Hate Crime (2012 film)

Last updated

Hate Crime
Hate Crime Poster.jpg
Promotional release poster
Directed by James Cullen Bressack
Written by
  • James Cullen Bressack
  • Jarret Cohen
Produced by
  • James Cullen Bressack
  • Jarret Cohen
Starring
  • Jody Barton
  • Nicholas Clark
  • Greg Depetro
  • Debbie Diesel
  • Tim Moran
  • Ian Roberts
  • Sloane Morgan Siegel
  • Maggie Wagner
CinematographyJames Cullen Bressack
Edited byJames Cullen Bressack
Production
company
Psykik Junky Pictures
Distributed by Unearthed Films
Release dates
  • October 19, 2012 (2012-10-19)(Pollygrind)
  • October 15, 2013 (2013-10-15)(United States)
Running time
71 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Hate Crime is a 2012 American found footage horror film directed by James Cullen Bressack, who also co-wrote, produced, shot, and edited the film. The story follows a Jewish family whose home is broken into and terrorized by violent neo-Nazis. It premiered at the 2012 Pollygrind Film Festival, before releasing on DVD on October 15, 2013.

Contents

Plot

A group of crystal meth-crazed neo-Nazis invade a Jewish family's home and subject them to beating, rape, torture, incest and murder.

Cast

Release

Hate Crime premiered at the Pollygrind Film Festival on October 19, 2012. [2] It received the Best Transgression Film and Most Horrifying awards at Pollygrind. [3] After appearing at numerous other films festivals, it was released on DVD in the United States by Unearthed Films on October 15, 2013. [4]

Ban in the United Kingdom

In March 2015 the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) refused to issue a certificate to the film for a video-on-demand release, stating:

It is the Board's carefully considered conclusion that the unremitting manner in which [the film] focuses on physical and sexual abuse, aggravated by racist invective, means that to issue a classification to this work, even if confined to adults, would be inconsistent with the Board's Guidelines, would risk potential harm, and would be unacceptable to broad public opinion. [1]

James Cullen Bressack commented that he was "honoured to know that [his] mind is officially too twisted for the UK." [5] Though some [6] reacted positively to the ban, which was the BBFC's first (and as of 2018 only) complete refusal of certification since 2011's The Bunny Game , Bressack stated:

As a Jewish man, and a victim of anti-Semitic hate, I made a horror film that depicts the very thing that haunts my dreams. As an artist I wanted to tell a story to remind us that we live in a dangerous world; a world where racial violence is on the rise. It saddens me to learn that censorship is still alive and well. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

Video nasty is a colloquial term popularised by the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association (NVALA) in the United Kingdom to refer to a number of films, typically low-budget horror or exploitation films, distributed on video cassette in the early 1980s that were criticised by the press, social commentators, and various religious organisations for their violent content. These video releases were not brought before the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) due to a loophole in film classification laws that allowed videos to bypass the review process. The resulting uncensored video releases led to public debate concerning the availability of these films to children due to the unregulated nature of the market.

The Zionist occupation government, Zionist occupational government or Zionist-occupied government (ZOG), sometimes also called the Jewish occupational government (JOG), is an antisemitic conspiracy theory claiming that Jews secretly control the governments of Western states. It is a contemporary variation on the centuries-old belief in an international Jewish conspiracy. According to believers, a secret Zionist organization actively controls international banks, and through them governments, to conspire against white, Christian, or Islamic interests.

This article chronicles the history of British film certificates.

<i>The Last House on the Left</i> 1972 American horror film by Wes Craven

The Last House on the Left is a 1972 rape and revenge film written and directed by Wes Craven in his directorial debut, and produced by Sean S. Cunningham. The film stars Sandra Peabody, Lucy Grantham, David Hess, Fred J. Lincoln, Jeramie Rain, and Marc Sheffler. Additionally, Martin Kove appears in a supporting role. The plot follows Mari Collingwood (Peabody), a teenager who is abducted, raped, and brutally murdered by a group of violent fugitives led by Krug Stillo (Hess). When her parents discover what happened to her, they seek vengeance against the killers, who have taken shelter at their home.

<i>Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer</i> 1986 American horror film by John McNaughton

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is a 1986 American independent psychological horror film directed and co-written by John McNaughton about the random crime spree of a serial killer who seemingly operates with impunity. It stars Michael Rooker in his film debut as the nomadic killer Henry, Tom Towles as Otis, a prison buddy with whom Henry is living, and Tracy Arnold as Becky, Otis's sister. The characters of Henry and Otis are loosely based on convicted real life serial killers Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">18 (British Board of Film Classification)</span> Given to films with content deemed suitable only for adults

The 18 certificate is issued by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), to state that in its opinion, a film, video recording, or game is suitable only for persons aged 18 years and over. It recommends that no one below that age should be admitted to view a film with an 18 certificate in a cinema, and that 18-rated video recordings should not be sold or rented to anyone below that age.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irish Film Classification Office</span> Irish censorship and classification within Ireland

The Irish Film Classification Office (IFCO) is the organisation responsible for films, television programmes, and some video game classification and censorship within Ireland. Where restrictions are placed by the IFCO, they are legally binding.

<i>Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2</i> 1987 film by Lee Harry

Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 is a 1987 American slasher film edited, co-written with Joseph H. Earle, and directed by Lee Harry. It is the sequel to 1984's Silent Night, Deadly Night, and was followed by Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out! in 1989. Its plot focuses on Ricky Caldwell, the brother of Billy Chapman, and his own trauma regarding his parents' Christmas Eve murders, which triggers his own killing spree. The film relies heavily on flashbacks, utilizing approximately 30 minutes of stock footage from the original film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Board of Film Classification</span> British film classification organisation

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films exhibited at cinemas and video works released on physical media within the United Kingdom. It has a statutory requirement to classify all video works released on VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, and, to a lesser extent, some video games under the Video Recordings Act 1984. The BBFC was also the designated regulator for the UK age-verification scheme, which was abandoned before being implemented.

<i>A Serbian Film</i> 2010 Serbian horror-thriller film by Srđan Spasojević

A Serbian Film is a 2010 Serbian exploitation horror film produced and directed by Srđan Spasojević in his feature directorial debut, with Aleksandar Radivojević co-writing. It tells the experience of a financially struggling pornstar who agrees to participate in an "art film", only to discover that he has been drafted into a snuff film with pedophilic and necrophilic themes. The film stars Serbian actors Srđan Todorović, Sergej Trifunović, and Jelena Gavrilović.

<i>The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence)</i> 2011 film by Tom Six

The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) is a 2011 psychological body horror film written, directed, and co-produced by Tom Six. An international co-production of the Netherlands and the United States, and the sequel to Six's 2009 film The Human Centipede (First Sequence), the film stars Laurence R. Harvey as a psychiatrically and intellectually impaired English man who watches and becomes obsessed with the first Human Centipede film, and decides to make his own "centipede" consisting of 12 people by using crude and violent techniques to connect their lips to each others buttocks, including Ashlynn Yennie, an actress from the first film.

<i>In a Glass Cage</i> 1986 Spanish horror film

In a Glass Cage is a 1986 Spanish horror film written and directed by Agustí Villaronga, and starring Günter Meisner, Marisa Paredes, and David Sust. Inspired by the history of Gilles de Rais, the plot follows an ex-Nazi child molester who is now paralyzed and depending on an iron lung to live. A young man claiming to be his new caretaker reveals himself as one of the Nazi's former victims, and forces him to watch while he re-enacts his tormentor's crimes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Film censorship in the United Kingdom</span>

Film censorship in the United Kingdom began with early cinema exhibition becoming subject to the Disorderly Houses Act 1751. The Cinematograph Act 1909 was primarily concerned with introducing annual licensing of premises where films were shown, particularly because of the fire risk of nitrate film. After the Act began to be used by local authorities to control what was shown, the film industry responded by establishing a British Board of Film Censors (BBFC) in 1912, funded by an Incorporated Association of Kinematograph Manufacturers levy.

<i>The Bunny Game</i> 2011 American experimental horror film

The Bunny Game is a 2010 American avant-garde exploitation horror film co-created and co-written by Rodleen Getsic and Adam Rehmeier. A prostitute searching for her next fix is kidnapped by a truck driver and subjected to extreme physical and sexual violence.

<i>Pernicious</i> 2014 American film

Pernicious is a Thai-American supernatural horror film directed by James Cullen Bressack, who also wrote the story along with co-writer Taryn Hillin. The film stars Ciara Hanna, Emily O'Brien, and Jackie Moore.

Sick Boy is an American Indie horror-thriller, written and directed by Tim T. Cunningham and starring Skye McCole Bartusiak, Marc Donato and Debbie Rochon. It was Bartusiak's final film role before her death in 2014.

<i>Soulmate</i> (2013 film) 2013 British film

Soulmate is a 2013 British mystery horror film directed by Axelle Carolyn in her feature film directorial debut. The film stars Anna Walton as a woman who travels to the countryside to recuperate after a suicide attempt but finds that her cottage is haunted by a ghost.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Cullen Bressack</span> American film director

James Cullen Bressack is an American film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is the son of Emmy Award-winning writer Gordon Bressack and voice actress Ellen Gerstell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campaign Against Antisemitism</span> British non-governmental organisation

Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) is a British non-governmental organisation established in August 2014 by members of the Anglo-Jewish community. It conducts litigation, runs awareness-raising campaigns, organises rallies and petitions, provides education on antisemitism and publishes research.

The London Forum is a loose organisation of far-right individuals based in London but with regional headquarters across the United Kingdom. Emerging in 2011 out of a split within the British far-right, meetings were regularly held by the organisation. These have been met with significant protests by anti-fascist activists and have been infiltrated by journalists, most notably a 2015 investigation of the group by The Mail on Sunday with the help of Searchlight, an anti-fascist magazine that focuses on the British far-right.

References

  1. 1 2 "Hate Crime". British Board of Film Classification . Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  2. "2012 POLLYGRIND SCHEDULE". Pollygrind Film Festival . Archived from the original on November 25, 2013. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  3. "2012 POLLYGRIND WINNERS". Pollygrind Film Festival . Archived from the original on November 11, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  4. "HATE CRIME DVD Release Date Announced!". 850me. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  5. Wheat, Phil (March 2, 2015). "Nerdly » James Cullen Bressack's 'Hate Crime' banned by the BBFC". www.nerdly.co.uk. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  6. Thompson, Simon (March 4, 2015). "Hate Crime: Why Censors Are Right to Ban the Anti-Semitic Horror". HuffPost UK . Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  7. Wheat, Phil (March 9, 2015). "Nerdly » UK 'Hate Crime' ban – James Cullen Bressack responds". www.nerdly.co.uk. Retrieved August 28, 2018.