Censor is a 2021 psychological horror film Directed by Prano Bailey-Bond and staring Niamh Algar, Nicholas Burns, Vincent Franklin, Sophia La Porta, Adrian Schiller, and Michael Smiley. The film centres around a film Censor named Enid who after seeing a film with an actress that looks like her lost sister tries to track down information on it to find her missing sister. Censor is my type of film a love letter to the eighties video nasty horror era that combines 80s horror exploitation with arthouse flair to great a great sociological horror film.
The Direction of the film is great. All the actors play of well together their scenes and really feel believable. The film also captures the eighties mood and style brilliantly. The film both feels like it takes place in the eighties with the first two acts. The look of the film captures the mood and style of both the eighties and eighties horror films. The film uses the lighting and score to set a town the really puts you into the eighties and later into eighties horror cinema.
The acting in the film is good. Nainh Algar does a good job as Enid. She plays a character who is both determined to figure out the truth about her sister but also timed and shy in her own way most likely scared by the experiences of her past. Nicolas Burns does a good job as Sanderson, who is one of the censor board members. Vincent Franklin does a good job as Fraser another one of the censors. Sophia La Porter does a good job as Alice Lee and Nina Baines with Nina she does a good job as a 80s horror movie protagonist and as Alice Lee she is good at playing a normal woman who is shocked and confused by Enid. Adrian Schiller does a good job as Fredrick North a weird crazy filmmaker that is enigmatic and essential to the plot. Finally, Michael Smiley does a good job as Doug Smart. A creepy sleezy that gives Edith the job of cutting the film and later morphs into a creepy pervy antagonist.
The writing in the film is good. What starts out as a basic easy to follow plot, morphs into a weird surreal psychological horror thriller. The film has an interesting idea with the first part of the film effectively being a mystery thriller of this woman trying to track down here sister through an old eighties’ horror film. However, as the film goes on the film divulges into an eighty’s horror film with a very surreal ending that although I did not fully understand I did apricate it none the less.
The cinematography in the film is great. The film has a great gritty eighties style that very much feels like a movie from the eighties. The film within the film also has a great use of neon lighting that makes you feel like you are watching an eighties horror film. What works best of all with the cinematography of the movie is that the eighties horror movie vibe is carried throughout is subdued and very slowly turns into an 80s looking horror movie.
The special effects in the film are also good. All the practical blood and gore is done well and with a film centred around eighties horror movies its good to see practical effects in this film.
Overall Censor is a great throwback to 80’s horror films and acts as a love letter to the genre and era that a big horror fan like me really loved.