Snuff: A film about Killing on Camera

Killing Joke Films

Web: http://www.killingjokefilms.com/snuff.html

Snuff: A film about Killing on Camera is a fascinating and clever examination of killing on film, it offers some of the best “critical thinking” about violence on film I have seen in a documentary.

It begins by exploring the traditional rumours of “Snuff Films”, films which are supposedly made of real killings to be sold in the market for profit. It explores the various stories about such films including the propaganda use of their supposed existence by both feminists and the far right. It shows how these rumours primarily evolved from early horror films but that even after 20 years of FBI research, no such films have actually found to be in existence.

Classic examples of supposed stuff films which end up being proved to be fakes include the infamous 1976 film “Snuff” which was originally called “Slaughter” but which to tap into urban rumours about Snuff films had a new ending tacked on and its title changed. It caused instant controversy as the unthinking public and media went into a frenzy believing it to be real. Other similar films included Cannibal Holocaust which tapped into both the public disgust and fascination with supposed Snuff films. Also covered are such “pseudo” shockumentaries as Faces of Death which mixed news footage with faked set pieces and which, it was rumoured, made more profit than Star Wars !

Snuff also discusses the way in which “fake” violence within a horror film can provide a safe environment to explore forbidden and taboo subjects within a narrative and hence offer a cathartic experience.

At the same time Snuff: A film about Killing on Camera is not just about supposed “Snuff” films. What makes it most interesting (and challenging) is that it extends the debate to examine the whole issue about killing on film. This is where the documentary becomes confronting and truly thought provoking. It seems to me it is too easy to denounce violence within cinema (i.e. fictional film) as a way of diverting attention from the inherent violence which occurs in real life and ends up being presented as a media product. So while our governments (especially Australian) censor violent and extreme cinema, at the same time we are bombarded with violent images in the news and desensitized by images of crime and war when it suits their purposes, whether it be for increased social control or justification of a military strategy.

After Snuff examines the issues of violence in cinema and film and demolishes the myths and legends, it then begins to explore the real issues and these are far more uncomfortable.

In Mark’s story (sections one and two) Snuff explores real films made for collectors as an extension of the child exploitation industry. These are made “to order” by private collectors (many in the West) and involve the torture, mutilation and at times, killing of children. The evidence presented is persuasive and shocking and based on UK intelligence agency research. This is a significant section as it presents the reality rather than the fiction, rather than supposed mass market product (where bluntly special effects would make a death look more “real” than a “real” death), we have depraved individuals paying for a product just because it shows a real death.

Snuff then continues this exploration into the world of serial killers who use videotape to record their acts of violence. Including interviews with experts and detectives, Snuff explores the pathology of such events and how again these tapes are not made for “commercial” gain but for the personal and obviously disturbed motives of the individuals involved as part of their “patterned” obsessive behaviour. This is a powerful section and includes carefully edited footage from key cases.

The exploration of war, news and killing on film is one of the most interesting sections of the whole documentary. It examines the way in which war footage is used so pervasively in the media that it actually desensitizes us to the inherent violent nature of war. In the case of Iraq, it has the opposite effect to how we would traditionally understand snuff, it desensitizes the viewer to such an extent that the killing becomes common place and insignificant. The news shows these distant shots of supposed targeted killings where a bomb is dropped and the target vanishes as through there is no killing involved. Somehow there is a difference between the one on one slaughter of an individual during a battle and the targeting of an individual using a bomb, yet the result is the same. Our perceptions are manipulated, we see the killing as observers, detached and unaffected, we see violent killings and yet somehow these are acceptable because they are news, documentaries and media. This section offers some fascinating observations but be warned it also includes some of the footage being discussed so be prepared for a shock.

Snuff: a film about killing on camera is controversial and challenging. It deliberately takes the traditional debate about snuff films and uses it as a jumping off point to explore issues relating to the role of killing in the media especially in relation to crime and war.

By doing so it discusses highly significant issues about killing and violence on camera in an informative and thought provoking manner.