A horror film that censors ruled could not be screened in New Zealand cinemas uncut is finally being released for gore fans to enjoy at home.
Hostel: Part II has had its notorious 'bloodbath' scene censored for the version of the movie being released on DVD in New Zealand.
Sony Pictures (NZ), the film's distributor in New Zealand, fought the decision to have the film censored last year and is still unhappy with the result.
"What a waste of time the whole process was," says Sony Pictures (NZ) General Manager Andrew Cornwell. "It's cost a fortune for us to have our own special DVD version and has meant a delay to the DVD release. Everyone who wanted to has seen the bloodbath scene on YouTube anyway."
After the film was denied a classification by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC), the decision was appealed at the Film and Literature Board of Review.
The Board of Review disagreed that the entire scene should be removed and with the rationale applied by the OFLC for the censorship. They did, however, rule that scene had to be censored before release in New Zealand, by a vote of 3 - 2.
Hostel: Part II is now believed to be one of the most illegally downloaded films of all time.
The uncut film was released in Australian cinemas on 7 June 2007. The New Zealand release date for the DVD is 30 April.
- Mon, 22 Oct 2007
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source: newshub archive
