# Snuff Film **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 19, 2000, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuff-film/26082 "2000-07-19T12:20:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuff-film/26082/1 "2000-07-19T12:20:30Z")
Since the [Zapruder Film of Kennedy Assassination](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0131658) is now a record on The Internet Movie Database, can it now be considered a snuff film? ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuff-film/26082/2 "2000-07-19T12:23:25Z")
I believe a necessary characteristic of a snuff film is that the person killed was killed by the filmmaker for the purpose of getting the death on film. If you want to allege Zapruder’s involvement in the Kennedy assasination, well, that’s another thread. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuff-film/26082/3 "2000-07-19T13:11:16Z")
Or maybe Oswald saw Zapruder with a camera and thought, “Oh good, this will get on film.” ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuff-film/26082/4 "2000-07-19T13:23:21Z")
Why do we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway? ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuff-film/26082/5 "2000-07-19T15:03:06Z")
Get some videos called ‘Mondo Cane’ they show this stuff extensively, throughly & factually. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuff-film/26082/6 "2000-07-19T15:17:07Z")
Damn, and I thought this was about a documentary on smokeless tobacco. I don’t think the _Mondo Cane_ or _Faces of Death_ films qualify as snuff as none of the deaths were arranged by the producers of the films. ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuff-film/26082/7 "2000-07-19T15:53:31Z")
Correct a Snuff Film is defined as a film which was made with the intent of killing an unsuspecting person and capturing it on video. There are some videos you can buy with news and amature footage of deaths by disasters and mishaps, but these people did not intend to film a death. Also “Faces of death” and such have a lot or re-enacted and simulated material and it is not true footage. There is a good article on this on one of the UL sites, basically you can easily tell the faked footage by seeing multi camera angles and cuts without seeing multiple cameramen. ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuff-film/26082/8 "2000-07-19T16:04:34Z")
Which reminds me . . . The cover story of the _Washington Post_ Sunday supplement this past weekend was a story on teen and pre-teen sexuality. In the story, the writer referred to her father-in-law, who was a police officer, and mentions casually that he “used to confiscate snuff films.” If that is indeed the case, then he (and she) knows something that Cecil doesn’t. I should e-mail her and find out just what she does know in relation to this. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuff-film/26082/9 "2000-07-19T17:04:41Z")
Of course, we SDMB denizens would be remiss in not posting a link to Cecil Adams’ column. [Is there such a thing as a snuff film? (02-Jul-1993)](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_258.html) Short answer: probably not. Unless **pldennison** uncovers a smoking gun through his newspaper article. ---
**Author:** ![warinner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8edcca/32.png) [@warinner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warinner)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuff-film/26082/10 "2000-07-19T19:02:58Z")
BurnMeUp wrote: > [@](#): > > Correct a Snuff Film is defined as a film which was made with the intent of killing an unsuspecting person and capturing it on video. The alt.folklore.urban FAQ defines a snuff film somewhat differently: > [@](#): > > [A] snuff film is one in which the film is the _purpose_ of (rather than incidental to) the murder and with some intent of commercial distribution (i.e. if they ran out of film, the murder would be postponed until someone could run down to the 7-11 & get more). So deaths captured on film, like the Zapruder film, don’t qualify on either condition of the definition. I think it is a pretty good definition, though arguments have been advanced that it too restrictive. Given the prevalence of video cameras, alternative snuff scenarios have been put forward: - Joe Sicko murders random victim and videotapes the act. - Snuff connoisseurs get ahold of Sicko videotape and distribute it covertly. I think this scenario would fit most people’s definition of snuff but would fail the AFU definition. The key element in either the AFU definition or the scenario above is the conspiracy to distribute, whether for gain or not, a snuff film. That there are depraved murders is not really legendary, it is the conspiracy that elevates into ULhood. pldennison wrote: > [@](#): > > the writer referred to her father-in-law, who was a police officer, and mentions casually that he “used to confiscate snuff films.” Hmm, it is not quite clear what is being alleged here. Snuff films as in genuine film records of real murders? Snuff films as in the various faux snuff films? Just confiscated, not investigated? Andrew Warinner ---
**Author:** ![Tymp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Tymp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tymp)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuff-film/26082/11 "2000-07-19T19:09:09Z")
**pldennison** , I, for one, would be very interested to know the results of your inquiry. Please share.