Video Nasties: The Definitive Guide Part 2 gets release date plus Frightfest hosted London Premiere Event at The Prince Charles Cinema

Prepare to be corrupted and depraved once more as Nucleus Films releases the sequel to the definitive guide to the Video Nasties phenomenon - the most extraordinary and scandalous era in the history of British film.

Video Nasties: The Definitive Guide Part 2, a three-disc collector’s edition box set, is being released on DVD on July 14th 2014, to tie in with the 30th Anniversary of the Video Recordings Act 1984

For the first time ever on DVD, all 82 films that fell foul of the Director of Public Prosecutions “Section 3” list are trailer-featured with specially filmed intros for each title, alongside a brand new documentary - VIDEO NASTIES: DRACONIAN DAYS, directed by Jake West.

To celebrate the release, Film4 FrightFest is hosting a special event - the world exclusive London Premiere of the finalised unseen extended 97 minute cut of ‘Video Nasties Draconian Days’ at The Prince Charles Cinema on Thurs 3 July, 8.30pm. The screening will be followed by an extensive, Q & A debate, hosted by FrightFest’s Paul McEvoy, with director Jake West, producer Marc Morris, author/film critic Alan Jones plus  other special guests.. There will also be the chance to buy a signed copy of the numbered limited edition run.

Jake West commented: “I see ‘Draconian Days’ as a companion piece and a direct continuation of the fascinating history of Video Nasties, which I started in the last Documentary “Moral Panic, Video Nasties and Videotape”. This one picks up the story from the passing of the Video Recordings act 1984 and the effect it had on censorship under James Ferman’s  rule at the BBFC up until 1999. This and the further moral panic that ensued, together with the impact of the Michael Ryan Massacre, the Bulger Murder and David Alton’s notorious Amendment that would have banned all films above PG created a strange situation for the horror fan.

I was a teenager in the 80s, I grew-up with the Video Nasties – trying to get hold of them and watch them,” he recalls. “It could take us years and years to find a film that we were interested in, and certainly that created the whole underground horror scene and the camaradarie that was born. I was very influenced by Video Nasties in terms of wanting to make gory, fun horror movies, because we felt like there was some kind of danger or subversive feel to that material which we were growing up with”.

Producer Marc Morris, co-author of ‘Art of the Nasty’ and ‘Shock Horror: Astounding Artwork from the Video Nasty Era’ added “I too remember this time, and how renting horror videos was a frustrating experience. I became part of the underground tape trading network, and travelled abroad to import my own uncut horror videos. I attended film fairs, horror film festivals and have a lot of scary memories of those days. We feel this documentary pays tribute to those days. We’ve been working on this this amazing follow-up box set for over two years. We know collectors won’t want to miss it”

The documentary premiered at this year’s Glasgow Film Festival, as part of Film4 FrightFest, where it received critical acclaim.

Ironically, the documentary has come along at a time when the UK government, together with the Department for Culture Media and Sport are callling for much stricter regulation of home video by changing the BBFC’s “exemption” guidelines. UK On-Demand TV will also be coming under ATVOD regulation.

Nucleus Films have been at the forefront of tackling  the new exemption ruling head-on by setting up a meeting with the UK’s independent video labels and challenging the BBFC and British Video Association. A petition was set up on 38 Degrees which has seen almost 4,000 signatues and continues to grow daily.

Disc One: “Video Nasties: Draconian Days”

Nucleus Films' critically acclaimed follow-up documentary to 'VIDEO NASTIES: MORAL PANIC, CENSORSHIP AND VIDEOTAPE' (2010) from director Jake West and producer Marc Morris who continue to uncover the shocking story of home entertainment following the introduction of the 1984 Video Recordings Act. The United Kingdom was plunged into a new Dark Age of the most restrictive censorship, where the horror movie became the bloody eviscerated victim of continuing dread created by self-aggrandizing moral guardians, and the film charts the consequences of this, including subversive social culture that sprung up around it. With fascinating interviews and more jaw dropping archive footage, get ready to reflect and rejoice on the passing of a turbulent time.

People you’ll see in this documentary include: Martin Barker, Sian Barber, James Ferman (Head of BBFC up to 1999), Sir Graham Bright, Lavinia Carey, Alex Chandon, Tony Clarke, Kate Egan, David Flint, John Hayward, Spencer Hickman, David Hyman (BBFC), Neil Keenan, C.P. Lee, Alan Jones, David Kerekes, Craig Lapper, Neil Marshall, Paul McEvoy, Marc Morris, Kim Newman, Julian Petley, Geoffrey Robertson QC, Christopher Smith, Stephen Thrower, Cathal Tohill, Carol Topolski & Nigel Wingrove.

Discs Two and Three: "The Section 3 List"

This presents the official additional 82 titles that were designated under "Section 3" of the Obscene Publications Act by the Director of Public Prosecutions. These titles were liable for seizure and forfeiture by the police, removed from sale or hire and then destroyed; although they were not ultimately prosecuted. This amazing list was discovered whilst researching legal paperwork for the original "VIDEO NASTIES: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE" and finally clears up why so many additional titles were historically considered to be "Video Nasties".

Every shocking Section 3 title is presented with its original trailer and a newly filmed featurette that includes a wide range of notable genre journalists and acclaimed media academics that explore and uncover the sordid history of each release.

Introductions by: Evrim Ersoy, Julian Grainger, Justin Kerswell, Alan Jones, Patricia MacCormack, Marc Morris, Kim Newman, Karen Oughton, Stephen Thrower,

DVD Extras include a gallery of original video poster art and a fabulous peek back at Britain’s independent fanzine scene which sprung up during the 80s and 90s.

The 82 “DPP Section 3” Videos were:
Abducted (Don Jones, 1973)
Aftermath, The (Steve Barkett, 1980)
Black Room, The (Elly Kenner & Norman Thaddeus Vane, 1981)
Blood Lust (Marijan Vajda, 1976)
Blood Song (Alan J. Levi, 1974)
Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll, The (Carlos Aured, 1973)
Brutes and Savages (Arthur Davis, 1977)
Cannibal (Ruggero Deodato, 1976)
Cannibals (Jess Franco, 1980)
Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, The (Fred Schepisi, 1978)
Child, The (Robert Voskanian, 1977)
Christmas Evil (Lewis Jackson, 1980)
Communion (Alfred Sole, 1976)
Dawn of the Mummy (Farouk Agrama as Frank Agrama, 1981)
Dead Kids (Michel Laughlin, 1981)
Death Weekend (William Fruet, 1976)
Deep Red (Dario Argento, 1975)
Demented (Arthur Jeffreys, 1980)
Demons, The (Jess Franco as Clifford Brown, 1972)
Don't Answer the Phone! (Robert Hammer, 1979)
Eaten Alive (Umberto Lenzi, 1980)
Enter the Devil (Frank Q. Dobbs, 1972)
Erotic Rites of Frankenstein, The (Jess Franco, 1972)
Evil, The (Gus Trikonis, 1977)
Executioner, The (Dominico Miceli as Duke Mitchell, 1978)
Final Exam (Jimmy Huston, 1981)
Foxy Brown (Jack Hill, 1974)
Friday the 13th (Sean S. Cunningham, 1980)
Friday the 13th 2 (Steve Miner, 1981)
G.B.H. (David Kent-Watson, 1983)
Graduation Day (Herb Freed, 1981)
Happy Birthday to Me (J. Lee-Thompson, 1980)
Headless Eyes (Kent Bateman, 1971)
Hell Prison (Eduardo Mulargia as Edward G. Muller, 1979)
Hills Have Eyes, The (Wes Craven, 1977)
Home Sweet Home (Nettie Peña, 1980)
Honeymoon Horror (Harry Preston, 1982)
Inseminoid (Norman J. Warren, 1980)
Invasion of the Blood Farmers (Ed Adlum, 1972)
Killing Hour, The (Armand Mastroianni, 1982)
Last Horror Film (David Winters, 1982)
Last Hunter (Antonio Margheriti as Anthony M. Dawson, 1980)
Love Butcher, The (Mikel Angel & Don Jones, 1975)
Mad Foxes (Paul Grau, 1981)
Mark of the Devil (Michael Armstrong, 1969)
Martin (George A. Romero, 1976)
Massacre Mansion (Michael Pataki, 1975)
Mausoleum (Michael Dugan, 1982)
Midnight (John Russo, 1980)
Naked Fist (Cirio H. Santiago, 1981)
Nesting, The (Armand Weston, 1980)
New Adventures of Snow White (Rolf Thiele, 1969)
Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero, 1968)
NightBeast (Donald M. Dohler, 1982)
Nightmare City (Umberto Lenzi, 1980)
Oasis of the Zombies (Jess Franco, 1981)
Parasite (Charles Band, 1982)
Phantasm (Don Coscarelli, 1977)
Pigs (Marc Lawrence, 1972)
Prey (Norman J. Warren, 1977)
Prom Night (Paul Lynch, 1980)
Rabid (David Cronenberg, 1976)
Rosemary's Killer (Joseph Zito, 1981)
Savage Terror (Sisworo Gautama Putra, 1979)
Scanners (David Cronenberg, 1980)
Scream for Vengeance (Bob Bliss, 1979)
Shogun Assassin (Robert Houston, 1972)
Street Killers (Sergio Grieco, 1977)
Suicide Cult (James Glickenhaus, 1977)
Superstition (James W. Roberson, 1982)
Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1977)
Terror (Norman J. Warren, 1978)
Texas Chain Saw Massacre (Tobe Hooper, 1974)
Thing, The (John Carpenter, 1982)
Tomb of the Living Dead (Gerardo De Leon & Eddie Romero, 1968)
Toy Box, The (Ron Garcia, 1970)
Werewolf Woman (Rino Di Silvestro, 1976)
Wrong Way (Ray Williams (as Ron Kelly, 1972)
Xtro (Harry Bromley Davenport, 1982)
Zombie Holocaust (Marino Girolami (as Frank Martin, 1980)
Zombies Dawn of the Dead (George A. Romero, 1978)
Zombies' Lake (Jean Rollin & Julian de Laserna, 1980
VIDEO NASTIES: THE DEFINIVE GUIDE PART 2 is produced by Marc Morris & Jake West, Nucleus Films. RRP: £24.99   Cert: 18  

VIDEO NASTIES: A DEFINITIVE GUIDE - The History
The UK in the early 1980s. The Video Cassette Recorder (or VCR) was the new “must-have” status symbol, and the video rental business was in full swing. Business was booming and many people wanted a part of it.

This is now a period that is regarded by many as the outlaw days of home video as there were seemingly no rules about what could be supplied.

From 1979 to 1984, there were no legal requirements for video works to be classified by either the BBFC (the British Board of Film Censors as they were then known) or any other regulatory body. The BBFC's only role at the time was to classify films intended for cinema release on behalf of the local authorities (which is a function they still perform). This era is what some collectors and fans fondly refer to as the Pre-Certification (or Pre-Cert) era.

The major film studios were initially hesitant to enter an industry they imagined would bring about the death of cinema. However, they realised they were missing out on a booming industry at a time of economic uncertainty and they too wanted part of it.

But independent video distribution companies with no ties to major film studios were emerging throughout the country as the industry mushroomed at a phenomenal rate. This made available for the first time a mind-boggling selection of material as companies sought to expand their inventories with almost anything they could lay their hands on.

From obscure horror films many had only read about or which had been rumoured to exist as very few had ever seen them, to sex films, kung-fu, cult classics, obscurities and outright trash, all these and more could be found in local video rental store located on almost every high street in the country. It is estimated that 10,000 titles were issued on VHS, Betamax and V2000 formats during this very short space of time, so there was seemingly something for young and old alike.

Many of these independent companies were simply fly-by-night seat of the pant operations that purchased the rights to any package of films they could find at the right price. Many were unaware that the films had previously fallen foul of the BBFC when submitted for their original cinema release and may have required substantial cuts or been denied a certificate and rejected outright. However, these films gained more publicity and better rentals, so these distributors were encouraged as the money rolled in and sought out more outrageous films to release.

And to make their tapes stand out, these independent distribution labels began using more and more outrageous cover art, and this included more graphic imagery, more blood, more nudity and more eye-catching over-the-top text and taglines.

However, these boom times did not last. What began as tabloid newspaper moral panic whipped up by The Festival of Light’s clean-up campaigner leader Mary Whitehouse and fanned by newspapers like the Daily Mail and their infamous “Ban the Sadist Videos” headline ignited into widespread media hysteria over these so-called "Video Nasties". As there were no age-restrictions on video tapes, anybody could rent them - from children to those considered “weak of mind”.

Soon, video rental shops, retail outlets like HMV and warehouses across the country were being raided by the police, who sought prosecutions under the Obscene Publications Act - which had previously applied to pornography but now extended to video cassettes that were perceived to have the power to deprave and corrupt (or make morally bad) a significant proportion of their likely audience.

In turn, this meant that juries, often unfamiliar with contemporary horror films, were required to watch 'splatter' or 'stalk and slash' horror films (the most popular genre of films seized by police forces and subsequently recommended for prosecution by the Director of Public Prosecutions) and decide whether they were 'obscene'.

Over the next few years a total of 72 films would be added to the Director of Public Prosecutions' list of banned videos as the successful prosecutions mounted up and these titles were regularly seized as they now had a proven track record for being found obscene. Retailers or distributors were now being fined and, in some cases, jailed for offering such 'obscene' articles for gain.

However, successful prosecutions were not always guaranteed as different juries in different parts of the country could either convict or acquit the same work given the quality of the defense or prosecution case or the composition of the juries themselves. A more consistent approach was seemingly needed to avoid the risk of acquittal and to ensure the 'Video Nasties' were purged from the land.

So,  Conservative back-bench M.P. Graham Bright introduced a Private Members' Bill in parliament to attempt to legally regulate the availability of these titles and their ilk. After the Conservative government of the day actively supported the bill's passage through parliament, it subsequently passed into law as The Video Recordings Act (1984). With few exceptions, this act now made it illegal for any company to supply a video work for sale or hire without a classification certificate awarded by the designated authority, the British Board of Film Classification.

Many of these works vanished from the streets and were only available illicitly. There were - and still are - penalties ranging from fines to imprisonment for supplying unclassified works or works containing material cut as a condition of classification. Many of these works could now only be obtained after often draconian cuts had been made so as to reduce the likelihood of harm that the BBFC were legally obliged to consider (amongst other relevant factors) and also to render them significantly different from the previously prosecuted versions.

For many years, many of these works were not legally available and the pre-certification era vanished with the more notorious titles.

The 1st Definitive guide covers the birth of home video from 1979 to 1984 and history of the Original 72 prosecuted Video Nasties.

The 2nd Definitive guide cover the history from the passing of the VRA in 1984 and the subsequent history of censorship and moral panic up until 1999, plus it explores the entire now infamous Section 3 list.

NUCLEUS FILMS is a DVD releasing company established by writer/film researcher Marc Morris and filmmaker Jake West, which creates and distributes high quality collector's cult film titles for lovers of independent and cult cinema..

Nucleus Films also produces high quality DVD extras for other clients, ranging from extensive featurettes to audio commentaries. Nucleus Films produced the highly acclaimed 98-minute documentary on the Phantasm series, entitled Phantasmagoria, which was included in Anchor Bay UK's five-disc Phantasm Box Set. They also made the featurette Stormy Seas: The Journey from Blood Star to Death Ship which was included on the 2007 release of the 1980 cult classic Death Ship and Running the Bloodbath.

To date releases include: a special double DVD set edition of Stephen Weeks' rarely seen 1974 chiller Ghost Story; two cult Burlesque classics Teasermama and Varietease, a Larry Clarke double-bill featuring Dead of Night & Dead Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things,  Rene Cardona’s Night of the Bloody Apes,  Grindhouse Trailer Classics 1, 2 & 3, and the sell-out Video Nasties: A Definitive Guide, which included Jake West’s acclaimed documentary Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship & Videotape, Grindhouse Trailer Classics 4, their 4th eye-popping collection of Grindhouse Trailer Classics, Is out on DVD, June 16, 2014

JAKE WEST is an award-winning British filmmaker whose credits include: Razorblade Smile (1998), Evil Aliens (2005), Doghouse (2009), The ABC’s Of Death (2012) and Hughesually: The Art of Patrick Hughes (2013)