"You didn't have to go to Texas for a Chain Saw Massacre..."

We came up with the idea for ‘NASTY VIDEOS’ after trying to find uncut versions of iconic exploitation and horror films in the UK. Under the guise of ‘protecting the public’, British censors for decades removed anything they deemed ‘nasty’. However, in watching the ‘Video Nasty’ alt-canon, we found that an entire era of horror filmmaking had suffered cultural vandalism by the censor's cuts. Groundbreaking sequences, crucial dialogue, and even whole films were banned or hacked about, with flimsy justifications. Clearly, you didn't have to go to Texas for a chainsaw massacre!

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Moreover, by making monsters of these films and the people who made them, the UK censors created another monster - a pack of bloodthirsty gorehounds who see this era of filmmaking for the subversive joy it really is. Making this film was a labour of love; it took over 7 months to complete, working out at around a month per minute of completed footage.

 

We used traditional cel animation on cut paper backdrops (the same techniques used in old-school public information films (PIFs) like the “Charley Says” and “Rabies Kills” series).​ We chose this method because we wanted the film to be as authentic as possible, calling up memories of the school-standard videos that blighted millions of childhoods with visions of a dangerous world. For many British people, these films were our first encounter with horror cinema.

 

On the other hand, we also chose hand-drawn animation because we felt it was evocative of the audience’s relationship with a ‘video nasty’. Finding, watching, and loving a banned horror film wasn’t (and still isn’t) always an easy process. It takes a lot of patience, commitment, and perversion. We hope NASTY VIDEOS melts your brain - and your heart - just as much as it did ours!