Snuff: A Documentary About Killing on Camera

Director - Paul von Stoetzel (Pet Peeve)
Starring - Larry C. Brubaker, Todd Cobery, Linda Flanders
Release Date - 2008
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Ever seen a snuff film?"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Snuff films can go two different ways for horror fans.  Some seek them out and get a boner at the thought of actually getting to catch a real death on camera.  Others are terrified at the thought of this and any film that could possibly be real is avoided at all costs.  I fall in the second category.  I don't want to see real death on camera because it brings about my mortality.  I imagine myself in that same situation and it freaks me the fuck out.  When I was in middle school a friend of mine found a video online of an African man who is shot by a gang of white men.  This video bothered me and I did not sleep for days.  When I know I am watching a movie with practical effects the gore and death does not bother me at all.  However, I am a pussy and when the death is real it bothers me tremendously.  Not long ago Wild Eye released the documentary Snuff: a Documentary About Killing on Camera.  I love a good documentary so I reached out to them for a review copy and they hooked me up.  Thanks again!

     This documentary begins with several accounts of what is classified as a snuff film.  Is it death being filmed or is it death being filmed for the purpose of being sold for a profit?  This documentary tries to say that snuff is a film that is sold for profit but I entirely disagree.  I feel a snuff film is death being filmed in general.  The F.B.I. states there is no snuff films out there right now but on several accounts there has been evidence of people being murdered on camera for profit. One instance follows a scumbag Russian that films child pornography and in several instances the kids are raped to the point they die.  Another account followed an Asian man trying to sell a porn in which the man and woman are leather clad and doing the deed when the man suddenly slits the woman's throat.  The film then splits up all the different types of films that could be classified as snuff such as war videos, footage serial killers take of their victims, or films in which the person takes their own life.  

     Documentaries are powerful films that take the viewer on an educational journey through a topic they know nothing or very little about.  That is what makes them so powerful.  Snuff: A Documentary About Killing on Camera is a documentary that is riveting and chilling all while being educational.  This documentary is able to pull together two arguments on the same topic, as well as, show info to support both sides.  This is crucial for any documentary that is trying to sway the viewer to make a firm decision about something.  This documentary is trying to make the viewer pick if they believe snuff films are real or jut a myth.  Sadly, this is a one sided argument with very little facts provided for the myth side which is almost impossible to do since they are real in one sense of the word.  This documentary is also able to provide interviews from people from various background and experience on the subject.  This is another strong point for any documentary.  We have interviews from film historians, F.B.I. agents and even first hand accounts from witnesses that had viewed snuff films being sold for profit.  Finally, this documentary is put together very well and is able to draw emotions out of the viewer just from recounting situations.  The film goes in a consistent manner that slowly builds upon points and leaves no room for error.  This documentary has it's shit together!  Overall, Snuff: A Documentary About Killing on Camera is easily one of the hardest films to watch.  This documentary holds nothing back and throws it all at the viewer which, at times, could be very overwhelming.  This documentary is not for everyone but is well worth your time!