Suffer, Little Children

Director: Alan Briggs

Screenplay:

Minutes: 74

Year: 1983

Score: 5.80

Release: Severin Films

When watching a film, nay flick, of this caliber one may consider scoring on a curve. I did not, and this score is a little baffling. Let me tell you way after the jump.

From Severin-Films.com:

The British tabloid press called for it to be banned among the furor of the Video Nasty witch hunts. The Censors refused it a rating in its uncut form. Many of the children involved in its production were never seen nor heard from again. Now SUFFER, LITTLE CHILDREN can finally be seen FULLY UNCUT AND UNCENSORED!

The full story behind this mysterious occult feature may never be known. The super rare and intensely troubled original UK video release was cut by several minutes and the box copy simply read:

Suffer, Little Children a tale of a child’s demonic supernatural powers and the brutal…. terrifying results. Suffer, Little Children is a reconstruction of the events, which took place at 45 Kingston Road, New Malden, Surrey, England in August 1984. None of these events were reported in the press and now the house is scheduled for demolition in the immediate future.

HOW IN GOD’S NAME DID THE POWER OF THE DEVIL FALL INTO THE HANDS OF A CHILD?

The special features are integral counterpoints for this movie. First off, this movie is terrible. Plain and simple. It is also essential for cult fans. Suffer, Little Children is a feature film on video and performed by amateurs; it has a budget of seven thousand pounds, and it shows.

The two special feature interviews give you enough reason as to why the film is a cult classic. First, it is one of the purest examples of a no-budget, homemade, horror film.

 

 

I suppose an example is necessary. The Ladies family has an old VHS copy of a movie called the Dancing Outlaw. It is a terrible docu-drama about a dancing cowboy that they, as a family, used to watch over and over again. Suffer, Little Children could be interchangeable, in quality as well as potential audience engagement.

The mystique of the film is discussed in the second interview, with John Martin. I don’t want to go too deeply into it, sufficed to say that this is another instance if distribution deal issues coupled with lack of patience for the UKs rating system. If this lore was not created then this film would have little value in today’s market. It is a ghost story versus a newspaper article.

If you are like me, though, you have got to put this disc on your shelf. Cut and dry. Buy it now.

Special Features:

• School of Shock – An Interview with Director Alan Briggs
• Seducing The Gullible – An Interview With Legend of UK “Nasty” Era Fanzine Critique John Martin
• Trailer

Director: 5 – Cinematography: 4 –  Edit: 6 – Parity: 4 – Main performance: 4 – Else performance: 2 – Score: 8 – Sound: 5 – Story: 6 – Script: 5 – Effects: 7 – Design: 6 – Costumes: 5 – Keeps interest: 10 – Lasting: 10