Video Nasties Notes:

Home Video (VHS) made video nasties possible (technological)

Case Studies:
- Last house on the left: Director Wes Craven, 1978-1978, Realism/Documentary 
- Evil Dead: Director Sam Raimi, 1982, Gory/Animation
- The Texas chainsaw massacre: Director: Tobe Hooper, 1978, Realism/Documentary

Wes Craven: became a mainstream director from banned films - video nasties became the template to horror films
Sam Ramai: made one of the most mainstream flops - became mainstream from banned videos

Common aspects they had:
- teenage driven
- very low budget
- horror films
- chainsaws
- gore
- imitable 
- demonic/agriculture related stuff going on
- nudity, sex and rape 

What was so different about the evil dead and the year?
Video regulation act was introduced in 1984 just after the walking dead got released meaning new rules have to be in place to stop films like evil dead happening again.

What years are we looking at?
1980s  (recession, riots, continual raids)

What makes the walking dead significant to video nasties?
- It was released just before the video regulations act got reinforced in 1984 - you see everything
- Used video nasties being banned as a selling point
- Deliberately making it a video nasty

What role did Mary Whitehouse (NV&LA) have in this period?
- She reinforced what the conservative views
- Part of a pressure group (national views and listeners association - NV&LA)
- She didn't like the content of video nasties - they influenced others 
- Christian values

Why did the conservative government get involved - scapegoating?
- They didn't agree with the content of films
- Blamed the video nasties for things happening eg raids and violence 
- Made the whole thing worse (criminal)

What was the role of the BBFC at this time?
- BBFC were not very strict with video nasties until they were a conservative influence within the group who linked video nasties to problems within British society.
- 80 films got banned
- Certificates were introduced and put in place 
- Cannot restrict films on a criminal level (video nasties = criminal/illegal)

What is the VRA (1984)?
Video Recordings Act: This meant that all films which may be considered a video nasty must have been sent to the BBFC for evaluation


Social context:
- government and pressure groups protecting society
- Mary had this in mind

Economic context: 
- power cuts, unemployment, recession --> industry being closed --> privatisation (privatised) --> protests --> riots

Political context:
- government and media (rich white people)
- scapegoat - Margret Thatcher

Technological context:
- home videos (VHS)
- allowed people to access unregulated, uncensored content --> opinion, decide themselves --> moral/entertainment 

1. What is the significance of home video & the format wars for audiences?

- home videos hard to censor 

2. What were the concerns around home video & censorship? 

- kids between 12-16 watching it at home 

3. What is a video nasty & why were they popular?

- nasty videos - can't be shown in cinemas 

- a film on video that contains scenes that are considered to be gratuitously and offensively violent or pornographic 

- they were popular because they were new and could watch them at home 

- it was a trend 

- used as a political weapon 

4. What did these films have in common? 

- horrors

- low budgets 

- teens 

5. Who are Margaret thatcher & Mary whitehouse & why were they relevant?

- Margaret thatcher was prime minister of the Conservative party 

- Mary whitehouse (nvla) part of a pressure group - scapegoat 

6. How did video nasties become political and how was this moral panic being exploited by the government? 

- by scapegoating  

Video nasties:

- 72 videos banned 

- used as a political weapon 

- videos that were violent & pornographic 

- banned based on word of mouth, front covers and reputation 

- horror films 

- immutable behaviour

- realistic style - low budget

- popular with teenage boys 

Moral panic:

- something emphasised by the media 

- news papers - conservative (daily mail)

- capitalised by the government 

What factors led to the decline of town or city centre cinemas in late 1970s and early 1980s?

There are three main reasons that have contributed to the decline in cinema attendance in the late 1970s to early 1980s, that has lead to the rise in multiplex cinemas and the downfall of fleapits. These three factors consist of social, technological and economic. Cinema attendance within this time period was at a decline due to the introduction of VHS (home videos), piracy and the recession. VHS (home videos) enabled people to buy films and watch in the comfort of their own home as many times as they wish. The reason as to why this was such a big success was because it was a lot cheaper to watch at home - at the time they were in a recession which meant no disposable income for families, it was able to be watched multiple times in the comfort of their home, and it was also new so it created a hype in which people wanted to follow. Piracy also enabled people to watch films from home, however this meant a decline in profit to cinema and production companies because people were streaming current cinema movies online at home for free. 

The rise of the multiplex cinemas caused fleatpit cinema's to be closed down due to multiplex cinemas appealing to a wider audience and showing blockbusters which fleapits didn't have the license to show. Multiplex cinemas are cinemas that are built up of multiple cinema screens which allows a variety of films to be aired at once. Multiplex cinemas are often located in shopping centres this is because it is placed in a location where going to the cinema can become a day thing. The main target audience for multiplex cinemas is teenagers this is because they have a disposable income and teenagers mostly go out shopping with their friends and having a cinema in the same location will attract them and draw them in. 

Audiences were also encouraged into going to multiplex cinemas due to the VFX (special effects), sound effects and visual effects ect that were incorporated into blockbuster films. VFX were new and attracted a wider range of people to the multiplexes. It became popular to watch these films in the cinema due to the experience gained, rather than watching it at home. This is another reason as to why multiplex cinemas became a success leaving fleapits to fall. 

Overall, cinema attendance declined between 1970s - 1980s due to the introduction of home videos, VHS and piracy. Watching films at home became a craze, it was new and everyone wanted to try it. It became a success due to it being a lot cheaper to watch due to the recession and it gave the ability to watch films in the comfort of your own home. E.T (1982) was the most pirated film in the UK due to all of the reasons and benefits in which the ability to watch films at home gave. Although, cinema attendance dropped it soon began to rise again in the later 1980s due to the rise of the multiplexes.

Video Nasties Notes:

• Films not shown in the cinemas
• Explicit - graphic
• Lower production values (money)
• Niche Audience 
• for example horror film
• Serious subjects (people don't like talking about) e.g. rape, torture ect
• You don't want people seeing/watching
• Home audiences (vhs) enables people to watch anything they want even the things that the government don't want you to see/watch
• Paranoia of people copying what they see