Snuff: A Documentary About Killing on Camera

by jimmy sQuarejaw

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“Show me the manner in which a nation cares for its dead and I will measure with mathematical exactness the tender mercies of its people, their respect for the laws of the land and their loyalty to high ideals.”

-Sir William Gladstone

I wonder if Sir William Gladstone could have ever anticipated movies like the Traces of Death home videos when he penned that gem of a quote that now is proudly splayed above almost every medical examiners department across the country.  With the advent of the Internet and its unlimited access to all things wonderful AND terrible people more than ever can access videos of vociferous brutality that now makes things like Faces of Death almost laughable.  So keep this quote in mind the next time Fox News shows a clip of the violence in the Middle East or you watch a group of teenagers kicking in someone’s head yelling ‘‘World Star Hip Hop’’ because they “talked shit.”

Filmmaker Paul von Stoezel’s documentary Snuff: A Documentary About Killing on Camera is a great example of how to handle the subject of violence on film tactfully and efficiently.  He’s not presenting a film with the message, ‘whoa dude, look at this guy rape a chick than kill her it is awesome!’ Stoezel’s film is a historical account of death caught on film with insight from film critics, FBI, and homicide detectives.  This film also serves as a warning that Snuff films do exist and it’s important to know there are some very dangerous people out there…..and by dangerous I mean bat shit crazy psychopaths that according to our website’s search analytics have visited our website quite a bit.

A Snuff Film can be described as a pornographic film of an actual murder.  Further definitions go into the actual sale and distribution of the film is what differentiates a Snuff Film from a clip of someone dying.  Don’t let the title of this documentary sway you though thinking this is just a about Snuff Films.  It’s a historical account of the influx of death caught of film beginning around the Vietnam War.  As far as I can tell the first death caught on film that the American people were subjected to was the Kennedy assassination.  The Zapruder film served as an augury to the violent images television screens became saturated with during the Vietnam War and every subsequent televised skirmish since.  The clips used by Stoezel to convey the horrors of war are intense and some come with due warning that once you see or hear these clips you take an irrevocable turn in your life some wish they had a chance to avoid.  But again, I don’t feel Stoezel uses these clips for an easy shock value element because these were at one point beamed across news outlets across the globe. 

Serial Killers have their role in this subject matter as well and Paul von Stoezel uses great interviews with retired FBI and homicide detectives to paint the very grim reality of killers filming their victims.  I’ve heard rumors that the Manson family recorded the Tate and LaBianca murders but that is still a myth however two of the serial killers discussed in Snuff: A Documentary About Killing on Camera, Leonard Lake and Charles Ng, did film their abhorrent crimes and they are profoundly disturbing.  Henry Lee Lucas’ half fictionalized movie biography, Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer, is also discussed for being benchmarks in its depicted depravity and unique filmmaking style.    

Snuff: A Documentary About Killing on Camera does convey a warning.  Between films like 8MM and the hilarious story about Charlie Sheen watching Flowers of Flesh and Blood infiltrating pop culture, the idea of Snuff films and the people that perpetuate these movies might not be taken seriously.  There are a few people in this documentary that even say ‘no way does this shit exist.’  However, there are two very dark first hand accounts told by Mark Rosen of Bryanston Pictures about the real aspect of the Snuff business and underground culture involved.  I will not divulge details of these stories, I’ll let you live that out on your own, but I will say as he talks you get the impression Mark Rosen has been through a lot in his life and has a brain gravid with depraved scenes and lurid scenarios.  His stories are haunting and very convincing.

This is a great documentary that has been out of print for quite some time.  It’s re-release will be April 21, 2015 and will come with extras that include a short film by Paul von Stoezel titled Dinner Date as well as a 30 minute long interview between Stoezel and Horror/Paranormal Radio Talk Show host Darkness Dave Schrader covering the controversy, aftermath and fallout of the documentary and answering a lot of questions.

For pre-orders check out

http://www.amazon.com/Snuff-Documentary-Killing-Camera-special/dp/B00RZXWWAQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426616431&sr=8-1&keywords=snuff+documentary