Are snuff films real? Has anyone ever actually viewed a real snuff film? This is the question that lies at the heart of Paul von Stoetzel’s Snuff: A Documentary About Killing on Camera.
I’m not sure what to believe about snuff films. Even the mere idea of a snuff film makes me queasy. This was a difficult film to watch and Snuff opens with a warning that scenes of an extreme nature will be shown. Normally, this type of disclaimer is tacked on to the beginning of a film for legal purposes. In this case, the warning was warranted and legitimate. This film does not hold any punches.
This documentary leads you down a road of depravity and sickness but maintains a sense of composure and dignity along the way. Interviews with former police and FBI officers, cinephiles, and others involved in the film industry lead you through the alleged snuff films to the very possibility of the real deal. Footage intertwined with the interviews is disgusting and vile but it probably pales in comparison to the real deal.
The film explores many aspects of killing on camera, from the staged antics of Faces of Death, to a beheading video, to the real life footage captured by killers Leonard Lake and Charles Ng. I did find the footage of Lake and Ng to be particularly disturbing to watch.
The most interesting part of the film are the stories told by Mark L. Rosen, one of the producers of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He discusses his own account of witnessing a snuff film. Even if what he witnessed was staged, Rosen is convinced that it was the real deal. The emotion he shows on screen is real and it’s obvious that it’s haunted him for a very long time.
Paul von Stoetzel has produced a powerful documentary that examines many aspects of snuff films. It exceeded my expectations on almost every level. This documentary does not present snuff films in a sensational manner. It provides thoughtful insight into a rather disgusting topic. The running time is only 76 minutes but that’s all that is needed to deliver a knockout punch. Snuf: A Documentary About Killing on Camera is not a film for the faint of heart but it is one that deserves to be seen.
Release date is July 22, 2008. Distribution by Westlake Entertainment.
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Media Districts Entertainment Blog » Review of Snuff: A Documentary About Killing on Camera // May 9, 2008 at 11:04 am
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Phronk // May 21, 2008 at 10:05 am
Sounds interesting. I’m sorta afraid to watch it though. I can watch the most brutal horror movie, but as soon as that switch in my brain labeled “this isn’t real” is even jiggled, I’ll probably barf and be traumatized for life.
John McCormick // September 21, 2008 at 1:44 am
I found this to be a pretty boring movie … The scenes with lake/ing are scratchy and washed out and not so disturbing as annoying… The worst part was the how phony Mark Rosen was and the phony tears was WAY over the line ..
I was “Offended” by his hokines…