Softcore and hardcore horror movies that have been cut or banned in Australia.
The X-rating, for hardcore sex, was introduced in February 1984.
Madam Satan
Produced by Tom Gordon / 1970 / USA / IMDb
In July 1974, a 669.3-meter (60:59) 16mm print of MADAM SATAN was banned because of ‘indecency’.
Gandali was the applicant.
Review
Mike reports
Alpha Blue Archives (us) – DVD – 59.11
Three women and two men are all trying, for different reasons, to expose the spiritualist Madam Satan (Linda Vroom) as a fake. They go to her house hoping to unmask her during a séance. She has seen them coming and hypnotises them all into taking part in an orgy.
Even before the orgy begins, we see one naked man initiating another into a cycling club (?) by burning his penis with a candle. How this scene fits into the rest of the narrative is a complete mystery.
The orgy itself lasts for 40 minutes. Guest of honour is the devil himself, and he is as naked as everyone else. Sleazy highlights include the devil and two minions deflowering a virgin on a sacrificial altar, and Madam Satan showing her annoyance at a man who is unable to become aroused, by chaining him to the wall, whipping and assaulting him with a sex toy.
Most of the running time is sex, which although softcore was clearly too frequent and strong to stand any chance with the Film Censorship Board. There’s also the pervasive lack of consent due to Madam Satan’s guests being hypnotised into taking part, and two women who try to leave are prevented from doing so.
The Horny Vampire
Directed by Ray Dennis Steckler / 1971 / USA / IMDb
In February 1982, a 578.00-meter (52:40) 16mm print of THE HORNY VAMPIRE was banned because of sex, which was found to be:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
A 438.80-meter (39:59) 16mm ‘reconstructed version’ was passed with an R-rating in May 1982. The sex was now described as:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
14th Mandolin was the applicant
Hardcore cuts
Matt reports.
Something Weird (us) – DVD – 41:22 (NTSC)
This is ten minutes shorter than print submitted in February 1982. However, it still contains enough hardcore sex, in these three scenes, that would have needed removing for an R-rating.
8.30 to 13.00 approx. – The vampire spies on a couple having sex on the living room floor.
18.00 to 30.00 approx. – The vampire spies on a couple having sex next to their car
35:00 to 39:30 approx. – The vampire fantasies about a couple having sex.
The missing footage in Something Weird’s DVD presumably consists of more shots of the vampire endlessly prowling around Las Vegas.
Hotter Than Hell
aka The Devil Made Me Do It
Directed by Al Mamar / 1971 / USA / IMDb
In March 1980, a 1711.04-meter (62:22) print HOTTER THAN HELL was censored by 102.20-meters (03:43) for an R-rating. The cuts were made to remove indecency.
The R-rating was awarded for sex, which was found to be:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
Esquire Films was the applicant.
It was classified under the title THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT. This is not to be confused with Norbert Meisel’s 1974 film of the same name.
Shortened & Retitled
In October 1980, it was resubmitted as HOTTER THAN HELL. The 548.64-meter (49:59) 16mm print was censored by 8.10-meters (00:44) for an R-rating.
The cuts were made to remove violence, which was said to be:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
The R-rating was awarded for sex, which was said to be:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
Mutual Film Distributors was the applicant.
Review
Mike reports
Alpha Blue Archives (us) – DVD – 66:14
The devil (Paul Dodge) is disconcerted to find that the earth’s population has been less sinful than usual recently and that the number of condemned souls making their way to hell is decreasing. He sends his minions, Devla (Ron Darby) and Hades (John McGaughtery), to corrupt (i.e. have sex with) some morally pure women. The women turn out to be fairly corrupt themselves.
This is basically a softcore film with a few hardcore moments. These are not inserts in the normal sense as they’re performed by the same actors on the set, but they’ve clearly been shot to be easily removable. It seems that at some point there was a purely softcore version and that is what Esquire Films submitted in in March 1980. That version would certainly have had to be cut.
Around 2:46 of footage would likely have been censored in the first 10 minutes when we see the sexual depravity taking place in hell before Satan send his minions back to earth.
A naked woman is chained from the ceiling and whipped by a male demon in close up (00:53).
The same woman is sexually assaulted with a dildo and eventually starts to enjoy it (01:14).
A second chained naked woman is showing being penetrated by a banana (00:23).
Another woman pleasures the chained victim with vaginal close-ups (00:16).
The remaining cuts likely relate to consensual sex scenes later in the film including close-ups of women’s genitals and one ultra-close-up with a magnifying glass.
Lucifer’s Lust
Directed by Unknown / 1971 / USA / IMDb
The Classification Board provides no information other than the title. Presumably, this is the correct IMDb entry.
Theatrical & video
In October 1981, a 427.83-meter (38:59) 16mm print of LUCIFER’S LUST was censored by a further 8.00-meter (00:44) before being awarded an R-rating.
The extra cuts were made to remove sex, which was described as being:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
The sex in the R-rated version was said to be:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
14th Mandolin was the applicant. It was reportedly released on their King of Video label.
Review
Mike reports
Alpha Blue Archives (us) – DVD – 59:30
Lucifer hangs around a travelling fair and makes various men and women an offer they can’t refuse. He will grant their sexual desires if they give him ownership of their souls for all eternity. They all accept without hesitation and we see their fantasies acted out on screen.
There are softcore edits of LUCIFER’S LUST in existence but the Alpha Blue Archives release is the complete hardcore version. It seemed initially that 14th Mandolin might have taken this version and removed the hardcore. But had they done so, they would have been left with a 31-32 minute film not the 39-minute one they submitted. So perhaps there was a shorter version with slightly less hardcore at some point.
The hardcore version itself would have been extremely problematic to cut as it’s shot specifically to show as much of the sexual action as possible. There are two lengthy scenes which look impossible to edit and would presumably have to have been removed completely.
One other potential censorship issue emerges in a scene with Sherry (Susie Carlson), a sexually frustrated wife whose husband has been away for four months. She is desperate for sex, so Lucifer summons up ‘Lothar the Blacksmith’ (Adam Ward) to oblige her. There is a large and completely innocent photograph/poster of a child’s face on the wall just over the bed which intrudes into almost every shot. I’m not sure whether the Film Censorship Board would have been happy with that, had it been in the version they viewed.
Night of the Warlock
Produced by Satanic Film / 1971 / USA / IMDb
In November 1981, a 559-meter (50:56) 16mm ‘pre-censor cut version’ of NIGHT OF THE WARLOCK was further censored by 1-meter (00:05) for an R-rating.
The cuts were made to remove sex, which was found to be:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
The censorship reduced the sex in the R-rated version to:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
14th Mandolin released it theatrically and on their King of Video label.
Hardcore version
Simon reports.
A fan-edit is available that takes the Alpha Blue Archives softcore NIGHT OF THE WARLOCK and adds the hardcore footage from Something Weird’s SATAN’S LUST.
Running 72-minutes, this is six minutes longer than the original SATAN’S LUST as it includes a slightly expanded storyline that comes from the NIGHT OF THE WARLOCK version.
The Adult Version of Jekyll and Hide
Directed by Lee Raymond / 1972 / USA / IMDb
A 2624.33-meter (95:40) of THE ADULT VERSION OF JEKYLL AND HIDE was Refused Registration in May 1975.
The applicant was Regent Trading Enterprises.
Resubmitted & R-rated
In December 1983, 14th Mandolin received an R-rating for a 2441.27-meter (88:59) print. The reason given for the rating was sex, which was described as:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
This may have been precensored, as the running time is shorter than the May 1975 submission.
Sexual violence & the censor
Matt reports.
Something Weird (us) – DVD – 91:25 (NTSC)
Some or all of these scenes would have caused problems.
17:00 – Hyde (John Barnum) whips, rapes and kills a woman with a hot poker between her legs.
47:00 – Hyde ties up, rapes and beats a girl to death with a statue.
78:00 – A graphic castration is shown when the female Hyde (Jane Tsentas) meets a sailor (Bruce Brightman).
The Possession
aka Haunted
Directed by Unknown / 1974 / USA / IMDb
In December 1981, a 658.60-meter (60:01) 16mm print of THE POSSESSION was banned because of sex, which was described as being:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
A censored 493.65-meter (44:58) version was passed with an R-rating in March 1982.
The sex was now found to be:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
14th Mandolin was the applicant.
Rahima Prods submitted a 37-minute video under the title HAUNTED. It received an R-rating in October 1982 for sex, which was again described as:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
The only information in the National Classification Database is the producer, Kum Films. As neither are listed in the IMDb for THE POSSESSION (1974), there is a possibility it is not the same film.
Missing hardcore
Simon reports.
After Hours Cinema (us) – DVD on-screen title POSSESSED – 58:02 (NTSC)
Part of GRINDHOUSE POSSESSION TRIPLE FEATURE COLLECTION which includes THE DOCTOR DISCIPLES (1973) and THE MEDALLION (1972).
This version is slightly shorter than the one that was banned in December 1981.
The 15-minutes of censorship would have been to the hardcore sex. There would be little to recommend about the film once this was removed.
Dracula Sucks
Directed by Phillip Marshak / 1978 / USA / IMDb
In March 1980, a 2398.37-meter (87:25) print of DRACULA SUCKS was censored 46.00-meters (01:41) for an R-rating.
The cuts were made to remove ‘indecency’, while the R-rating was awarded for sex, which was found to be:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
The following month it was again passed with an R-rating. The submission details and cuts were the same as in March 1980. However, the reason for the censorship was changed from indecency to sex, which was said to be:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
In both cases, Roadshow Distributors was the applicant.
Unreleased Video Classics
In August 1981, a 91-minute tape of DRACULA SUCKS was banned because of sex, which was described as being:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
Video Classics was the applicant.
Censored King of Video
14th Mandolin had a reduced version running 2029.82-meter (73:59) passed with an R-rating in February 1983. The sex was found to be:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
It was released on their King of Video label.
Victorian Police panic
In March 1985, a 75-minute tape of DRACULA SUCKS was passed with an R-rating.
The sex was described as being:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
The Victorian Police was the applicant. The running time indicates this may have been a copy of the King of Video release.