James Bryan

One ‘Video Nasty’ that many splatter fans now consider a ‘guilty pleasure’ is James Bryan’s Don’t Go in the Woods, an extremely low budget slasher flick that mixed DIY effects with a camp score. Now often dubbed ’so bad it’s good,’ the movie has recently been discovered by a new audience thanks to the Code Red DVD.

James looks back on the censorship issues the movie suffered upon its initial release…

How did your awareness of the ‘video nasties’ debacle first begin and do you agree that certain material should be censored from the public, or should all artists be allowed to show whatever they wish?

“I first became aware of the video nasties reaction when Mark Borde, Woods‘ theatrical distributor, mentioned “some kind of problem with violence” for Woods in Europe. At the time my understanding was very limited. I know that certain things get censored from time to time but I also know that artists will strive to show all that they feel important to their expression. I believe this is a duty and a risk for an artist.

In regards to Don’t Go in the Woods causing offence or being censored, I was playing with that line where offensive violence and humor are met and I was concerned that the MPAA rating might be a problem in that Woods, depending on the person rating my film, could be looking at an X rating which was a bad thing as far as it’s commercial future was concerned. The MPAA hardly blinked and gave it an easy R. Yes, the right distributor can use controversy to promote a film as long as the tenor of the film doesn’t actually turn the audience off.

The actor who played the character of Craig, James Hayden, experienced this publicity benefit from controversy while on a holiday cruise in Europe when several teen fans recognized and cornered Jim while he was strolling on deck.”

Did the UK government ever try to prosecute yourself or your distributors, as they had with many other films during the early 1980s? How were you first informed that Don’t Go in the Woods had been labelled a ‘video nasty’ and what kind of treatment did the film receive in the UK?

“I was never prosecuted nor persecuted by the UK government. I never heard about my distributors having a problem of a legal nature. On the other hand, Angie Brown (Joannie), who was working on a publicly funded film series presentation in London at the time, was worried her connection with Woods would endanger her job. Angie didn’t mention this concern until the recent DVD release.

I was first informed that Don’t Go in the Woods had been labeled a “Video Nasty” and was the focus of considerable heat from the UK government when Steven Thrower began interviewing me for his book Nightmare USA.”

Other movies to made the list included such notorious examples as Cannibal Holocaust, I Spit on Your Grave and SS Experiment Camp. Do you feel your film really belonged amongst these?

“I am proud and pleased to be included amongst the likes of Cannibal Holocaust, I Spit on Your Grave and SS Experiment Camp. The ‘Video Nasty’ label for me is a badge of honor!”

Did anyone ever explain exactly what scenes or themes in particular resulted in the movie causing such problems with the censors and were there any similar issues in other countries?

“Actually no one ever explained exactly what scenes or themes in particular resulted in Woods causing such problems with the censors. In the fifties and sixties US film was carefully controlled in a moral sense (Hayes Code) and at that time European films enjoyed a greater degree of artistic freedom. The seventies saw the new MPAA ratings system put in place with many US films breaking out with sex and violence to such a degree that European tastes were challenged and censorship blossomed across the Atlantic.”

Do you feel that the UK government, media and BBFC were too reactionary with the way they handed the so-called video nasties, and how do you feel about the way in which the laws have relaxed over the years, with many of those films now released uncut?

“I don’t think the UK government et al were any more reactionary than say the US Commie witch hunts of the 1950’s, but we would have all been better off without them being so rabid. It’s a positive sign for art and society that these laws and trends have relaxed over the years and that now those same films are now released uncut!

And that’s the way it is
-Jim”