Human Centipede 2 wins certificate 18 classification from British censors
The British Board of Film Classification today reversed its decision to refuse classification to controversial horror film The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence). In June this year Tom Six's horror sequel was rejected by the board for a UK DVD rating on the grounds of sexual violence, graphic gore and the possibility of breach of the obscenity law.
But the film, which details the attempts by one man to recreate the events of the first film, in which a scientist stitches together kidnap victims mouth to anus, has now been awarded an 18 classification following 32 cuts. These cuts total two minutes 37 seconds, and in a statement issued by the BBFC are said to "address all [earlier] concerns".
The decision was not unanimous, however, and the feeling that the film's very premise made it "dangerous" enough viewing that no amount of cuts could redeem was upheld by one of the BBFC's vice presidents, Gerard Lemos, who abstained from the board's collective decision.
This U-turn is the result of a successful appeal launched by studio Bounty Films, who proposed a series of cuts after the BBFC's decision in June. The board required more extensive edits, to which Eureka acquiesced. The BBFC said: "These cuts produce a work which many will find difficult but which I believe can properly be classified at the adult level. The company has now accepted these cuts, withdrawn its appeal and the work has been classified, as cut, at 18."
Ian Sadler, the sales director for Eureka Entertainment, Bounty's UK distributor said: "We are really pleased that after nearly four months of detailed discussion and debate, we have been able to reach an agreement with the BBFC and to produce a very viable cut of the film which will both excite and challenge its fans. Naturally we have a slight disappointment that we have had to make cuts, but we feel that the storyline has not been compromised and the level of horror has been sustained."
The content of the cuts is detailed on the BBFC's website, with a warning that reading them may constitute spoilers for potential viewers. This would appear to be a direct response to Six's complaint that when detailing the reasons for their refusal in June, the BBFC had spoiled some plot surprises.
The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) enjoyed its US premiere a fortnight ago at the Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, where it was met with more yawns than retches. Writing for this site, the American critic Scott Weinberg applauded the BBFC's previous decision, but on the grounds of saving audiences from a grimly boring film, rather than protecting them from any dangerous content.
The BBFC's initial inventions were met with some criticism in the press, with some dismissing the board as over-zealous and irrelevant in the digital age, while others feared their actions had given the film an inadvertent surge of coverage. "The BBFC helped to generate an enormous amount of publicity for my film," Six told The Guardian. "It is incredible when everyone is talking about your movie."
Human Centipede 2 wins certificate 18 classification from British censors | Film | guardian.co.uk
You can see the BBFC's cuts here
Title « British Board of Film Classification
To be honest, I'm surprised there has not been a thread on this yet. Odd that despite how low brow it is, it was top story on the BBC for a while and number three on the Guardian of all places.
For all the hoohah, I saw the first one and it is a damn poor movie. Badly written, acted and directed and actually boring. Cannot imagine this being any better- shock value over plot etc...
I do wonder how often the BBFC guys had to watch and rewatch the barbed wire rape and sandpaper masturbation scenes to decide just how 'dangerous' they were. 'Ooh let me just check again
'
The British Board of Film Classification today reversed its decision to refuse classification to controversial horror film The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence). In June this year Tom Six's horror sequel was rejected by the board for a UK DVD rating on the grounds of sexual violence, graphic gore and the possibility of breach of the obscenity law.
But the film, which details the attempts by one man to recreate the events of the first film, in which a scientist stitches together kidnap victims mouth to anus, has now been awarded an 18 classification following 32 cuts. These cuts total two minutes 37 seconds, and in a statement issued by the BBFC are said to "address all [earlier] concerns".
The decision was not unanimous, however, and the feeling that the film's very premise made it "dangerous" enough viewing that no amount of cuts could redeem was upheld by one of the BBFC's vice presidents, Gerard Lemos, who abstained from the board's collective decision.
This U-turn is the result of a successful appeal launched by studio Bounty Films, who proposed a series of cuts after the BBFC's decision in June. The board required more extensive edits, to which Eureka acquiesced. The BBFC said: "These cuts produce a work which many will find difficult but which I believe can properly be classified at the adult level. The company has now accepted these cuts, withdrawn its appeal and the work has been classified, as cut, at 18."
Ian Sadler, the sales director for Eureka Entertainment, Bounty's UK distributor said: "We are really pleased that after nearly four months of detailed discussion and debate, we have been able to reach an agreement with the BBFC and to produce a very viable cut of the film which will both excite and challenge its fans. Naturally we have a slight disappointment that we have had to make cuts, but we feel that the storyline has not been compromised and the level of horror has been sustained."
The content of the cuts is detailed on the BBFC's website, with a warning that reading them may constitute spoilers for potential viewers. This would appear to be a direct response to Six's complaint that when detailing the reasons for their refusal in June, the BBFC had spoiled some plot surprises.
The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) enjoyed its US premiere a fortnight ago at the Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, where it was met with more yawns than retches. Writing for this site, the American critic Scott Weinberg applauded the BBFC's previous decision, but on the grounds of saving audiences from a grimly boring film, rather than protecting them from any dangerous content.
The BBFC's initial inventions were met with some criticism in the press, with some dismissing the board as over-zealous and irrelevant in the digital age, while others feared their actions had given the film an inadvertent surge of coverage. "The BBFC helped to generate an enormous amount of publicity for my film," Six told The Guardian. "It is incredible when everyone is talking about your movie."
Human Centipede 2 wins certificate 18 classification from British censors | Film | guardian.co.uk
You can see the BBFC's cuts here
Title « British Board of Film Classification
To be honest, I'm surprised there has not been a thread on this yet. Odd that despite how low brow it is, it was top story on the BBC for a while and number three on the Guardian of all places.
For all the hoohah, I saw the first one and it is a damn poor movie. Badly written, acted and directed and actually boring. Cannot imagine this being any better- shock value over plot etc...
I do wonder how often the BBFC guys had to watch and rewatch the barbed wire rape and sandpaper masturbation scenes to decide just how 'dangerous' they were. 'Ooh let me just check again
'