Snuff Films: Brutal Truth or Urban Myth?
Since the first pornographic film was released in America the business has slowly evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry. However, with the technological advances of the World Wide Web, DVD discs, and hand-held cameras, pornographic films are not only being created by production companies but also by amateurs and sexual deviants as well. This increased ability to produce and distribute pornography has brought a higher demand for certain viewers, which in many cases has led to the widespread circulation of unlawful or obscene material. Child pornography is easily the most frowned upon type of explicit pornography, however, the awareness behind a more mysterious and extreme type of pornography still remains relatively unseen—the underground art of the snuff film.
By common definition a snuff film is a highly graphic and sadistic pornographic depiction in which an actor or actress in the film is sexually coerced and eventually murdered in the culminating sequence. The concept of the snuff film first received mainstream attention in the release of the horror film Snuff (1976). Filmmaker Allan Shackelton stirred heavy controversy with the film's widespread release as it contained on-screen footage of a brutal murder in the closing scenes. The murderous depiction was so graphic that rumors began to be spread that the scenes were actual images of a filmed killing. In the midst of the Charles Manson serial murders and the growing publicity surrounding the film, Shackelton did little to dispel the outlandish rumors. In fact, historians believe that Shackelton was actually fueling the controversy by bribing women's groups and actors in the industry to protest the films release.
Since Snuff's release in the mid 1970's, the infamous motion picture has lead to over thirty years of belief, disbelief, and FBI/private investigations over the matter. Law enforcement has dealt with several elaborate hoaxes of snuff films; however, to this day the existence of such films in the underground world of commercial pornography has yet to be validated. Although genuine evidence of snuff films has never been uncovered, there is still a strong fascination and belief in the subject. Many members of the public strongly believe that there is an extensive pool of snuff films in circulation. Common reasoning behind this belief comes from the fact that a market for murder and death does exist in society.
Sequences of murder, assassination, and accidental death are a popular form of expression and entertainment across the globe. In the 1980's the video series, Faces of Death, attracted many viewers with its explicit images of death caught on camera. This trend has continued as other television programs have capitalized on this general interest (i.e. specials on the assassination of John F. Kennedy and World's Wildest Police Chases). In addition, the assassination of Saddam Hussein and other video footage deprived from world politics have all been viewed heavily from online resources. Consequently, the general belief in the snuff films persists because footage could potentially generate immense profits.
On the other side of the spectrum, there is a belief that snuff films are nothing more than an urban myth. This opinion is derived from the concept of the snuff film itself. It was the brutality and mystery of the crime that created such an interest in Snuff and other related films, and one could state that the lucrative concept is what has inspired multiple snuff motion pictures over the last thirty years—not as tools to illustrate the reality of such crimes. Moreover, some theories claim that continued belief in snuff films is only a method of denouncing pornography as a whole. One could support this notion as the potential existence of snuff films only casts a darker shadow upon the already controversial topic of pornography in society.
From the knowledge that has been gathered, there is no clear answer to the mystery behind snuff films. However, if underground production of such videos is a reality, it is astonishing to believe that no proof that snuff films involve actual deaths has surfaced over the last thirty plus years. In addition, if there is an underground market for snuff footage, the criminal risk one would need to take for the creation of the videos seems unnecessary, considering the advancements in special effects and make-up cinema has seen over the past several decades. In all, the answer behind the snuff debate is inconclusive; however, the universal awareness of such films is vital, especially in our ever-evolving sexual age.
Notable Snuff Related Films:
Peeping Tom (1960)
Hardcore (1979)
Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
Tesis (1996)
Mute Witness (1994)
8mm (1999)
Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000)
My Little Eye (2002)
Vacancy (2007)
The Condemned (2007)
Added 12/01/2007