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Writer's pictureSteven Grace

Media Diary Week 9: Myth Busting (the truth about video nasties of the 1980s)





Prior to the 1980s, there had been growing concern over parents from rising campaigns that intended to censorship media texts for younger viewers, and as a result began moral outcries most notably starting with Mary Whitehouse. Once a school teacher, Whitehouse in the 1960s began to campaign against the 'graphic' content being broadcasted on TV, fearing Britain was becoming a permissive society meaning we were becoming less moral in our values. Despite being a figure of ridicule by many, and her ludicrous statements like her claims Doctor Who contains some the "most most horrific material ever seen on children’s television" after a scene where it appeared the Doctor was drowned, her determination was popular especially in the right wing press, her values were still winning due to more of the public listening and becoming anxious, with some programmes time slot being pushed later, but still maintaining excessive censorship.



By the 1980s, the VCR was brought over to the UK, becoming popular by demand with VHS tapes however releasing without any age ratings, meaning anyone at any age could purchase any film without any drawbacks. One exception was made with this law, and that was for any pornographic films that may be seen as crude to pubic decency. These erotic films were placed under the Obscene Publications Act (1959) which described these films content as something that "tend to deprave and corrupt people who are likely to read, see or hear the matter contained in it," enabling these tapes to be seized by law enforcement if caught being sold to the public. The issue with the description was the vagueness of it, as the terms used if twisted for campaigners own use could be made to refer to anything else that isn't 'obscene,' allowing campaigners like Mary Whitehouse to take advantage of this and campaign this time for the tapes with strong violence including The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th and her worst offender, The Evil Dead to be seized, instead for their 'graphic' content. This could mean video rental stores could decide no longer to sell them so they couldn't be fined for selling them, reinforcing the idea that the campaigns were intended to remove this content not just from children, but from society.
















Within the early 1980s, the Video Recordings Act (1984) was introduced that brought along it age ratings just like those found going to the cinema. Despite this, cases of real murders and violence towards people were still blamed on the 'video nasties.' Right Wing politicians would use data from fabricated research to prove their points against the harm they were doing on our youth. One controversial example was a study done with school children, who were given false film titles to see whether they had watched them, who would insist they had seen these films. All of this combined was done as a way to create a moral panic, creating a sense of paranoia in the British public by starting a belief so that the public can be in support whilst this threat is put to an end.



Newspaper chains were also involved in spreading this 'truth.' The Daily Mail for instance ran the "Ban the sadist videos" campaign, showing their support for Mary Whitehouse and her campaign, with another reading " rape of our children's minds," as the article claimed some children had been possessed after watching these films. However, it was Peter Chippendale who coined the term 'video nasty' via news print, found in an article published in 1982 titled "How high street horror is invading the home." The terms these articles use such as "invading" and "rape" make these videos appear to be extreme and doing harm to children, and for parents who would want to protect their kids will believe this and decide to do what they think is best immediately for them.



Society would still blame video nasties for any mishaps or serious threats that took place, most infamously with the Hungerford Massacre and the murder of James Bulger. The press blamed this on a result of films such as Rambo II and Child's Play III, without the evidence of them even watching them. The Hungerford Massacre in particular had a significant impact on UK film regulation and censorship, with the head of the BBFC at the time James Ferman, who prior to this was accepted of artistic integrity stepped up regulation with many films receiving unnecessary cuts, censors and ratings, all because society failed to recognise they play a part in maintaining the safety of its civilians, instead blaming it on the next course of action.








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