Now playing in select theaters across the country is the horror flick Censor. Censor will be available everywhere on June 18, 2021.
The film stars Niamh Algar, Nicholas Burns, Vincent Franklin, Sophia La Porta, Adrian Schiller and Michael Smiley.
Whenever you see a film, chances are it was viewed by a censor. According to the dictionary, a “censor” is;
“…an official who examines material that is about to be released, such as books, movies, news, and art, and suppresses any parts that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security.”
Enid is a movie censor. Her “specialty,” as you will, is viewing horror movies for questionable material. She takes her job very seriously too. She wants to protect viewers from the horrible things seen in horror movies, such as eye gougings and gory decapitations.
Enid has a deep, dark past of her own. This matter is made worse when her parents tell her that they are having her long, lost sister declared “dead,” since she’s never been found. This news triggers something inside of Enid.
Enid gets assigned a really disturbing film that triggers memories from her childhood. There is even a character in the film that strongly resembles what her sister would have looked like if she was still alive.
The lead character is not the only thing that seems familiar to Enid. The story line in the film is triggering memories from her childhood involving her sister’s disappearance. Suddenly it seems like “art is imitating life,” and the movie she was hired to view to censor “video nasties” suddenly feels like she’s getting a glimpse into what really happened to her sister.
Is there a connection between this film and the disappearance of her sister? Or has watching gore filled horror movies for a living finally taken a toll on her psyche. To find out, you need to go see, or rent, Censor. Look for it at a theater near you starting today (June 11, 2021) and everyone on June 18, 2021.
This film is set back in the 1980’s (you can even see Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on the television). I’m not sure why this film is not set in our current time. Perhaps it has something to do with the “cheesy” horror movies Enid needs to review and report back on the “nasties” she finds that could potentially cause people to do harm to others, or corrupt young mind. I’m guessing there were more horrible horror movies back then.
This is a horror movie, so expect some blood, guts and gore. The ending of the film is especially gory. As a horror movie “snub,” I don’t mind it one bit.
You’ll see a lot of horror movies sprinkled in throughout this film. You will see bits and pieces of the films that Enid is reviewing. Expect to see some gore in those clips as well.
This movie isn’t scary in the sense there are any jump scares. It’s more so horror for the gore and for the psychological aspects of the film (is Enid losing her mind or is there some truth to the film being about her lost sister?).
Overall I liked the film. It was a little slow at times, but that is fine. You can’t expect films to have non-stop action from start to finish, unless this was a Fast and the Furious film. Ha ha.
I think this is a cautionary tale about not bringing your work home with you, to some degree. Enid is so focused at work, and doing the best job that she possibly can, that it almost becomes her reality in some way.
The acting was pretty good. I think actress Niamh Algar did an excellent job as Enid. I especially liked that you didn’t really know what to make of her (was she going crazy, or is she just super stressed out by the news her sister was declared dead and her crazy job?).
I like that this is not necessarily a horror movie, but more so a woman who censors horror movies and how her job has an effect on her in the end (if that makes any sense?).
You can learn more about this film, and how to watch it, at CensorMovie.com.
The film can also be found on social media (@CensorMovie). The official hashtag is #CensorMovie.
Below is the film’s trailer for your enjoyment.
Kimberly
*I received a free screener to review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.