Skip to content
Censor begins with two BBFC film censors working out what to cut from a film, in order to arrive at an 18-certificate, including “trimming the tiniest bit off the end of the genitals”… Oo-er!
After the opening credits, which actually feature clips from real video nasties of the late ’70s and early ’80s era, we see the lead censor, Enid Baines (Niamh Algar – Suspect, Deceit, The Virtues), finishing a crossword after work and then heading to a restaurant, where she learns that her parents are finally going to declare their missing daughter – and her sister – as dead, following a long period of her going missing without trace.
However, later, the situation with her sister mirrors a scene in one of the films they’ve passed, which causes a big issue for her. To me, that assumes that life imitates art, when in reality, the Hungerford massacre murder, Michael Ryan, who had no horror movies in his collection, only Disney videos.
Along the way, she meets Doug Smart: (Michael Smiley – Free Fire), producer of Ident Investment films, who has a bachelor pad like Glenn Quagmire from Family Guy, as well as encountering a weird director called Frederick North, all of which leads her to conflating the issue of her sister, with thinking the actresses get killed on set.
In this film, what starts off with intrigue and promise, gives way to getting quite ridiculous, which is a great shame, so I can only recommend it as a curiosity, and not a satisfying movie. Niamh Algar is on top of her game, though, so this is certainly worth watching for her.
As an aside, bear in mind, Censor is clearly set in the early ’80s, possibly even the late ’70s, and there’s talk of rating films 15-cert and 18-cert… even though those categories didn’t come into being until November 1982, and this film does feel like it predates that slightly. In fact, she even takes a train ride to work in a train which is SO ’80s!
However, about the certificates, even if the film is set earlier than November 1982, then I can understand the change to referring to the 15 and 18, just so as to avoid confusion with current practices.
As another aside, the censors would always moan that the 18-cert films could be seen by children. Well, if the parents didn’t leave them out, then they wouldn’t! And… yep, I got to see a fair few of these back in the day!
The film is presented in the original 2.39:1 widescreen ratio, in 4K on a single disc, and the picture is very nicely detailed. There’s no issues with the image at all, but note that some scenes are shot to make it look like they’re on an ’80s camcorder, so don’t expect modern-day clean visuals on that scene.
The extras spread over the two discs are as follows, but none of them has subtitles:
- The Making of Censor (21:45): Lots of people talk about what it was like to make the film and how horror movies are an interest to them, but… no-one is named when they get to talk, so how do I know who is who?
Okay, that’s just very early on, including how Prano Bailey-Bond has a love of horror. I don’t know how old she is, but she certainly doesn’t look old enough to have grown up in a time of when the film is set, so won’t have experienced the thrill of putting a ‘video nasty’ in a VCR. However, co-writer Anthony Fletcher gets across that he is of that age.
They did research at the BBFC, plus get very introspective about blurring the lines between reality and fiction
There’s also comments from several cast and crew members about working on the film.
- My Nasty Memories (27:58): A short documentary from David Gregory, director of the Ban the Sadist Videos! documentary, as well as being the owner of Severin Films, who put out horror movies.
He talks about how owning a VCR meant you have access to all these films from a video rental shop, plus how there were so many horror movies out there because Hollywood initially didn’t want to put their videos out, thinking they’d be pirated. Plus, how Mary Whitehouse – who I also remember from the time – refused to watch any of the films she was condeming.
- Nasty: A Short film by Prano Bailey-Bond (15:47): A short film from 201, but set in 1982, as young Doug finds a video nasty, but then his father disappears. He chances upon a chest full of these types of videos, with his mum being surprised to find her husband is into this stuff. And one film is called “Evil Dad”, instead of “Evil Dead”… and things get rather freaky from there.
- Ban the Sadist Videos! documentary Parts 1 and 2 (50:57) and (43:10): David Gregory’s feature-length documentary which talks us through all the ‘problematic’ (in Hollywood’s eyes) movies of the time, and how anyone could start such a business, especially given the recession in the ’80s.
- My Own Nasty: a new interview with Prano Bailey-Bond (30:22): The director talks about how she’s come from her first short film, Nasty, and into making her first feature film with this movie, and everything that’s gone into that.
- Screening Q&A with Prano Bailey-Bond and Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch hosted by Jed Shepherd (13:51): A post-premiere Q&A at Curzon Cinema with the director and composer, talking about the film, and why Prano specifically chose Niamh Algar for the lead role, amongst other questions.
However, despite the extensive extras across the two discs, what’s really annoying is that this feels like it’s been cut short because it ends without any outro, so feels like we’ve had it cut in half.
- Prano Bailey-Bond in conversation with BBFC Compliance Officer David Hyman (40:22): A fascinating discussion with one of the BBFC’s Compliance Officers, who are effectively the ‘censors’ of the day at the time in which this film is set. Their long chat includes everything the BBFC was involved in from the ’80s “video nasty” era and beyond, including how a lot less horror films are censored today, and are more likely – instead, to pass as an 18-certificate, especially with older films when the special effects are clearly less shockable today than they were back when the films were made. Also, Mr Hyman was also one of the board members who rated Censor! And he explains why it was given a 15-certificate.
- Deleted Scenes (2:53): Two scenes, both of which feature Enid being harrassed by a member of the press.
- Enid’s Gaze: Alexandra Heller-Nicholas on Censor (21:49): A very introspective look at the character of Enid by film critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas.
More cast and crew interviews with further in-depth chat with each participant:
- The Censor: a new interview with Actor Niamh Algar (22:26)
- Penning a Nasty: a new interview with Co-Writer Anthony Fletcher (12:32)
- Nasty Images: a new interview with Cinematographer Annika Summerson (18:02)
- I’m Cutting It: a new interview with Editor Mark Towns (13:20)
- Nasty Sounds: a new interview with Composer Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch (11:02)
- The Censor: a new interview with Actor Niamh Algar (22:26)
- 3 Audio Commentaries: One by Director and Co-writer Prano Bailey-Bond and Executive Producer Kim Newman; One by Prano Bailey-Bond, DoP Annika Summerson, Editor Mark Towns and Sound Designer Tim Harrison; and one by Kat Ellinger, Lindsay Hallam and Miranda Corcoran.
The menu features Enid sat at home, watching a video nasty on her TV, with the brooding atmosphere coming through the speaks. Subtitles are in English only, and there are a basic 12 chapters.
Note that the overall package is an 18-certificate, but the film, itself, is a 15. I expect it’s the inclusion of a Cannibal Holocaust clip within the short film “Nasty” that’s tipped it over to an 18. I can’t be 100% sure, since the BBFC’s website is bloody useless on this information. When you look up the film, the only extras are a couple of trailers.
Censor is out today on Blu-ray. It’s also available on Limited Edition Blu-ray and Amazon Video.
|
FILM CONTENT PICTURE QUALITY SOUND QUALITY EXTRAS |
6 10 8 10 |
| OVERALL | 8.5 |
Cert: 
Running time: 84 minutes
Year: 2021
Chapters: 12
Cat.No: 2NDBR4164
Distributor: Second Sight Films
Released: October 31st 2022
Picture: 1080p High Definition
Widescreen: 2.39:1 (X-OCN ST (4K)); 1.33:1 (some scenes) (H.264, Spherical, Super 35, Super 8, VHS)
Subtitles: English SDH
Disc Format: 2*BD50
Director: Prano Bailey-Bond
Producer: Helen Jones
Screenplay: Prano Bailey-Bond, Anthony Fletcher
Music: Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch
Cast:
Enid Baines: Niamh Algar
Doug Smart: Michael Smiley
Sanderson: Nicholas Burns
Fraser: Vincent Franklin
Alice Lee: Sophia La Porta
Frederick North: Adrian Schiller
June: Clare Holman
George: Andrew Havill
Valerie: Felicity Montagu
Perkins: Danny Lee Wynter
Anne: Clare Perkins
Beastman: Guillaume Delaunay
Gerald: Richard Glover
Debbie: Erin Shanagher
Young Enid: Beau Gadsdon
Nina: Amelie Child-Villiers
Gordon: Matthew Earley
Frank: Richard Renton
Older Girl in Film: Bo Bragason
Younger Girl in Film: Amelia Craighill
Panicked Woman: Madeleine Hutchins
Tom: Robert Vernon
Nasty:
Director: Prano Bailey-Bond
Producers: Meghna Gupta, Helen Mullane
Screenplay: Anthony Fletcher
Music: Seven Locks Studio
End title track: Death: Leprosy
Cast:
Doug: Albie Marber
Carol/Mum: Madeleine Hutchins
Dad: James Cutler
Cheryl (Forest Woman): Joanne Gale
Police Woman: Jo Dyson
Valerie: Kimberley Adams
Radio Voice: Shabdam Bailey-Bond
Man in paper: Kim Newman
Hand extras: Katy Sage, Huw John Sam, Rowan Byrne
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.