So I thought I'd skip ahead to the actual films themselves, starting with the 39 that were successfully prosecuted under the Obscene Publications Act 1959:
Absurb (1982) is the 'sequel' to Anthropophagous, it was passed with cuts for it's original cinema release but banned when submitted to a video release, passed with an 18 cert fully uncut in 2017.
The 'plot' is that a maniac with supernatural regenerative abilities is being hunted down by a priest-doctor, it stars George Eastman (who also wrote it) and is directed by Joe D'Amato, those names may pop up again!
The scenes that caused offence were a nurse being murdered with a drill, a man having the top of his head cut open with a bandsaw, and a woman's face being burnt off in an oven.
It's one of the better movies on the list, with some good suspense, goodish effects and, as usual with Italian films of this era, none too shabby soundtrack.
Anthropophagus (1981) was banned and then finally released in 2002 with 8 minutes of cuts, released uncut in 2015.
A group of tourists are stranded on an island and are stalked by a cannibalistic killer, it was written by George Eastman and directed by Joe D'Amato (told you) and starred Tisa Farrow (Mia's sister), Tisa'a name might just pop up again.
The offending scenes include a man having his neck bitten, and the geyser of blood that issued from it, the infamous fetus eating scene (yep, I know!), another neck biting scene, and the most recognisable scene of the beast eating it's own intestines!
If it wasn't for the extreme gore this film would have passed into obscurity a long time ago, as would most of the films on the lists, but as it is it is one of the most famous of the nasties.
Axe (1974) was originally passed for cinema release cut, and then banned when resubmitted for video release as it had been previously distributed illegally uncut.
3 criminals on a murder spree decide to hide out at a farmhouse where a young girl and her paralyzed grandfather live.
The cuts that were made to the cinema release were the razor slashing during the rape scene, the beating of Aubrey and the scene in the supermarket where the 3 crims harass the salesgirl was heavily edited.
It's a well written, well paced and well acted little movie, might not be everyone's cup of tea but it has been copied by many a film that followed.
Bay of Blood (1971) was originally rejected by the BBFC for cinema release in 1972 and then joined the nasties list when it was submitted for video classification, finally being released fully uncut in 2010.
After the 'suicide' of a wealthy countess a series of brutal killings start happening in the surrounding bay as people try to take over her large estate, written and directed by the brilliant Mario Bava.
Multiple scenes caused offence, though I'm not sure why, a hatchet to a teenage girls head, a boy gets a machete embedded in his face, a couple are impaled by a spear whilst humping and lastly a man being impaled on a spear.
This is a fine Giallo (one of my favorite sub-genre of movies) and a good slasher, the suspense and score that you'd expect from Bava, overall a film well worth watching.
The Beast in Heat (1977) was part of the Nazisploitation genre, thus earned itself an automatic ban just about.
Female Nazi scientist/SS officer creates a mutant man beast with an insatiable appetite for sex, tortures female prisoners and gives them to the beast so it can have his way with them, oh and the french peasants are revolting, I mean planning to attack the prison/base of course.
There's not a lot of details on why it was banned and prosecuted but I'm guessing it might have something to do with the pubic hair eating scene, as well as the full frontal nudity, rape and torture.
This film is awful, it's more comedy than horror or exploitation, but that was unintentional, it's definitely one for the completists or just plain curious, I have warned you!
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