Serial killer film so dark it was banned was finally released years later

A horror film was so controversial that it was banned from movie theatres, before finally being released on blu-ray.

While there are many different types of horror film, with some focusing on psychology, others types aim to be shocking.

And it's safe to say that some horror films certainly do take things further than others.

It could be Cannibal Holocaust, which is about a fictional expedition to the rainforest, and where the director had to produce the film's actors to show that they were actually still alive.

MGM

Then there's Crash by horror legend David Cronenberg, which follows people who are sexually aroused by being in car crashes.

Both very strong contenders when it comes to the shock factor, but there's one which may just take things to the next level, at least when it comes to the concept.

Given the content of the previous two films, it is needless to say you should brace yourself for some very disturbing imagery.

Check out the trailer for a glimpse:

So, what on earth happens in this film to make it more shocking than the previous two?

Well, it's a movie about a serial killer, but it would seem that it is not your run of the mill serial killer. It's someone whose depravity reaches whole other levels.

The film is called The Poughkeepsie Tapes, and it is in the mockumentary style of the Blair Witch Project.

It follows a New York police investigation into a murderer who made snuff films of his crimes, intercut with staged news reports and footage 'shot by the killer'.

The movie follows all the details of several crimes, including mutilations that the killer carried out on corpses.

MGM

If you want an idea of just how unpleasant the film gets, this is an excerpt from the movie: "The killer performed a C-section on the female, placing the severed head of her husband inside her womb before sewing her up again to later rouse her from unconsciousness and film her reaction."

The movie is reportedly based on real-life serial killer Kendall Francois, who murdered eight women between 1996 and 1998.

Francois, from Poughkeepsie New York, was sentenced to life in jail without any possibility of parole.

He died in 2014 at the Wende Correctional Facility.

The Poughkeepsie Tapes was finished in 2007 and had been scheduled for release the following year, only for the movie to be blocked from public viewing.

Another attempt was made to get it published in 2014 as a DirecTV video-on-demand, but it was again blocked.

Finally, in 2017 the movie was released on blue-ray.