PEEPING TOM (1960)

PEEPING TOM is a British thriller, made in 1959, about a voyeuristic film-maker and photographer who has been so traumatised by events in his childhood that he now enjoys terrorising women and killing them. It was classified '15' for moderate violence and strong psychological threat.

In contrast to modern crime and thriller works, the detail of the violence shown in PEEPING TOM is fairly limited, with the murders implied only by the women's screams. There is a complete lack of any blood and injuries. The rather melodramatic acting style and dated look and feel of the work offer further mitigation, keeping it within the realms of moderate violence, rather than strong violence. However, the theme of a sexually motivated killer still carries a significant charge, and is not suitable below '15' where the BBFC's Guidelines state that 'No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds'. The manner in which the killer toys with and then frightens his victims before finally murdering them constitutes the type of strong psychological threat that is too sustained and frequent to be acceptable under BBFC Guidelines at '12A'/'12', which state that 'Moderate physical and psychological threat may be permitted, provided disturbing sequences are not frequent or sustained'. However, despite the man's obvious sexual arousal by the fear he generates, no actual sex is seen to take place.

There is limited topless and buttock nudity in the sight of many pin-up posters and covers of girlie magazines in a local newsagent.