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</ref> but that was false advertising.<ref name=Lees/> Shackleton put out false newspaper clippings that reported a citizens group's crusading against the film<ref name="csicop.org"/> and hired people to act as protesters to picket screenings.<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/bps/additionalcontent/18/23189619/Snuff "Snuff"], ''Britannica Online Encyclopedia''</ref>
</ref> but that was false advertising.<ref name=Lees/> Shackleton put out false newspaper clippings that reported a citizens group's crusading against the film<ref name="csicop.org"/> and hired people to act as protesters to picket screenings.<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/bps/additionalcontent/18/23189619/Snuff "Snuff"], ''Britannica Online Encyclopedia''</ref>


In the wake of ''Snuff'', numerous films explored the idea of snuff films, or used them as a plot device. They include ''[[Last House on Dead End Street]]'' (1977), [[Paul Schrader]]'s film ''[[Hardcore (1979 film)|Hardcore]]'' (1979), ''[[Bloodline (1979 film)|Sidney Sheldon's Bloodline]]'' (1979), the [[Ruggero Deodato]] film ''[[Cannibal Holocaust]]'' (1980), [[David Cronenberg|David Cronenberg's]] ''[[Videodrome]]'' (1983), the [[Nine Inch Nails]] film ''[[Broken (1993 film)|The Broken Movie]]'' (1993), the film ''[[Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer]]'' (1986), the [[Alejandro Amenábar]] film ''[[Tesis]]'' (1996), the film ''[[Strange Days (film)|Strange Days]]'' (1995), the [[Anthony Waller]] film ''[[Mute Witness]]'' (1994), the [[Johnny Depp]] film ''[[The Brave]]'' (1997), the [[Joel Schumacher]] film ''[[8mm (film)|8mm]]'' (1999), the [[John Ottman]] film, ''[[Urban Legends: Final Cut]]'' (2000), the Mariano Peralta's film ''[[Snuff 102]]'' (2007), the Fred Vogel's film ''[[August Underground]]'' (2001) and its sequels.{{citation needed|date=December 2010}}
In the wake of ''Snuff'', numerous films explored the idea of snuff films, or used them as a plot device. They include ''[[Last House on Dead End Street]]'' (1977), [[Paul Schrader]]'s film ''[[Hardcore (1979 film)|Hardcore]]'' (1979), ''[[Bloodline (1979 film)|Sidney Sheldon's Bloodline]]'' (1979), the [[Ruggero Deodato]] film ''[[Cannibal Holocaust]]'' (1980), [[David Cronenberg|David Cronenberg's]] ''[[Videodrome]]'' (1983), the [[Nine Inch Nails]] film ''[[Broken (1993 film)|The Broken Movie]]'' (1993), the film ''[[Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer]]'' (1986), the [[Alejandro Amenábar]] film ''[[Tesis]]'' (1996), the film ''[[Strange Days (film)|Strange Days]]'' (1995), the [[Anthony Waller]] film ''[[Mute Witness]]'' (1994), the [[Johnny Depp]] film ''[[The Brave]]'' (1997), the [[Joel Schumacher]] film ''[[8mm (film)|8mm]]'' (1999), the [[John Ottman]] film, ''[[Urban Legends: Final Cut]]'' (2000), the Mariano Peralta's film ''[[Snuff 102]]'' (2007), the Fred Vogel's film ''[[August Underground]]'' (2001) and its sequels{{citation needed|date=December 2010}} and the Scott Derrickson film "[[Sinister (film)|Sinister]] (2012)


Internet snuff films are alluded to in the [[Marc Evans]] film ''[[My Little Eye]]'' (2002), and the film ''[[Halloween: Resurrection]]''. The [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] TV series ''[[Dexter (TV series)|Dexter]]'' features an internet snuff scene. Most recently the subject has been addressed in British film director [[Bernard Rose (director)|Bernard Rose]]'s film ''[[Snuff-Movie (film)|Snuff-Movie]]'' (2005), the [[Nimród Antal]] film ''[[Vacancy (film)|Vacancy]]'' (2007) and also in the WWE film ''[[The Condemned]]'' (2007) and the [[Gregory Hoblit]] film ''[[Untraceable]]''. [[Rockstar Games]], the controversial game publisher, released the snuff-themed ''[[Manhunt (video game)|Manhunt]]'' in 2003.{{citation needed|date=December 2010}} [[Konami|Konami's]] ''[[Silent Hill 2]]'' prominently features a snuff film of unknown origin.
Internet snuff films are alluded to in the [[Marc Evans]] film ''[[My Little Eye]]'' (2002), and the film ''[[Halloween: Resurrection]]''. The [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] TV series ''[[Dexter (TV series)|Dexter]]'' features an internet snuff scene. Most recently the subject has been addressed in British film director [[Bernard Rose (director)|Bernard Rose]]'s film ''[[Snuff-Movie (film)|Snuff-Movie]]'' (2005), the [[Nimród Antal]] film ''[[Vacancy (film)|Vacancy]]'' (2007) and also in the WWE film ''[[The Condemned]]'' (2007) and the [[Gregory Hoblit]] film ''[[Untraceable]]''. [[Rockstar Games]], the controversial game publisher, released the snuff-themed ''[[Manhunt (video game)|Manhunt]]'' in 2003.{{citation needed|date=December 2010}} [[Konami|Konami's]] ''[[Silent Hill 2]]'' prominently features a snuff film of unknown origin.

Revision as of 14:10, 23 January 2013

This article is about the genre. For the 1976 film, see Snuff (film). For the 2005 film, see Snuff-Movie.

A snuff film is a motion picture genre that depicts the actual murder of a person or people, without the aid of special effects, for the express purpose of distribution and entertainment or financial exploitation.[1] Some filmed records of executions and murders exist but have not been made or released for commercial purposes.[2]

History

The very first recorded use of the term "snuff film" is in a 1971 book by Ed Sanders, The Family: The Story of Charles Manson's Dune Buggy Attack Battalion. He alleges that The Manson Family was involved in making such a film in California to record their murders.[2]

The metaphorical use of the term "snuff" to denote killing appears to be derived from a verb for the cutting short of a candle wick. The word has been used as such in English slang for hundreds of years. John Camden Hotten lists the term in the fifth edition of his Slang Dictionary in 1874 as a "term very common among the lower orders of London, meaning to die from disease or accident." The word is descended (via the Middle English "snuffen" or "snuppen"[3]) from the Old English "snithan", meaning to slaughter and dismember, from "snide", meaning to kill by cutting or stabbing, from "snid", to cut.

The Michael Powell film Peeping Tom (1960) featured a filmmaker who committed murders and used the acts as the content of his documentary films, although no murders are seen in the film. The concept of "snuff films" being made for profit became more widely known in 1976 with the commercial film Snuff.[4][5][6] A low budget exploitation horror film entitled Slaughter was directed by Michael and Roberta Findlay. In an interview decades later, Roberta Findlay said that the film's distributor Allan Shackleton had read about snuff films being imported from South America and retitled the film to Snuff to exploit the idea;[7] he also added a new ending that depicted an actress being murdered on a film set.[8] The promotion of Snuff on its second release suggested it featured the murder of an actress: "The film that could only be made in South America... where life is CHEAP.",[9] but that was false advertising.[8] Shackleton put out false newspaper clippings that reported a citizens group's crusading against the film[4] and hired people to act as protesters to picket screenings.[10]

In the wake of Snuff, numerous films explored the idea of snuff films, or used them as a plot device. They include Last House on Dead End Street (1977), Paul Schrader's film Hardcore (1979), Sidney Sheldon's Bloodline (1979), the Ruggero Deodato film Cannibal Holocaust (1980), David Cronenberg's Videodrome (1983), the Nine Inch Nails film The Broken Movie (1993), the film Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986), the Alejandro Amenábar film Tesis (1996), the film Strange Days (1995), the Anthony Waller film Mute Witness (1994), the Johnny Depp film The Brave (1997), the Joel Schumacher film 8mm (1999), the John Ottman film, Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000), the Mariano Peralta's film Snuff 102 (2007), the Fred Vogel's film August Underground (2001) and its sequels[citation needed] and the Scott Derrickson film "Sinister (2012)

Internet snuff films are alluded to in the Marc Evans film My Little Eye (2002), and the film Halloween: Resurrection. The Showtime TV series Dexter features an internet snuff scene. Most recently the subject has been addressed in British film director Bernard Rose's film Snuff-Movie (2005), the Nimród Antal film Vacancy (2007) and also in the WWE film The Condemned (2007) and the Gregory Hoblit film Untraceable. Rockstar Games, the controversial game publisher, released the snuff-themed Manhunt in 2003.[citation needed] Konami's Silent Hill 2 prominently features a snuff film of unknown origin.

Recorded deaths

Some murderers have recorded their acts on video. Documentary film makers and television news crews have also captured footage of executions or accidental deaths. The resultant footage is not usually considered to constitute a snuff film because the deaths were not enacted in a for-profit film.

Documentary footage

The assassination of Alexander I of Yugoslavia in 1934 was one of the first to be captured on film. The sinking of the HMS Barham in 1941 and the 1955 Le Mans disaster were both captured on film and have been widely shown since then. The American public was gripped by the Zapruder film of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The Passenger, a film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, includes film footage of a firing squad execution. The stabbing death of Meredith Hunter by a Hell's Angel at the Rolling Stones concert at Altamont Speedway was captured and shown in Albert and David Maysles' documentary film Gimme Shelter. The 1995 documentary film Executions showed several executions of people condemned to death.[citation needed]

The 2001 Daytona 500 witnessed the death of Dale Earnhardt on the final lap of the event after he was in an accident. The footage of the wreck was not shown on live television, as the camera was fixed on race leaders, but was shown afterwards in replays after the race was over. Although Earnhardt was not the first NASCAR driver to die in a wreck, he was arguably more famous than many other drivers that have died. His crash forced NASCAR to implement new safety regulations, such as the Car of Tomorrow. NASCAR has not replayed Earnhardt's wreck, but many videos of the incident exist on the internet. In 1994 Ayrton Senna's fatal crash was also shown on live television but he died later in a hospital. Nodar Kumaritashvili's fatal accident at the 2010 Winter Olympics luge event was televised live to millions of viewers.

On September 11, 2001, tens of millions of people saw television news coverage after the attacks that included footage of people jumping to their deaths from the burning World Trade Center in New York City.

News footage or intentional political records that captured murders, executions or suicides, including those of Nick Berg, Saddam Hussein, Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu, Paul Johnson, Kim Sun-il, Eugene Armstrong, John F. Kennedy, Daniel Pearl, Inejiro Asanuma, Lee Harvey Oswald and Yitzhak Rabin, and the suicides of Ricardo Cerna, and Budd Dwyer have been posted on the Internet. Such footage was either of a real event and shot for documentary purposes, or the assassins filmed a murder to use the record for political purposes. The resulting footage cannot be called a snuff film according to its definition.

The Faces of Death video series presents archive footage of various deaths, corpses, injuries and autopsies including car accidents, suicides, shootings (including the press conference suicide of Dwyer) and other borrowed footage.

Video recordings of battery

In several cases murderers and serial killers have recorded aspects of their crimes, although they filmed their victims while still alive. These include:

  • Between 1983 and 1985, Americans Charles Ng and Leonard Lake videotaped their torturing some of the women whom they would later kill.[2]
  • In the early 1990s, Canadian serial killers Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka separately videotaped some of their sexual assaults of victims. They did not film their murders.[2]
  • In 1997 the German murderers Ernst Dieter Korzen and Stefan Michael Mahn recorded their torture of two prostitutes whom they had kidnapped. They killed one and the other woman escaped, leading to the men's arrests. They were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. Prosecutors claimed there was an international market for such videos, and that Korzen and Mahn intended to sell their film. Korzen and Mahn were the first persons convicted for making a snuff film, although their video was never distributed.[11][12]

Video recordings of murder

  • In 2001, Armin Meiwes videotaped the killing of Bernd Jürgen Armando Brandes. Brandes had met with Meiwes to be willingly killed and eaten by him.[13]
  • In 2008, a video (known as "3 Guys One Hammer") surfaced on the Internet showing Viktor Sayenko and Igor Suprunyuck, known as the Dnepropetrovsk maniacs, torturing and killing a 48-year-old Ukrainian man. Sayenko and Suprunyuck were subsequently convicted of the murders of 21 people.[14]
  • In May 2012, a video surfaced online titled "1 Lunatic 1 Ice Pick" that depicted a man being attacked with an ice pick and being subsequently dismembered. The video has been linked to the arrest of Luka Magnotta.[15]

False snuff films

The Guinea Pig films

Main article: Guinea Pig (film series)

The first two films in the Japanese Guinea Pig series are designed to look like snuff films; the video is grainy and unsteady, as if recorded by amateurs. In the late 1980s, the Guinea Pig films were allegedly one of the inspirations for Japanese serial killer Tsutomu Miyazaki's murders of preschool girls. The Guinea Pig film he owned was "Mermaid in a Manhole".[16]

After viewing a portion of Flower of Flesh and Blood, the actor Charlie Sheen thought that the murder depicted was genuine and contacted the MPAA, which contacted the FBI. FBI agent Dan Codling informed Sheen and the MPAA that the FBI and the Japanese authorities were already investigating the film makers, who were forced to prove that the murders were fake.[2] While the Guinea Pig films are not snuff films, two were purported to be based on snuff films. The Devil's Experiment was supposedly based on a film sent to the Tokyo police showing a group dismember a young woman. Although Flower of Flesh and Blood was supposedly made after manga artist, Hideshi Hino, received snuff materials, it was based on his own manga.[2]

Cannibal Holocaust

Main article: Cannibal Holocaust

The Italian director Ruggero Deodato was charged after rumors that the depictions of killings in his 1980 film Cannibal Holocaust were real. He was able to clear himself of the charges.[17]

Other than graphic gore, the film contains several scenes of sexual violence and the genuine deaths of 6 animals onscreen and one off screen, issues which find Cannibal Holocaust in the midst of controversy to this day. It has also been claimed that Cannibal Holocaust is banned in over 50 countries,[18] although this has never been verified. In 2006, Entertainment Weekly magazine named Cannibal Holocaust as the 20th most controversial film of all-time.[19]

References

Notes
  1. ^ "Snuff films false". 2006-10-31. Retrieved December 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f Barbara Mikkelson, "A Pinch of Snuff", Snopes.com, 31 Oct 2006, accessed 8 April 2007
  3. ^ Bible in Wyclif tr. (i.e. 1384) Exodus xxv.38 "where the snoffes ben quenchid"; cf. xxxvii.23
  4. ^ a b Scott Aaron Stine, "The Snuff Film: The Making of an Urban Legend", Skeptical Inquirer, Volume 23.3, May / June 1999, accessed 13 Dec 2010
  5. ^ "Do snuff movies exist ?", Documentary, part 1, YouTube
  6. ^ David A. Cook, Lost Illusions: American Cinema in The Shadow of Watergate and Vietnam, page 233 (University of California Press, Ltd., 2000). ISBN 0-520-23265-8
  7. ^ "The Curse of Her Filmography : Roberta Findlay's grindhouse legacy", New York Press, July 27, 2005
  8. ^ a b Martina Lees, "Death robe of secrecy hangs around snuff films", reprinted from Beeld, 18 October 2003 (originally in Afrikaans), Martina Lees Website, accessed 13 December 2010
  9. ^ Joan Hawkins, Cutting Edge: Art-Horror and The Horrific Avant-Garde, page 136 (University of Minnesota Press, 2000). ISBN 0-8166-3413-0
  10. ^ "Snuff", Britannica Online Encyclopedia
  11. ^ "Does Snuff Exist?", The Dark Side of Porn, Season 2 Episode 4, Channel 4 documentary, 18 April 2006
  12. ^ Frew, Callum (1999-04-13). "Perverts murdered woman for snuff movie". The Daily Record. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ "German 'cannibal' tells of regret". BBC. November 23, 2003. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
  14. ^ Ilyinskaya, Marina. "Dnepropetrovsk Maniacs hear verdict" (in Russian). blik.ua.
  15. ^ "Luka Rocco Magnotta: Online reaction to video reveals a disturbing appetite for gore". TheStar.com. May 31, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
  16. ^ "Serial killer inspired by Guinea Pig films". guineapigfilms.com. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
  17. ^ Ruggero Deodato (interviewee) (2003). In the Jungle: The Making of Cannibal Holocaust (Documentary). Italy: Alan Young Pictures.
  18. ^ Cannibal Holocaust 25th Anniversary Edition (Media notes). UK: VIPCO (Video Instant Picture Company). 2004. {{cite AV media notes}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |director= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |publisherid= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |titleyear= ignored (help)
  19. ^ "The 25 Most Controversial Films of All-Time". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2006-09-14.
Further reading
  • David Kerekes and David Slater. Killing for Culture: Death Film from Mondo to Snuff (Creation Cinema Collection). London: Creation Books, 1996.
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