The Human Centipede II rejected by BBFC!
 

No UK release for the horror sequel

06 June 2011 | Source: BBFC


Last year's The Human Centipede was mad, bad and really quite grotesque. But this year's sequel, imaginatively called The Human Centipede II, has been rejected by the British Board of Film Classification on the basis that it is "sexually violent and potentially obscene".

This means that the DVD cannot be legally supplied anywhere in the UK.

The original film was released, uncut, as an 18 last year. This one, however, apparently has "unacceptable material" throughout which cannot be remedied with cuts. The filmmakers have six weeks in which to appeal against the decision.

It's worth noting, before we get all up in arms, that this is a relatively rare decision for the BBFC, who outlined their reasons at some length and stressed that the full Board was in on this one. The full reasoning is given below in the link - but if you're of a sensitive disposition even this may be rather unpleasant.

http://www.empireonline.com/news/feed.asp?NID=31162

I can't say that I'm to upset about this. The first was utterly stupid and over hyped.

The only way left for them is now a straight torrent release like The Tunnel. :D

*Sigh* The filmmakers will probably end up editing it.

Like it will really stop people. In this day and age, the internet is God. And the BBFC have very little control over that.

To be honest, I don't think it's bad news either way. Really couldn't care less about the first. There are far sicker, more twisted films. This one just happened to get publicity.

The first one was terrible, i wish they would stop an American release of it as well.

Wow... people supporting censorship. Incredible.

For sure. It doesn't matter the quality of the film - a group of adults deciding what is fit for the majority of people to watch isn't right.

Hey i dont care about the so called gruesomeness of the movie (for the record, i didnt think the first one was as brutal as people make it out to be) I just think its a terrible movie. That being said, you're right. Censorship of this nature isn't right.

Also just so everyone knows, my comment before was just a joke. I don't want to see the movie but i can just choose not to watch it, i dont need it be banned. Also movies getting censored and banned only makes people want to watch it more so its pointless anyway.

Damn, this will almost certainly be the same case for NZ and Australia then. Not that it'll stop me seeing it of course and if I want to buy it I'll hopefully be able to sneak a R1 release onto my shelf.

The original was a tad underwhelming but I enjoyed it especially for Dieter Laser performance.

:confused: really? These guys have been heavy handed for decades if I'm not mistaking?

I don't think it's so much supporting it, as really not caring in this case. It's not a political/religious view being suppressed or an enlightening, life changing film that will revolutionise the way we see the world. It's just another shock film.

Censorship isn't right, but in this case, I'm not going to kick up any fuss.

That's lazy thinking, young man. You have to protect freedom of expression in all cases, or when you really want that freedom, it will have disappeared.

Are political & religious views the only type of speech that's worthy of protection? If that's the prevailing attitude in England I can see why they have institutionalized censorship to the degree they do. Thank goddess over here we hold freedom of speech to a near absolute degree.

And how do you know that film won't revolutionize the way you- or somebody else- sees the world? You haven't seen it. How can you judge whether it's worthy of the same protection other works of art get or not?

agreed....and I think ferret should be banned for that comment.

You're always trying to get me in trouble!

ha....never...you're one of my favorite posters.

My only thoughts on this are "Do they really need another one?"
That said, I don't care much for censorship - I think it's peoples right to watch even any pathetic drivel they should so choose to waste their time on.

He means in recent years only Murder Set Pieces and A Serbian Film have been repeatedly banned by the BBFC but yes over ten years ago the BBFC has been a overkill censorship joke-whocan forget their counterparts in the 80s creating their "video nasties" list-most of those films have had their ban lifted in recent years so now people use the video nasties list as a shopping list. The publicity this will generate will save the studios millions in advertising expenditure in this day and age-the UK ban will not last long as it hasn't stopped anyone I know from watching A Serbian Film for example if they really wanted to.

Maybe not anyone you know, but there sure are plenty of people who don't pirate films. If they can't see a film in a theatre or rent it from a legal source, they don't see it. And banning a film certainly hurts its bottom line, making it more difficult for them to work on future projects.

I don't usually download movies, but I think that the circumstances you mention here are a valid time to do so.
If there's no way you can legitimately buy/see a film in your area and give some small portion of funds to those that work on said film, then I myself feel I would be doing them more credit by obtaining the film any way possible, and giving good feedback on an open/online forum or imdb.
Sometimes credit is all you can give a film - if of course, it's deserving.

It has clearly made a bit of a splash in the national press. The story was covered on both Radio 5 Live and Talksport.

The BBFC description didn't make it sound that bad. It's not really my sort of movie but I do strongly object to the state saving us from ourselves with this kind of over-zealous scrutiny.

I guess, with the freedom of the internet, the BBFC is a fairly toothless government agency these days anyway. Maybe they're just rocking the boat a bit to justify their own, little Hitler existence.

FUCK THOSE GUYS!!!!:mad::mad::mad:

Director Six furious over BBFC banning


The Human Centipede director Tom Six has slammed British film officials for banning his upcoming sequel to the graphic horror movie and posting scene spoilers on their website.

The original film, about a German doctor who kidnaps three tourists and surgically joins them mouth to anus to form a human centipede, received mixed reviews upon its limited release last year, and now the follow-up The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) is causing controversy over its sexually violent plotline.

The disturbing new movie, written and directed by Six, was due for release on DVD this year, but it will not hit the U.K. market following a ruling by officials at the British Board of Film Classification, which deemed the film "unacceptable" for viewers.

And Six is not at all pleased.

In a statement released to Empire, he says, "Thank you BBFC for putting spoilers of my movie on your website and thank you for banning my film in this exceptional way. Apparently I made an horrific horror-film, but shouldn't a good horror film be horrific? My dear people it is a f**king Movie.

"It is all fictional. Not real. It is all make-belief. It is art. Give people their own choice to watch it or not. If people can't handle or like my movies they just don't watch them. If people like my movies they have to be able to see it any time, anywhere also in the UK.”

Filmmakers have six weeks to appeal the decision.

In the U.S. we have the dreaded NC 17, which means the film in question won't get a wide release , so the filmmakers usually end up releasing an edited version for the movie theaters. When it's time for a DVD release, the unrated version will usually be available.

If the BBFC bans a film from the theaters, does this include DVD releases?

(BEWARE OF POSSIBLE HUGE SPOILERS!)


BBFC defends itself - http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/...de-sequel-bbfc

That is pretty ridiculous.:mad:

I guess my confusion is how there really could be a sequel at all given the state we left all the characters in at the end of the 1st one.

I didn't hate the first one. It was kinda disgusting, but not in a horror movie kinda way. Just in the mental image of someone shitting down my throat kinda way. I'm sure I'll check this one out when it's released.

I guess you didn't read the article, since it explains the plot....

FYI the national radio stations in the UK were covering the directors response to the banning today. It is unusual for the media to pick up both sides of the story in a case like this, to be fair to them.

I read his statement and thought he argued his point well. I guess in this situation the only defence is to come across reasonable, logical and forward thinking. Although, he did direct Human Centipede, so that probably undermines his credibility (A to M :eek:)

The censorship of one film will hardly lead to the removal of freedom of speech in England. The freedoms I care for are still very much intact. And Indeed, my views on the censorship of a particular film represent the prevailing attitude entire English population. ALL HAIL SUPPRESSION, SO SAYETH GABRIEL!

Come on, now. We both know that the chances of this film having any revolutionary effect - a positive one - is basically nil. To suggest that the chance that there COULD potentially be one is just being nit-picky. And whilst I am in no way suggesting that art doesn't provide a profound contribution to culture and should be protected, I personally care not for it in this particular instance. Call it apathetic, but I know that if I want to, I will be able to get this film and that's all that matters to me in this case. As will anybody else who puts their mind to it. For those who wish to see it but are against illegal downloads - their loss. In times gone by, the banning of this film may have annoyed me more, but with the power of the internet, it will have little effect on me.

Yeah, but you can't ignore censorship just because it's ineffective. What happens if the state develop full proof technology to censor the internet? The BBFC will have the restrictive powers they enjoyed in the eighties. I know that'll never happen but you gotta defend the principle (even if it is over a shitty movie :))

A Serbian Film wasn't banned - just butchered.

BBFC have their no-go areas, the last one being sexual violence. their stance on animal violence has softened recently, leading finally to UNCUT releases of Dario Argento's Deep Red & Inferno (looking might fine on BD i might add). hell, in anticipation of the forthcoming BD release of Deodato's brand new director's cut of Cannibal Holocaust, the full uncut version was sent to the BBFC for rating and it had only 1 scene has been cut

I will indeed call it apathetic and naive. The censorship of one little film can set the benchmark for the banning of others (some you might care about) for other things people might find offensive. The longer you do nothing, the more they'll abuse their power.

And I would rather not illegally download movies because it's, you know, illegal.:rolleyes:

Bah- never mind. It's not worth the bother.

You'd be suprised. The whole Chuckie witch hunt in the early 90's nearly lead to a new video recording bill which would have come down hard on any violence show in British releases of Video. It would have been such a step backwards. The bill was interduced by a backbencher (i think) who were using it to puh their own religious/moral agenda.

Because violence in Horror films was so big in the media at the time the bill was taken seriously..

And I agree with TheWickerFan - anything like that can be the thin end of the wedge. That been said British censorship is getting far more permissive - compare it now to back when James Ferman was weilding the scissors..

Good point, British censorship is much more sensible now. I think that's why this case really stands out as a backward step.

On illegal downloading, I'm not publicly endorsing it, but I remember being a young teenager and, if I wanted the latest CD from my favourite band, being forced to pay £15 - £20 for the 'European' release. [European because they'd stuck a live version of one of the studio tracks at the end]. This was completely exploitative by the big retailers.

Apologies for the off-topic rant:)

It's a move that should surprise no-one but it is now official.

When announcing their ban of Tom Six's The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence, the BBFC noted that the parties affected would have up to six weeks to appeal the decision. UK distributor Eureka Entertainment has just announced their intention to do so, releasing an ultra-brief press release stating only:

It's presumed that the quote from Australia's Bounty are included purely as a reminder that the film was passed uncut by a country with a similar censorship code to the UK's, as an Australian decision will have no official legal standing or influence whatsoever.

Wow, such a surprise there :rolleyes:

You are correct sir. I didn't want the spoilers. I assume it's an all new cast? Or a prequel perhaps.

I completely agree with this in the early 90s when the whole video nasties thing flared up yet again my sisters were forced to get pirate copies of some of those films-I guess I'm lucky that I grew up in a horror household but nevertheless if the BBFC are going to behave like this then I wholeheartedly encourage people to get pirate copies of banned films-it was extremely frustrating that we had to wait till LAST year to get full uncut versions of Inferno and Deep Red-if people have a love of horror and there is no availability of the films UNCUT on dvd in the UK then a lot of people will turn to the Internet-let's just hope there is never full censorship online.

All new, and there's a logical explanation for a sequel.

I was not a huge fan of the first, but, the fact that a group of people can sit and decide to completely deprive anyone of a cinematic experience (no matter the quality) has always deeply irked me.

It is exactly the same as banning a work of literature or a painting. You are restricting someone's ability to express an idea or theme and restricting someone's ability to choose to experience it. Aesthetic pleasures is extremely important and to gate it to a few select styles and ideas is ridiculous.