The British Board of Film Classification has taken the unusual step of refusing to classify a Japanese horror film, which means it cannot be sold or rented on DVD.
The BBFC said the film, Grotesque, featured sexual sadism for its own sake — and could do harm to anyone who watched it.
The board said the majority of the film focused on the assault, humiliation and torture of two victims. The main character takes them prisoner abducts, restrains, strips and sexually assaults them before inflicting horrific injuries until they die.
The censors said cutting the film was not a viable option, because it featured unacceptable content throughout.
The BBFC rates about ten thousand films for DVD release each year. Over the past few years, the only other films to be refused certificates were the 2004 movie Murder Set Pieces and the 2005 film Terrorists, Killers And Other Wackos, which included real clips of execution and torture.