Adam Rehmeier’s The Bunny Game banned by British Board of Film Classification

Last Updated on July 23, 2021

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has struck again. Back in June we learned that the group had banned THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE 2 for its lewd and crude ways (the ban on the film has since been lifted thanks to several edits), and now it’s giving THE BUNNY GAME the same business.

THE BUNNY GAME, in case you don’t recall, is an evidently traumatizing flick in the torture porn mold that unflinchingly documents the degradation of a young woman by a twisted truck driver. Apparently, the BBFC feels that the film “may encourage some viewers to enjoy and share in the man’s callousness”. No slight accusation, that…

From the press release:

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has rejected the sexually violent DVD The Bunny Game. The film follows a female prostitute who hitches a lift with a truck driver. The truck driver kidnaps the woman, restrains and forcibly strips her, and proceeds to physically and sexually abuse and humiliate her. The abuse of the kidnapped woman takes up the greater part of the film.

The Board’s Guidelines state “A strict policy on sexual violence and rape is applied. Content which might eroticise or endorse sexual violence may require cuts at any classification level. This is more likely with video works than film because of the potential for replaying scenes out of context. Any association of sex with non-consensual restraint, pain or humiliation may be cut”. The principal focus of The Bunny Game is the unremitting sexual and physical abuse of a helpless woman, as well as the sadistic and sexual pleasure the man derives from this. The emphasis on the woman’s nudity tends to eroticise what is shown, while aspects of the work such as the lack of explanation of the events depicted, and the stylistic treatment, may encourage some viewers to enjoy and share in the man’s callousness and the pleasure he takes in the woman’s pain and humiliation.

David Cooke, Director of the BBFC said: “It is the Board’s carefully considered view that to issue a certificate to this work, even if confined to adults, would be inconsistent with the Board’s Guidelines, would risk potential harm within the terms of the Video Recordings Act, and would accordingly be unacceptable to the public.”

The Board considered whether its concerns could be dealt with through cuts. However, the pervasiveness of the abuse makes it very difficult to deal with The Bunny Game by means of cuts. If the company would like to attempt to cut this work in order to submit it in a reduced form, they are entitled to do so, but the Board can offer no assurances that such re-editing would be successful.

The decision to reject The Bunny Game was taken by the Director, David Cooke and the Presidential Team of Sir Quentin Thomas, Alison Hastings and Gerard Lemos. The decision means that the film cannot be legally supplied anywhere in the UK.

Distribution company Trinity X picked up the rights to THE BUNNY GAME back in January and had been eyeing a release sometime in 2012, but plans might have to change. It remains to be seen if they’ll attempt to re-edit the film in order to lift the ban; I’m sure we can expect a statement from the filmmakers shortly.

Check out the film’s official Facebook page HERE, and give the trailer a peek below.