Traces of Death
| Traces of Death | |
|---|---|
 VHS cover | |
| Written by | Damon Fox |
| Based on | Faces of Death |
| Narrated by | Damon Fox |
| Edited by |
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Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Brain Damage Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 76 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Traces of Death is a 1993 American mondo film that consists of various scenes of stock footage depicting death and real scenes of violence.
Unlike the earlier Faces of Death which usually included fake deaths and reenactments, Traces consists mostly of actual footage depicting death and injury, and consists also of public domain footage from other films. It was written and narrated by Damon Fox.
Since its release, Traces of Death has been followed by four sequels. The first sequel, Traces of Death II, was released in June 1994. This was followed by Traces of Death III in December 1994, Traces of Death IV: Resurrected in 1996, and Traces of Death V: Back in Action in April 2000.
Film content
[edit]In the first two films of the series, Damon Fox was the narrator. Darrin Ramage, who would later become the founder of Brain Damage Films, would become the host for the third, fourth and fifth volumes. Unlike Faces of Death, the footage throughout the entire films are real and are not staged or reenacted. Starting with Traces of Death II, scenes were accompanied by background music from death metal and grindcore bands.[1]
In Traces of Death, some notable scenes are included in the film, the murder of Maritza Martin,[2] the Iranian Embassy siege in London,[2] the suicide of Pennsylvania treasurer R. Budd Dwyer,[2] and the archive footage of the evidence of Ilse Koch.[2]
Soundtrack
[edit]The soundtrack for the Traces of Death, were tracks by J. R. Bookwalter from the 1989 film Robot Ninja.[2] Later in Traces of Death III, the first soundtrack album was released on CD.
Controversy
[edit]The original Traces of Death has run into controversy worldwide due to its graphic content.
In 1997, Amy Hochberg, a woman living in Coaldale, Pennsylvania rented the film from a video store and was so disgusted by the film's content that she considered keeping the tape to prevent children from procuring it from the store. She also contacted multiple animal rights groups after witnessing a scene in the film wherein a pig is experimented on with a blowtorch.[2] She also lodged a complaint with the video store she had rented it from, as she thought the film was simply "911 calls with a little more".[3]
In June 2005, the British Board of Film Classification refused to give the first film an age certificate, effectively banning it. The BBFC considered the film to have "no journalistic, educational or other justifying context for the images shown", while also suggesting that the film could potentially breach UK law under the Obscene Publications Act.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ Kerekes & Slater 1995, pp. 161.
- ^ a b c d e f Kerekes & Slater 1995, pp. 160.
- ^ "Horror videotape goes too far for viewer – movie rental in Lansford spurs woman to bring complaint to Attorney General's office". The Morning Call. 4 March 1997. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
- ^ Petley 2011, p. 189.
Further reading
[edit]- Kerekes, David; Slater, David (1995). Killing for Culture: An Illustrated History of Death Film from Mondo to Snuff. Creation Books. ISBN 978-1-871592-20-7.
- Petley, Julian (17 May 2011). Film and Video Censorship in Modern Britain. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-0-7486-3093-6.