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Review of Snuff: A Documentary About Killing on Camera
May 09, 2008 at 01:18 pm
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.
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