Abstract

Taking ‘A Serbian Film’ (2010) (dir. Srdjan Spasojevic) and its regulatory experiences in the UK as a case study, this paper will examine the potentiality and limits of transgression within contemporary European extremist horror film. The paper examines the complex ways in which ‘A Serbian Film’ presents audiences with transgressive themes and representations of film violence – including a scene involving ‘New-born Porn’ and scenes of sexual violence against women and children. The paper will then explore the impact of the films formal stylisation, narrative structure, realism and tone upon its transgressive potential. The paper will focus on how ‘A Serbian Film’ simultaneously and ambiguously both ameliorates and amplifies the transgressive potential of its fictional film violence through a range of formal, thematic and narrative formations. The paper then offers an examination of the way in which this productive, complex and potentially transgressive text has been censored by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) to remove potentially transgressive representations of fictional film violence. When ‘A Serbian Film’ was submitted to the BBFC for UK DVD and blu-ray distribution by Revolver Entertainment, the regulator required the UK distributor to make 49 separate cuts totaling 3 minutes and 38 seconds to obtain an 18 certificate. The paper ends with a consideration of the role of official regulators in the censorship of transgressive horror films, and also their potential impact upon the range of meanings circulating around potentially transgressive films within contemporary film and media cultures.