Censor
Year: 2021
Director: Prano Bailey-Bond
Starring: Niamh Algar, Sophia La Porter & Michael Smiley
Runtime: 84 mins
BBFC: 15
Published: 25/08/21
Director: Prano Bailey-Bond
Starring: Niamh Algar, Sophia La Porter & Michael Smiley
Runtime: 84 mins
BBFC: 15
Published: 25/08/21
One of my dream jobs for a very long time has been a film censor. It’s not something I tell people often and not for any particular reason, but ever since I first watched Peter Jackson’s King Kong and felt like the 12-age rating awarded by the BBFC was a little on the low side I liked the idea of being a film censor. As my tastes began to turn to horror over the years the idea of seeking out some of the most disgusting and depraved films ever made was also very appealing to me. I wanted to see why some films aren’t legally sold in their uncut versions, whether that be because of blood and gore, sex, or in the case of Monty Python’s The Life of Brian, religiously blasphemous.
In the 1980’s with the rise in popularity of video players and VHS tapes came a wave of low budget horror films that broke new ground in their depictions of graphic violence. At the time the BBFC was only authorised to classify films for theatrical viewings, allowing home releases to be released and distributed without even needing to be submitted for classification. After a series of complaints from the National Viewers’ and Listeners’ Association, a list of 72 films was compiled which they believed contained material that breached the Obscene Publications Act 1959. It was this list that gave rise to the new BBFC and revisions in film classification in the UK that required all films to be submitted for classification.
Why is all this important? Well, it’s key to understanding why the new British indie horror Censor is so brilliant.
Enid Baines (Niamh Algar) is a censor for the British Board of Film Classification. Her job is to review films and decide what age rating they should receive, and whether any content should be removed before classification can be granted. Set in the 1980’s, Enid and her colleagues are currently under pressure from the press and the British public to ban the films present on the ‘video nasties’ list.
When Enid watches a new submission from a production company that is known for their low budget and excessively gory horror films, she begins to make connection to the disappearance of her younger sister during her childhood. Refusing to believe her sister died all those years ago, Enid goes in search of people associated with the film to get answers about her sister. But with the pressure and unrelenting psychological distress she is put under from her job, fantasy and reality begin to blur as Enid finds herself in her own video nasty.
In the 1980’s with the rise in popularity of video players and VHS tapes came a wave of low budget horror films that broke new ground in their depictions of graphic violence. At the time the BBFC was only authorised to classify films for theatrical viewings, allowing home releases to be released and distributed without even needing to be submitted for classification. After a series of complaints from the National Viewers’ and Listeners’ Association, a list of 72 films was compiled which they believed contained material that breached the Obscene Publications Act 1959. It was this list that gave rise to the new BBFC and revisions in film classification in the UK that required all films to be submitted for classification.
Why is all this important? Well, it’s key to understanding why the new British indie horror Censor is so brilliant.
Enid Baines (Niamh Algar) is a censor for the British Board of Film Classification. Her job is to review films and decide what age rating they should receive, and whether any content should be removed before classification can be granted. Set in the 1980’s, Enid and her colleagues are currently under pressure from the press and the British public to ban the films present on the ‘video nasties’ list.
When Enid watches a new submission from a production company that is known for their low budget and excessively gory horror films, she begins to make connection to the disappearance of her younger sister during her childhood. Refusing to believe her sister died all those years ago, Enid goes in search of people associated with the film to get answers about her sister. But with the pressure and unrelenting psychological distress she is put under from her job, fantasy and reality begin to blur as Enid finds herself in her own video nasty.
The idea of a film about the effects that violent films can have on people is nothing new. Most famous of course is David Cronenberg’s Videodrome, and one of the more recent and extreme examples I can think of is The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence (a film that itself was refused classification by the BBFC until extensive cuts were made). But Censor tackles the topic with an extremely grounded mindset and looks at the subject matter directly at its source with a film classification board. In fact, the way that director Prano Bailey-Bond delivers Censor makes the film feel eerily real, as though it isn’t fiction but a depiction of real-life events.
I don’t really know what I was expecting when I want into the film, but I was expected by the films extremely slow pace and lack of scares somewhat concerning at first. However, as the film went on and Enid really begins to do some research on the film she watched, the director behind it, and the production company, I was completely transfixed in psychological terror.
I do feel like the ending is going to be extremely polarising though, and it probably comes down to just how crazy it starts to get as Enid completely loses her grip on reality. Personally, I feel like the ending didn’t quite deliver upon the premise of the film, and I was disappointed by the lack of resolution provided. But I will give credit where it’s due in that the ending really does just go wild with everything it’s set up so far; and that it’s interesting to see a protagonist in a horror film intentionally make bad decisions that will put them in danger because they know it will lead them closer to the truth, yet still be believable in those decisions.
I loved the visual aesthetic the film had as well with frequently shifting aspect ratios, the colour palette used, the film grain and static effects, and the scenes of fictional video nasties that feel extremely authentic. It feels like an old film whilst you’re watching it, and like some kind of almost haunted videotape that distorts the very fabric of reality around you as you watch it.
Censor is a horror film I did very much enjoy, although I did leave feeling somewhat confused and disappointed by the ending. It’s a premise that lends itself excellently to the horror genre and manages to feel extremely fresh in its approach to the subject. The slow pace and lack of scary images may bore some, but for those looking for a horror that’ll make you think and really get inside your head then Censor is perfect for you.
I don’t really know what I was expecting when I want into the film, but I was expected by the films extremely slow pace and lack of scares somewhat concerning at first. However, as the film went on and Enid really begins to do some research on the film she watched, the director behind it, and the production company, I was completely transfixed in psychological terror.
I do feel like the ending is going to be extremely polarising though, and it probably comes down to just how crazy it starts to get as Enid completely loses her grip on reality. Personally, I feel like the ending didn’t quite deliver upon the premise of the film, and I was disappointed by the lack of resolution provided. But I will give credit where it’s due in that the ending really does just go wild with everything it’s set up so far; and that it’s interesting to see a protagonist in a horror film intentionally make bad decisions that will put them in danger because they know it will lead them closer to the truth, yet still be believable in those decisions.
I loved the visual aesthetic the film had as well with frequently shifting aspect ratios, the colour palette used, the film grain and static effects, and the scenes of fictional video nasties that feel extremely authentic. It feels like an old film whilst you’re watching it, and like some kind of almost haunted videotape that distorts the very fabric of reality around you as you watch it.
Censor is a horror film I did very much enjoy, although I did leave feeling somewhat confused and disappointed by the ending. It’s a premise that lends itself excellently to the horror genre and manages to feel extremely fresh in its approach to the subject. The slow pace and lack of scary images may bore some, but for those looking for a horror that’ll make you think and really get inside your head then Censor is perfect for you.