During the 80's there seemed to be a lot more restrictions on what you could watch and listen to. Films such as The EVil Dead, and visiting Hours, were banned for their gory and violent content, they were classed as video nasties.and seen as unsuitable for viewing in the home, although they were both re-released some years later. Visiting Hours was re-released in 1986 and had been cut, The Evil Dead was re-released in 2001 uncut. There are still some films that are banned outright, such as Nightmare Maker.

Many other films were banned for a short while and then re-released too, mostly uncut, these included Funhouse, and Xtro. There were also some films that had been released in the cimema's during the 70s, but as soon as they were put on to video in the 80's were given a banned cencorship, these included, The Exorcist, Driller Killer, I Spit on Your Grave, to name but a few. These too have since been re-released.

Another film wihich was banned, but only in the Republic of Ireland was Personal Services, with Julie Walters portaying Cynthia Payne.

Also during the 80s any songs with unsuitable lyrics were normally banned from any airplay by radio stations, which actually in the case of Frankie Goes To Hollywoods "Relax"helped make the record go straight to number 1 in the charts.

Even the Longer version of Duran Durans "Girls on Film" video was also banned in certain countries because of its explicit content.

There are probably a quite a few films and songs which i have not mentioned. But it just goes to prove how different things are today, hardly any films or songs get banned, and it seems that the more gory or violent the film, or the more explicit the lyrics, the more they are advertised, for us to watch or listen to. Long gone are the days of Mary Whitehouse complaining about what we should and shouldnt be watching, and listening to etc.

Thank you.

Back in the early 80s a group of us used to watch horror movie's every monday night, and i remember we see The Evil Dead before it was banned, and also see Texas Chainsaw Masscre. My friends see I spit on Your Grave, but i didnt, and i still have never seen it. I also managed to see The Exocist back then. Which means some video shops were still renting out these video's even tho they'd been banned.  Its strange that some films nowadays that seem to have more gory content etc, are not frowned upon like they were back then. But then i dont think they've quite got the same thrill to them now, as what they used to have.

80sHog said:

Let's not forget that Canada recently banned Money for Nothing by Dire Straits

sort of…  they got all pissy about the lyric "that little faggot he got his own jet airplane, that little faggot he's a millionaire"

Post edited 2:36 pm – July 24, 2011 by Lisa Burke

I watched The Evil Dead last night, and altho i have seen it loads of times before, but not for a good few years, i found it to be just as creepy as the first time i watched it. I have also read that Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell are going to remake it, apparently Raimi regrets doing the scene where the Cheryl gets raped by the tree. I normally hate remakes of films, but in this case, i think it could be quite interesting to see what Raimi can do different to improve on what is already a fantastic horror fillm.

I totally agree, the only good thing is if it is remade, it will be done by Sam Raimi again, and not some one that will just try to update it with computerised visual effects.