'Video nasty' banned

A 'video nasty' which has been banned for years failed to gain a certificate today in Britain after an unsuccessful appeal to a movie authority.

The Last House On The Left was made by Scream director Wes Craven, but its shocking scenes meant it has been unable to secure a video classification.

Distributor Blue Underground was unwilling to remove offending scenes and went to the Video Appeals Committee to have the censor’s opinion overturned, but its bid was dismissed today.

The British Board Of Film Classification recommended that 16 seconds needed to be cut from scenes of sexual violence to get a release.

However the company refused to take out the footage so the BBFC rejected the movie on the grounds that the material was harmful and breached guidelines.

The VAC upheld the BBFC’s finding in rejecting the film saying the board’s guidelines were ‘‘a sensible and accurate reflection of public concern especially where violence and sexual violence are concerned and we endorse them.’’

It added: ‘‘The viewer is asked to relish the violence, the violence is relentless and the parts to be cut are at the extreme end of that violence and humiliation.’’

The BBFC wanted four cuts in the film.

The VAC has not sat for two years. Its last meeting in 2000 sparked a revamp of BBFC rules which led to R18 sex video ratings becoming more commonly applied.