A version of this article originally appeared on Arrow Video's Video Deck
Words: Johnny Walker / Images: Louise Buckler
Words: Johnny Walker / Images: Louise Buckler
In 2014 the Abertoir Horror Festival was home to a very special exhibition curated by Dr Johnny Walker and Dr Mark McKenna.
The exhibition was very significant, for it assembled—for the first time, it is believed—the original videocassettes banned as "video nasties" and a host of related ephemera for public view. Choice items included original copies of iconic and now highly collectable tapes such as The Driller Killer, SS Experiment Camp and Zombie Flesh Eaters; contentious print adverts for certain nasties including the rarely seen video poster for Snuff; copies of magazines such as Screen International, Video Business and Video World that documented the initial panic as it happened; the infamous issue of the Sun from the early 90s that ran the headline “For the sake of ALL our kids, BURN YOUR VIDEO NASTY”; and curious promotional materials for video nasty re-issues such as The Burning matchbooks.
The exhibition was, ultimately, a time capsule; embodying the hysteria of the era as well as the cult afterlife the video nasty has commanded within fan communities and academia.
Unfortunately, much like the films of the time, the exhibition met a swift and untimely demise with all of the contents being seized on the final day of the festival...
Unfortunately, much like the films of the time, the exhibition met a swift and untimely demise with all of the contents being seized on the final day of the festival...
