The archive / Film, TV and books
1982–1984 · Britain
Horror videos are destroying Britain’s children!
Video nasties
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The verdict
Seventy-two horror films were branded “video nasties” and banned. Most are now on sale uncut.
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What was said?
When the video recorder arrived in British homes, there was no classification of films released on video. Newspapers such as the Daily Mail campaigned against “video nasties”, and the Director of Public Prosecutions drew up a list of 72 films that could be prosecuted for obscenity.
In 1984 Parliament passed the Video Recordings Act, which required every video release to be classified.
The verdict: what happened next?
The link between the films and real-world violence was never proven. Many of the banned films are now regarded as cult classics and have been re-released, often uncut, with the approval of the British Board of Film Classification.
The classification system remains in place, but the list of video nasties is now more of a collector's checklist.
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