Censored Screams: The British Ban on Hollywood Horror in the Thirties

by Tom Johnson

As Dracula (1931) and Frankenstein (1931) ushered in the golden age of horror films in the United States, studios and distributors were faced with a major problem in their number one overseas the British Board of Film Censors (BBFC) were demanding extensive cuts, enforcing age restrictions, and banning outright many of Hollywood's horror movies. The issue most often used to limit the showing of horror films was their "unsuitability" to children. With that in mind, the BBFC developed specific film codes--the "A" (for adults) and the "H" (for horrific), both of which restricted viewing to those 16 or older--and then applied them liberally. This work examines how and why horror films were censored or banned in the United Kingdom, and the part these actions played in ending Hollywood's golden age of horror.

Genres: Nonfiction

222 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1997

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover lured me in and the fact that I didn't know about the British Ban on Hollywood Horror. Inside you'll get a brief history of British film censorship, children and horror films in the UK, American censorship, Dracula the strangest passion, Frankenstein, the sons of Frankenstein, Fu Manchu, The Mummy, steps were taken and have been taken, banished films in 1937, horror back from the dead. Many favorite movie stills inside, a fine filmography and a compelling story. Really enjoyed this piece of censored horror non fiction. Highly recommended!

[Malcolm Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had read a lot of the information contained in this book from files in the National Archive in Kew.However what struck me was the fact that the author seemed to take a positive dislike to some of the films he was writing about,such as Freaks,Murders In the rue Morgue and Island of Dr Moreau.He also took a dislike to Lionel At will because of court cases he was involved in.
So not necessarily the most objective book on the subject.

[Bill Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fair account of an odd era of film history -- the brief hysteria over horror movies in the UK in the mid-30s that some say helped end the trend that produced the early Universal monster classics. The author here makes a better case for a declining box office domestically being more of a factor, but the exhibits -- mostly excerpts from contemporary reviews -- are fascinating. A few things annoyed me -- repetition of the same points again and again, an occasional prissy moralizing tone intended, I think, to help the reader better perceive the attitudes of another time, and a largely useless Afterward. My overall impression is that there probably wasn't really enough material here for a book and the sparse pickings had to be extended with filler. On the whole though, the good bits are very good and some excellent trivia pops up often enough (the first film censored in England was about cheese!) to make it all very readable.

[Joel Manuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book on how censorship boards helped hasten the end of Universal's frist "horror cycle" in the 1930s. A quick read.