Starting back from SNUFF (which has finally hit Bluray thanks to Blue Underground), and probably a little before that with the Manson murders paranoia, the notion of real-life death for entertainment has been a recurring topic for films. Some good, some bad, some crazy...which film about snuff can you not turn away from.
Other. I enjoy Effects (1980), I like the idea of a director who's making a movie but at the same time is actually making a snuff movie. My Little Eye (2002) would be a close runner up.
Two I tried to fit on here but couldn't. I haven't seen EFFECTS yet, but that sounds very similar to Larry Cohen's SPECIAL EFFECTS, which I quite enjoyed.
I thought Effects was a great concept, and at 1980 it beat a lot of similar films to the punch, but the film itself is really boring.
I've always loved Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. I've watched it on VHS, DVD, and now Blu-ray and it still holds up very well.
I chose Mute Witness for the atmosphere. There really is a sence of dread and danger especially when Billy is locked in the building. Great movie. For a nasty snuff experience the ending from Emanuelle in America is up there.
I remember watching SPECIAL EFFECTS back in the '90's on cable. I got to track down a copy, I recall liking it and Eric Bogosian giving a great performance.
Check the clearance section at FYE. I bought the DVD there for $1.98 a while ago. They had a bunch of other MGM titles too, but the only other one I bought was Morons From Outer Space.
While I enjoy Last House, Cannibal Holocaust and Running Man (kind of a stretch calling that a snuff film though), none of those are even on the same plane as Henry. The only film I'd even consider close to it is Videodrome, but even that can't really compare. Henry is one of those films that is completely unsettling from beginning to end. It's just all around exceptional film making without having to sacrifice its integrity with over the top subject matter. None of the violence comes off as gratuitous or offensive like what usually tends to happen among films dealing with snuff... its' just completely diabolical and pure evil. Who are the two trolls that picked A Serbian Film?...probably don't want to come forward and admit they have micro penises (peni?).
I have a weird fascination with 8MM. I know it's a bad movie and Nicholas Cage is awful in it, but it's one of those I always stop and watch when it's on. Hardcore is a close second. I like the idea of some dark underworld of porn conducted in LAs back alleys. So absurd but it made for great Hollywood schlock. Is there anything they were selling in those movies you can't find now with an unfiltered google search?
I've never seen Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer or Peeping Tom! Sinister for me. I thought it was pretty scary too when I first saw it
I love Videodrome. Henry is something I've only seen once, and it didn't really blow me away. And Peeping Tom is great, but my appreciation of that is more academic. Cannibal Holocaust is also fantastic. But Videodrome is the best.
Really tough, but I had to go with Cannibal Holocaust. But I really love so many of these like Thesis and Hardcore.
Voted Videodrome. A close 2nd is the Faces of Death series, which I own all four of them, including the 30th Anniversary edition.
I went with Cannibal Holocaust, which despite being uncomfortable, makes a powerful statement. For some reason, Videodrome didn't cross my mind as an option, but I definitely consider that more enjoyable.
