Video Nasties: The Definitive Guide [DVD] Limited Edition

The official box set trailer!

having only seen a handful of the video nasties but have a keen interest in Italian horror and exploitation in general (and on deciding to write about such films in my course) I decided to buy this after hearing good things about it before, and was not disappointed! Excellent in-depth documentary featuring interviews with people from both sides of the fence, rightly examining the unfortunate social impact of the ridiculous witch hunts that, as they point out, put sellers of horror films in prison for longer than drug dealers...

You get a good variety of writers/critics on here that really know what they're talking about, some who were clearly very much into the video nasties trend and other cult film/horror-oriented scholars like Xavier Mendik and Kim Newman...my only criticism perhaps being that at times you get the feeling that certain people are hogging the interview/trailer introduction space, but it's all good...

Also great fun just watching the set of trailers as they are often in themselves hilarious...has inspired me to gradually collect all video nasties, even the obviously awful-looking ones! Must buy for any fan of decent/underrated (and unfairly prosecuted) horror!

As in the header. This docu, is lovingly made with a lot of detail, even down to the cute 'VHS 10th generation bootleg' filter it places over certain parts to reminisce or make a point :) There is SO MUCH content in this 3 DVD set. Hours upon hours of info and clips and (mostly) learned opinion on the subjects at hand.

Both the pro and con reviewers/interviewees are always eloquent and interesting with the exception of, the lovely but odd Emily Booth, who seems to be reading from a cue card and is always looking off screen during her moments in front of the camera. It's a little off putting, but you can tell she loves and is truly interested in the subject matter she is talking about, so it's not so bad...

The main documentary is particularly wonderful, always treating the viewer as a sensible adult, steering away from revelling in or shamelessly downplaying the content of the movies. Some of these films were genuinely unpleasant and it is made clear. Though the ridiculous nature of the furore surrounding them is shown for what it truly was and with some wonderfully funny anecdotes for good measure. Finding out about the somewhat crooked and hypocritical DPP group and Government representatives of the time, is possibly an eye opener, certainly an eyebrow raiser. The final parting interview is particularly excellent. The man interviewed ( sorry i forget his name ) makes several excellent points about censorship in general and people in Government or positions of great influence that should be heeded, but as he points out, never will be...

Above anything, this DVD set is at the very least value for money due to the sheer amount of content crammed into it. We're talking 12 hours or more in total here. And if you are a fan of the genre or even just interested in the subject of censorship and media, this will have something for you i am certain.

For fans of the genre, it's just so much fun to watch back at the (mostly) ludicrous and downright terrible films that caused such a fuss back then. Old grindhouse trailers certainly are something...

And to paraphrase a government pro-censor, remember that scientific evidence shows that these films have the possibility to turn our children and DOGS into killers :) (yes, of course it turns out that there was NO scientific evidence whatsoever) Paws for thought !... or not :D