The Funhouse", although that film never found it's way onto the list.
The pre-cert video was slightly shorter than the cinema version, which missed out a couple of dialogue scenes, but was otherwise
uncut.
Other Information.
The film was eventually dropped from the Nasties list and not prosecuted. It was re-released uncut by CIC video, and later
Arrow Films. An uncut US disc is also available.