Blog · 11 Oct 2026
VIDEO NASTIES: The Films Britain Tried to Ban
Dan looks back at the 1980s Video Nasties moral panic — seizures, courts, cuts and the infamous DPP list. His description talks about the list of 72 titles and a selection from his own shelves, but it does not publish a film-by-film review roster we can safely copy here. So: context first, then go watch him pull discs on YouTube.
What were the Video Nasties?
In early-80s Britain, unregulated home video collided with tabloid panic. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) circulated lists of tapes that could be prosecuted under obscenity law — the enduring shorthand is a roster of 72 so-called “video nasties.” Shops were raided, tapes seized, and some titles were banned or heavily cut before the Video Recordings Act tightened classification.
Geeky context (not “Dan’s picks”)
- The panic mixed real concern about kids + VHS with sensational headlines.
- Many titles later returned legally with BBFC cuts or, years on, uncut restorations.
- Collectors still trade stories about pre-cert sleeves, DPP stamps and “I can’t believe that was banned” nights in.
We are not inventing which nasties Dan held up on camera. If you want the shelf tour, the video is the source of truth.