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Thursday, July 25, 2013

NZ bans horror film starring Elijah Wood

From the BBC

 
A horror remake starring Hobbit actor Elijah Wood has been banned in New Zealand due to its "graphic violence" and "content that may disturb".

Maniac has been restricted to festival film screenings and academic viewing by government officials and will not be eligible for mainstream cinema or DVD release in the country.

The film, directed by Frank Khalfoun, stars Wood as serial killer Frank.
Neil Foley of distributor Monster Pictures said he was "flabbergasted".

The director of the Australia-based company said the ban was an "insult to the intelligence" of adults in New Zealand.

The film, which received a limited UK release in March, is due to screen at the New Zealand International Film Festival in Auckland and Wellington at the end of July.

Ant Timpson, a programmer for the festival, said the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) was concerned that the movie was "injurious to the public good".

Good on the censor, say I.  Not only has the film been panned by reviewers (The Observer's Philip French called it "unwelcome", and The Hollywood Reporter's Megan Lehmann said the film was a "sadistic art-house bloodbath") but there is horror enough in the pages of your daily paper.  And surely a big name like Elijah Wood must feel used?

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