BBFC report on Day of the Dead (1985)

[MonkeyFarm]

Incase anyone is interested, this is the original report compiled by the BBFC (British board of film classification) on the Original Day of the dead

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/DayOfTheDead.pdf

[Neil]

Very interesting!!

[Rancid Carcass]

this is the original report compiled by the BBFC (British board of film classification) on the Original Day of the dead

Goddamn butchers! :lol:

[MinionZombie]

Here's the specific cuts made (with screenshots):
http://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=922323

29 seconds were trimmed from the flick, but after the first VHS release (which was cut), all subsequent releases were uncut. :)

It's interesting reading the very personal takes on the film from the examiners. It's kind of strange in a way that they allowed so much subjectivity, rather than clinical objectivity ... but I don't know, maybe that's part of the point, but then again an examiner isn't like the normal everyday punter who watches movies. Examiners watch movies, with eyes to specific elements and ratings, as their job.

Fortunately I've only seen Day of the Dead in its uncut form. Dawn of the Dead on the other hand, I saw initially in a slightly trimmed form (6 seconds - trims to the infamous headshot, the arm bite, and the zombie kids) on VHS when the "Director's Cut" (the Extended Cannes Cut) was released on video at the arse-end of the 1990s.

[Neil]

I'm just amazed the BBFC review didn't mention THE BEST F***ING SCORE OF ANY ZOMBIE FILM EVER!!! :) (OK Dawn was good too!)

[kidgloves]

Absolutely fascinating. Thanks for the link

[MinionZombie]

I'm just amazed the BBFC review didn't mention THE BEST F***ING SCORE OF ANY ZOMBIE FILM EVER!!! :) (OK Dawn was good too!)

hehe, while yes the score is excellent (the best of all of them, with Dawn in second place), no doubt it had no bearing on whether the film was going to 'deprave and corrupt' the viewer. :D

[shootemindehead]

Interesting reading and a good insight into how the minds at the BBFC worked.

I've always sort of looked at 'Day of the Dead' as a sort of benchmark for the censor in the UK. With what was left intact in Romero's picture, it was a constant wonder, why other stuff was cut of other films, or why they weren't released at all.

For a period of over a decade, from the late 80's through the 90's, buying a horror film on video was next to pointless, with the amount of scenes missing here and there. I remember buying the second release of 'Dawn of the Dead', from Entertainment in Video in the early 90's and nearly everything was cut out of it. The heart an soul was ripped from the film. They're first video release was cut bad, but this one was even worse. It was no wonder I started buying pirate copies through the mail.

I suppose with the advent of DVD and multi-region/hackable players, the power of the BBFC was itself cut, which really was a great thing to happen. People could buy the likes of 'Dawn of the Dead', or 'Zombie Flesh Eaters' uncut from the States on Amazon and there wasn't a damn thing they could do about it. Their minds could be freely corrupted and they could go out an rape dogs bums, or whatever. British society was therefore free to collapse.

When I eventually bought an uncut copy of 'Day of the Dead' from America, I was surprised at how little was cut out. In fact there's a shot I would cut myself, not because I think it shouldn't be seen, but because I thought it was silly looking. But 'Day of the Dead' survived the UK censor's knife relatively complete and i always found it remarkable at how little was gone.

[bassman]

Interesting. After all the horror stories i've heard about the censors over there, I figured Day would have been a chopped up mess.

[MinionZombie]

Interesting. After all the horror stories i've heard about the censors over there, I figured Day would have been a chopped up mess.

Particularly with Night and Dawn behind it, Day was probably seen as "smarter fare", therefore it was more acceptable as the "purient" parts were outweighed by the intelligence of the script etc, whereas other films were seen as just gut-munchers or slashers with nothing about them except barbed boobs 'n' butts with some gore chucked in - now, in some cases that's true, but oftentimes very good films were falling foul of the censors just because the censors didn't like (or understand) that type of filmmaking.

In 1999 there was a change of leadership at the BBFC (James Ferman left), and that signalled an entirely new direction for the BBFC as their attitudes greatly liberalised to such content. As I've said in another thread somewhere, sexual violence is still a sticking point with the BBFC, and in terms of pornography they're still working to the 1959 Obscene Publications Act (a bit out-dated, wouldn't you agree? :lol::p)

There were still very gory films getting released either barely touched - or completely unscathed - Braindead (Dead Alive) for example went through totally uncut, even though it's full-to-the-brim with gore. However, because there's a lot of comedy involved, and that it's so over-the-top (and features fantastical elements like zombies), the relentless gore and violence wasn't seen as a real problem - it's when it comes to something like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (seen as being too harsh in any form), or New York Ripper (a rather nasty "video nasty"), that the BBFC pricked up their ears and got their ban hammer out. Fortunately it's very different today, and there are only pretty rare cases of bans/heavy cuts (A Serbian Film, Human Centipede 2).

[krakenslayer]

Incase anyone is interested, this is the original report compiled by the BBFC (British board of film classification) on the Original Day of the dead

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/DayOfTheDead.pdf

Hey, not much I can add to what's already been said here, but I just wanted to chime in to say thank you for posting this here. I've always been interested in the process of film censorship/classification, and this is a fascinating piece of film history.

The first VHS versions of both Dawn and Day that I owned were cut. Day was indeed missing the eyelid-peeling and finger-biting shots, as well as the shot of McDermott leaning on the spade to slice through the zombie's head (the scene was edited to make it more of a clean, swift decapitation), and when Sarah amputated Miguel's arm, the shot of her leaning on the blade was again reduced (cutting, I think, to a shot of John's reaction). It always felt that the cuts were pointless as they did nothing to reduce the overall level of gore (e.g. finger-biting cut but ripped-off heads, evisceration, and whatnot left uncut in the same scene). It's interesting to see the censors felt the same, but were beholden to the arbitrariness of the rules.

[AcesandEights]

Pretty damned interesting. I will say, as someone who first saw a highly edited version of Day, albeit on U.S. basic cable in the late 80s, I still found it damned scary. The characters did seem less comedic and more frantically desperate when I finally rented an unedited version, though.

[MagicMoonMonkey]

I remember as a kid stories being told by the usual movie know-it-all that there was a longer version of the movie where Major Cooper was alive and in command. A pile of piss and wind, but it did excite me at the time that there was 6 other killings that had been chopped and would appear one day in a directors cut.

Anyhoo, The terrestrial TV channels took the broadsword to this movie off their own back. Almost all use of the word 'fuck' was removed. Even John's famous "...bite off your ass, man." remark was replaced by a sound-a-like saying, "take a bite out of you, man"

The gore also was gone and was presented very similar to the unfulfilling human eating scenes from Survival of the Dead. For example, the guy who got hung upside down and the scene ends with zombies walking towards him, then the scene cuts away to some other lame almost splatter kill that doesnt materialise. (70s and 80s Romero would have shown us that guy getting pulled apart with a final scene of a severed led dangling from the rope as a swarm of gouls fed on the carcass below.) The deaths of all the soldiers were the same. Grabbed... Zombie pawing close up as the soldier screamed in terror... Scene ends.

[krakenslayer]

I remember as a kid stories being told by the usual movie know-it-all that there was a longer version of the movie where Major Cooper was alive and in command. A pile of piss and wind, but it did excite me at the time that there was 6 other killings that had been chopped and would appear one day in a directors cut.

Anyhoo, The terrestrial TV channels took the broadsword to this movie off their own back. Almost all use of the word 'fuck' was removed. Even John's famous "...bite off your ass, man." remark was replaced by a sound-a-like saying, "take a bite out of you, man"

The gore also was gone and was presented very similar to the unfulfilling human eating scenes from Survival of the Dead. For example, the guy who got hung upside down and the scene ends with zombies walking towards him, then the scene cuts away to some other lame almost splatter kill that doesnt materialise. (70s and 80s Romero would have shown us that guy getting pulled apart with a final scene of a severed led dangling from the rope as a swarm of gouls fed on the carcass below.) The deaths of all the soldiers were the same. Grabbed... Zombie pawing close up as the soldier screamed in terror... Scene ends.

There might be a grain of truth to that bullshit about an extended cut. I do seem to recall Romero talking in an interview at one point about how much both Martin and Day had much longer workprints (a longer version as-shot, not to be confused with the original "epic" Day script, none of which was shot). I submit this only as a vague recollection of something I found interesting in an interview, I make no guarantees about its accuracy, especially since I can't seem to find the interview now. Maybe one of the Romero scholars on here can confirm or deny. In any case, there's no way such scenes would involve Major Cooper or the other dead men, or anything happening prior to Sarah's dream and the helicopter recon scene; you can tell the film is structurally supposed to open where it does from the nature of the exposition and the fact that the dream ties in with the ending. If anything it was probably just extra dialogue scenes in the bunker, maybe some lab scenes or more character development for the less-featured soldiers that was deemed unnecessary. For a long time, Day was quite poorly thought-of amongst fans, as some may recall, due to its comparative lack of action and the lighthearted camaraderie of Dawn. Extra scenes that add extra kills and action scenes sounds like wishful thinking to me. Of course, its star has risen a lot in recent years, it's been amazing to see it fo from the black sheep of the series to the most loved entry in such a short time.

[Neil]

There might be a grain of truth to that bullshit about an extended cut. I do seem to recall Romero talking in an interview at one point about how much both Martin and Day had much longer workprints (a longer version as-shot, not to be confused with the original "epic" Day script, none of which was shot). I submit this only as a vague recollection of something I found interesting in an interview, I make no guarantees about its accuracy, especially since I can't seem to find the interview now. Maybe one of the Romero scholars on here can confirm or deny. In any case, there's no way such scenes would involve Major Cooper or the other dead men, or anything happening prior to Sarah's dream and the helicopter recon scene; you can tell the film is structurally supposed to open where it does from the nature of the exposition and the fact that the dream ties in with the ending. If anything it was probably just extra dialogue scenes in the bunker, maybe some lab scenes or more character development for the less-featured soldiers that was deemed unnecessary. For a long time, Day was quite poorly thought-of amongst fans, as some may recall, due to its comparative lack of action and the lighthearted camaraderie of Dawn. Extra scenes that add extra kills and action scenes sounds like wishful thinking to me. Of course, its star has risen a lot in recent years, it's been amazing to see it fo from the black sheep of the series to the most loved entry in such a short time.

Day has always been one of my favourites, if only as it's the darkest of them IMHO. And the effects are stunning too.

As regards more footage, I'll swear I've hear Romero stating what you see is basically everything shot. Which is a shame of course, because it would be great to see some extended scenes added to it.

[krakenslayer]

Day has always been one of my favourites, if only as it's the darkest of them IMHO. And the effects are stunning too.

I agree. It's always been a favourite of mine, although I definitely recall a time (around the turn of the millennium, when I first got into these films) when it was less than loved by a lot of fans. The criticisms were mainly lack of action, less well developed characters, and an ambiguous ending. I understand the complaints, even though I don't agree with them.


As regards more footage, I'll swear I've hear Romero stating what you see is basically everything shot. Which is a shame of course, because it would be great to see some extended scenes added to it.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure there are no unseen sub-plots or action set-pieces. I still can't find the Romero interview I seem to remember, but I did find the following snippet on a fan site. It seems like whoever wrote that get the info from the same source I did, because a lot of the details ring bells for me (the hanged zombie, the strobing effect, etc.) although I am sure I've never read that FAQ before, and still reckon I heard it from Romero himself, or at least another major crew member (no, NOT Jim O'Rear! Haha!) It might have even been when I saw him in person at an interview session before the Land UK premiere in Edinburgh. That would explain why I can't find it online. Not sure, though.


Were any scenes cut?
There were deleted scenes, but that footage did not stick around. The original work print was 126 minutes and had to be trimmed down to 105 minutes at the most contractually. Aside from some bits of dialogue throughout (as if there is not enough talk), there were some gore/zombie shots cut out. A few zombie scenes were removed including a hung zombie that editor Pat Buba realized looked as if it had committed suicide after he became one (which wouldn't make sense), and a bridal shop scene where a zombie woman stares out a window with a live boa constrictor around her neck. The latter scene wasn't used due to the strobing effect resulted from a camera loading glitch. There was a few seconds of the zombie carrying Torrez’s head into the crowd closeup. These scenes are preserved in stills however. One zombie shot by Steel (the fifth one in the lab) before he kills himself is edited out (likely for better pacing with the score…or for poor acting on the extra's part? You decide!)


If that's right, the movie was about twenty minutes longer initially, but with a few exceptions, it was mostly just longer takes of currently existing scenes.

[DjfunkmasterG]

Thanks for this, great read. What tickles me pink in laughter is that by todays standards... Day of the Dead is tame, and if made today would have probably passed without cuts, and most likely a 15 Certificate, as opposed to the dreaded 18.

[krisvds]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure there are no unseen sub-plots or action set-pieces. I still can't find the Romero interview I seem to remember, but I did find the following snippet on a fan site. It seems like whoever wrote that get the info from the same source I did, because a lot of the details ring bells for me (the hanged zombie, the strobing effect, etc.) although I am sure I've never read that FAQ before, and still reckon I heard it from Romero himself, or at least another major crew member (no, NOT Jim O'Rear! Haha!) It might have even been when I saw him in person at an interview session before the Land UK premiere in Edinburgh. That would explain why I can't find it online. Not sure, though.



If that's right, the movie was about twenty minutes longer initially, but with a few exceptions, it was mostly just longer takes of currently existing scenes.

Could be my mind playing tricks on me, but that shot of the woman with the snake around her neck staring out of a window exists as a 'promo' photo or something. I remember seeing something like that not so long ago ... Perhaps the guys and girls on Dr. Logan's Chop shop could clear this one out because I'm fairly sure that's where I saw said picture.

EDIT: And cleared up thanks to Martin Cumiskey over at the Chop Shop. The woman with the boa IS in the film. You can make her out around the 5.27 - 5.30 mark:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTpbJCVNHro

However she was also used in publicity shots ... This could have led to the confusion.

Once again Dr.Logan's Chop Shop delivers.

[MinionZombie]

I wouldn't say that an "18" certificate is "dreaded" at all ... the NC-17 is in America, for various entrenched moronic reasons ... but the UK-18 rating has no stigma at all attached to it. The only thing is that, naturally, it limits the audience, so you might have a cut by the distributor (where an uncut higher rater is available) so they can bump it to a lower rating to get more cash. Then again, Dredd is rated 18 in the UK and it went to #1 at the UK Box Office (the last time that happened was 2010 apparently) ... sure it would have made more at a 15, but by the looks of it you could never cut that movie satisfactorily for a 15 anyway.

Recent examples are The Woman in Black (trimmed from a 15 to a 12A to cash-in on the Harry Potter fans), The Inbetweeners Movie (trimmed from an 18 to a 15 in a couple of scenes, and it then became the highest grossing UK comedy of all time in cinemas), and The Expendables (which trimmed 2 seconds to achieve a 15, from an 18 - a mere twist of a knife in a man's neck).

It's becoming quite regular now, and while I can totally understand it from a business sense, I fear they might be going a bit far with it - Taken 2 has been decidedly trimmed to get a 12A (!!!) rather than a 15 (the first film was a 15, and later an extended 18 rated version was released, which was only different in one scene - the big torture scene with the nails in the knees etc - our 15 rated version had loads more in it than the American PG-13, which seemed to have shedloads of violence and grim-ness sliced out).

[krakenslayer]

Thanks for this, great read. What tickles me pink in laughter is that by todays standards... Day of the Dead is tame, and if made today would have probably passed without cuts, and most likely a 15 Certificate, as opposed to the dreaded 18.

Yeah, it has been passed uncut on several submissions over years, up until quite recently. It retains its 18 certificate, however. A lot of stuff does get passed at 15 now, but I think Day remains an 18 due to the prolonged and painful nature of the gore (e.g. soldier getting his head ripped off, his vocal cords stretching and warping his scream). They actually publish their guidelines now, and you can get away with brutal violence at 15 only as long as the film doesn't dwell on the infliction of pain, which I think Day does more than any other film in the series. It's fine though, an 18 cert is nowhere near the kiss of death the NC-17 is in the states. Dredd is an 18, and it's number 1 in the UK chart right now.

[shootemindehead]

Thanks for this, great read. What tickles me pink in laughter is that by todays standards... Day of the Dead is tame, and if made today would have probably passed without cuts, and most likely a 15 Certificate, as opposed to the dreaded 18.

Um, I dunno DJ. I think 'Day of the Dead' would still get an 18 cert today. It's seriously grim and those gore scenes still pack a real punch. In fact, they're probably the best zombie munching I yet to see.

But, you're right in a way. A lot of what we saw as kids with 18 certs (NC17) would be out at a lower cert these days. 'Aliens', for example. There's no way that wouldn't pass at 15 today.

[MinionZombie]

Yeah, it has been passed uncut on several submissions over years, up until quite recently. It retains its 18 certificate, however. A lot of stuff does get passed at 15 now, but I think Day remains an 18 due to the prolonged and painful nature of the gore (e.g. soldier getting his head ripped off, his vocal cords stretching and warping his scream). They actually publish their guidelines now, and you can get away with brutal violence at 15 only as long as the film doesn't dwell on the infliction of pain, which I think Day does more than any other film in the series. It's fine though, an 18 cert is nowhere near the kiss of death the NC-17 is in the states. Dredd is an 18, and it's number 1 in the UK chart right now.


Um, I dunno DJ. I think 'Day of the Dead' would still get an 18 cert today. It's seriously grim and those gore scenes still pack a real punch. In fact, they're probably the best zombie munching I yet to see.

But, you're right in a way. A lot of what we saw as kids with 18 certs (NC17) would be out at a lower cert these days. 'Aliens', for example. There's no way that wouldn't pass at 15 today.

My Gaelic-dwelling brethren speak sense and speak well.

As far as I'm aware, Aliens is still an 18, and yes - Day of the Dead will remain as an 18 because of 'dwelling' on violence. That's the reason behind those 2 seconds of trimmed/reinstated-for-home-release footage was sliced out of The Expendables. The violence is generally fleeting in that film, but that moment proved to dwell on the infliction of violence/pain - plus knives are a touchy subject in this country. Now - Rambo - on the other hand very much dwells on violence, exceedingly so, and naturally that's an 18.

Now, Night of the Living Dead was an 18 in the UK, but it's now a 15 - which makes sense. Sometimes a reason for a lowered rating is the perceived 'diminished impact with age' - The Terminator used to be an 18 in the UK (and was often shown on TV heavily censored), but a few years back it was dropped to a 15 (and is now shown on TV uncut). Dawn and Day though, because of protracted gore moments, will remain "18" for as long as the guidelines deem that level of violence/gore only suitable at 18.

And, as I and others have previously stated, an 18 rating doesn't have any stigma attached to it socially, unlike the NC-17 (which I think is daft and America's moral guardians need to chill out on the NC-17 rating).

Ratings range from country-to-country though. For instance, Battle Royale is rated 18 in the UK, but in Japan it was (at the time controversially) rated 15.

[Andy]

Day has always been one of my favourites, if only as it's the darkest of them IMHO. And the effects are stunning too.

As regards more footage, I'll swear I've hear Romero stating what you see is basically everything shot. Which is a shame of course, because it would be great to see some extended scenes added to it.

Give it another 3 years and you might get a 30th anniversary edition ;)