Banned and Unwatchable: The Shocking Gay Serial Killer Film That Left Audiences Fleeing in Horror

Have you ever paid good money for a movie ticket, settled into your squeaky seat with overpriced popcorn, and thought, “There is nothing short of an apocalyptic fire drill that could get me to walk out of this cinema right now?” Well, some films possess that peculiar, almost supernatural talent for making even the bravest audience members scramble for the exit—the kind of films that pry open the door between fascination and revulsion. Most of the time, you can count on only the most notorious titles—think Jackass-level antics or controversially banned flicks—to stir up that urge to run… or at least shield your eyes.

But what if I told you there’s a film that didn’t just have people clutching their pearls (or their stomachs), but actually got itself banned outright in the UK? I mean, in a world where cinematic boundary-pushing seems to be a competitive sport, what makes a movie so uniquely unsettling—so “unsuitable for classification”—that it’s yanked from the screen altogether? Enter “Frisk,” the 1995 indie shockwave that twirls down a taboo rabbit hole, following a young queer man’s descent into the psyche of a serial killer.

It’s a film that’s managed to both horrify and intrigue, sparked walkouts, ticked off censors, and still, decades later, courts debate: was it ahead of its time, just plain offensive, or disturbingly brilliant? Honestly, I found myself half-chuckling, half-cringing at the thought that somewhere, far away, a British censorship committee sat down with tea and biscuits to decide whether this twisted story deserved a place in the cultural lexicon—or in the bin.

So, are you curious what could possibly unite queasy audiences, passionate critics, and censorship boards in mutual discomfort? You’re in the right place. LEARN MORE

When it comes to going along to the cinema, it takes quite a lot to force people to walk out after they’ve paid for the film.

This is generally reserved for the most shocking movies around, such as the latest Jackass which has a stunt so disgusting that fans rushed out the cinema feeling sicking.

It is similarly rare for films to be outright banned from viewing, with Armie Hammer’s comeback movie being the most recent to achieve this after it was banned in Germany for its wildly offensive plot.

There is a film however that managed to achieve both however following the story of a queer man who becomes a serial killer.

Called Frisk, the 1995 movie stars Michael Gunther as Dennis, a young gay man who describes a series of grim murders to his best friend.

Based on a book published four years earlier, Frisk was outright banned in the UK in 1998 when it was judged ‘unsuitable for classification’, making it illegal to screen outside of very specific occasions where permission is sought from the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC).

Frisk is one of the rare modern movies to be banned in the UK (Strand Releasing)

The New York Times, writing in their 1996 review of the film, said: “This gruesome, boundary-pushing film, which opens today at the Quad Cinema, caused an uproar when it was shown last year at the San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.

“At a recent screening in Manhattan, its gory scenes of drugged-out punks being sodomized, strung up and murdered were enough to send a number of viewers scurrying to the exits.”

It features some pretty disturbing scenes, with one description of the film being “The Human Centipede, but gay.” As a queer person myself that does make me marginally more likely to watch it than The Human Centipede, but still unlikely to watch it at all.

Over the years though it has had a certain revival particularly due to the fact that, despite the film’s reputation, many of the worst things that Dennis did in the film are simply described, not actually shown.

Frisk is banned in the UK (Strand Releasing)

Queerty, writing about how the film was ‘ahead of its time’, said: “Frisk is actually more graphic in the sex department [than in the violence], although even that is quite muted in comparison to what a casual scroll on X can bring these days.”

Queerty continued, saying: “There’s no erotic warmth to [director, Todd Verow’s] work. It’s lifeless erotica in every sense of the word, and that worried a community already beset by harmful equations of homosexuality with perversion in Hollywood (especially during the AIDS crisis).

“But now that there’s far more positive representation out there than before, it becomes easier to look back at Frisk all these years later as something daring and important rather than harmful and disgusting.”

Not quite everyone agrees though that it should now be looked back on as a ‘classic’, with one IMDb review saying: “First of all, if you are not a gay man then you might as well not bother with this film. Even if you are a gay man, it is still important to note that it is *supposed* to be a revolting and disgusting film.

“Worth seeing if you have nothing else to do and have a strong constitution and a sick mind. Otherwise, don’t bother.”