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Horror Film Hate Crime Banned By BBFC

'Hate Crime', the new VOD horror release brought to audiences by Nerdly.co.uk and TheHorrorShow.TV, has been banned by the BBFC.

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The film, directed by James Cullen Bressack, is only the fourth film to get a BBFC ban in the last 6 years. It joins the notoriety list alongside ‘Grotesque’, ‘The Bunny Game’ and ‘The Human Centipede 2’, which did later get a release after extensive cuts.

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The movie is a found-footage and home invasion hybrid of popular horror convention. Centres on a Jewish family that move into a new home as they celebrate their son’s birthday (and record the event on a camcorder); a gang of crystal-meth-crazed neo-Nazi lunatics break in and take them hostage.

Bressack had this to say on the decision: “I am honoured to know that my mind is officially too twisted for the UK.” Wearing the ban as a badge of honour, he went on to express just what he thinks of the BBFC’s restriction. “I find it unbelievable that a film that shows little to no on screen violence and no nudity was actually banned.”

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It’s one thing to make a film for shock value, but having not seen ‘Hate Crime’ I’m unable to comment on the specifics of its content or its intention. However, it does feel like the film’s purposefully being controversial in order to gain publicity and a degree of infamy.

That said, the BBFC statement paints a more sadistic image than Bressack implies. Their reasoning for the ban is because there’s ‘terrorisation, mutilation, physical and sexual abuse and murder of the members of a Jewish family’, and because ‘physical and sexual abuse and violence are accompanied by constant strong verbal racist abuse’. They also state that the film contains no context for the thugs’ actions.

In truth, and after reading the BBFC’s full statement, it doesn’t seem like they have much choice but to ban it, but as with others in the past, a cut version could soon find its way into the public domain even though the BBFC claim that cuts were ‘not a viable option’. It’ll likely raise further questions and spark debate over film content and decency, but in my eyes having your film banned doesn’t evoke positivity and this sort of notoriety isn’t a desirable one if attempting to affirm a reputable image.

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Picture credits: Nerdly.co.uk, TheHorrorShow.TV