VIDEO NASTIES - THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE (2011) - when slashers were slashed

VIDEO NASTIES - THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE

(2011, UK)

A monumental entry point into the VHS era of extreme movies

As you may have seen from the earlier post on my many encounters with Lucio Fulci's Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979), I survived being a horror fan in the era of the 'Video Nasty'.

But even after reading many articles and books on the phenomenon, this new documentary is the ideal guide to it all. Unpleasant memories, new revelations, expert reminiscences and a lot of laughs! This is all assuming you have a stomach for the excesses of 1970s and 1980s exploitation, which pushed the boundaries of taste as far as they could. It's fascinating to see which classics got sucked into the debate and what pushed society's buttons then, compared to now.

The documentary (72 minutes) on the first of three DVDs in the set, begins with the most outrageous, bloodiest montage I've ever seen. A joyous parade of the most notorious censored footage of the time, all in one glorious extended sequence, a celebration of most of it now being legally available. It's like one of those respectful sequences you get in Oscar ceremonies, but with boobs, blood and, ahem, swastikas.

Kim Newman - author of Nightmare Movies

The style settles down a little after that, and we're guided by many of the movie experts who were out there on the front line watching and writing. We also hear from new horror directors inspired by the era, and meet the defiant opponents of nastiness, concerned viewers who speak for the masses, film censors and even MPs involved at the time. Media professor Julian Petley emerges as an unlikely hero, bravely slating censorship in a TV debate at a time when newspapers were attacking video dealers with the same level of venom now reserved for child-murderers. A voice of reason then and now, he signals the more underhand aspects of the whole affair.

One of the faked Faces of Death

Today, talking about swearing, sex and zombies might seem silly in retrospect, but this was all taken very seriously, with hefty fines, imprisonment and press hysteria driving dozens of the named 'nasty' movies underground. The madness is described and illustrated, as well as the tortured and underhand passage of the law getting through Parliament. I'm of the opinion that government and press enjoy these issues that distract the public from more important and complex societal problems (war, unemployment, corruption). They can scapegoat something (video games are copping it at the moment), demonise it, then be seen to solve it. BAN IT! Once banned, many of the films weren't legally available for the next ten years or more.

Watching the whole story in one hit, I was appalled by the lack of research sought by Parliament ministers, the arbitrary application of the law and the carelessness with which it was passed. It occurred to me that this was an example of maybe how all laws in this country are slapped together. It also implies a wider question on what other information is censored.

Dr Patricia MacCormack adding an Australian feminist perspective with a sense of humour

But it's not nearly that heavy and mostly debauched fun, with dismay and shock at the ridiculousness of the phenomenon. Though these horror experts occasionally appear unable to defend the scenes of rape, evisceration, and zombie pest control in their entertainment, and rarely talk seriously about the relation to nastier subjects in the real world.

Movie censorship is now relatively relaxed, and modern horror has moved up a notch to challenge what's acceptable. This remains is a thorough guide to the excessive censorship of the 1980s, its specific obsessions, and the key exploitation hits of the era.

In the rush to prosecute, classics by George Romero, Tobe Hooper, Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci and Sam Raimi were also on the banned list. Completely obscure movies that were included got given a boost in notoriety. Kim Newman observes that the behind-the-scenes story of their censor cuts are often more interesting than some of the movies themselves.

I didn't enjoy the opening assassination of the VHS format, accompanied by a digital approximation of what faults looked like. I was surprised at director Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers, The Descent) berating videotapes at such length. The many faults highlighted were mostly the results of bootlegging, caused by incompetent copying and tape damage. It's an outburst at odds with the rising current nostalgia for the format. Other horror directors like Chris Smith (Creep, Black Death) also remember the influence of these films on theirs.

Alan Jones - is that his lounge or the Psychotronic video store?

Despite the controversies, writer and author Kim Newman always manages to find a humorous angle to the proceedings, keeping it in perspective. He's also far more enthusiastic about his favourites than fellow reviewer and Argento-biographer Alan Jones, who seems to assume that everyone's seen them all by now. Allan Bryce is similarly laidback but occasionally amusing, though I'm surprised he's actually involved here, considering the controversy that shut down publication of his magazine The Dark Side for six years.

My main quibble is that it's too short. I'd happily watch them all talk for longer, especially about something I've devoted so much time, money and energy on - collecting my favourite movies.

Many movies were judged by their covers

One aspect I'd like to have heard more about were the video covers. They briefly theorise that's why some films were banned (we aren't allowed to know the actual legal reasons for being on the list). But the covers were a key part of the problem and no-one mentions they ended up having to be approved as well as the content. If the sleeves had simply been cleaned up, more films might have escaped banishment. The industry even tried to pre-empt trouble by offering the famous double-sided insert sleeves for each video box, leaving the dealers the dilemma of which way to display each film.

Discs 2 and 3 impressively collects a trailer for every last film that was on 'the list', together with an optional informed introduction from the experts who appear in the documentary. All lovingly presented in anamorphic 16:9, in line with the rest of the set. These two discs are much longer than the documentary itself.

The term 'video nasties' always made them sound like a tempting challenge. This lengthy experience helps sort out which were dull, unscary, zero-budget or genuinely tasteless. Do you really want to see that?

Hours of entertainment, a very adult Halloween party tape, a cautionary tale, and a great round-up of what to pursue and what to avoid with a wide bargepole.

Video Nasties - The Definitive Guide is on DVD in the UK, region 2 PAL.


An extended interview with director Jake West about the project, here on Cinemart.

Very thorough review of the boxset and its extra contents, here on DVD Outsider.

A brief review that lists all of the movie trailers in this collection, on MyReviewer.

Ken Russell's THE DEVILS gets DVD special edition (next March)

I actually never thought this was ever going to happen. Ken Russell's The Devils is coming to DVD in March 2012. (See the official BFI news item here).

Three years ago I wrote this article about The Devils (1971). After appearing on VHS in the UK (cropped and strangely squeezed to 1.33), there have been no other home video releases. Mark Kermode showed many of the controversial sequences on TV in a revelatory documentary that should have sparked a DVD release, the same way that his programme on The Exorcist inspired an expanded re-release in cinemas. But even after the news that Warner Brothers had remastered an uncut version of The Devils, it never arrived. It briefly surfaced for a couple of days on iTunes, which was presumably a mistake.

But now, after several screenings of the fully restored version in London, one with the director himself in attendance, it looks like the film will finally debut on DVD in the UK, released by the BFI. But they've also confirmed that the controversial 'rape of Christ' scene cannot be used because it hasn't been licenced to them by Warner Brothers.

The DVD special edition will instead feature the original 'X' certificate version released in UK cinemas back in 1971, as well as commentary and many extras featuring both the director and superfan Mark Kermode. The TV documentary 'Hell On Earth' presented by Mark Kermode could be included but will presumably lose it's glimpse of the missing scene as well. BFI haven't officially confirmed all the extra features as yet.

Despite this not being 'the director's cut' fans were hoping for, this is still a magnificent film, spectacular in scale, subject and bravado. If you thought the exorcism in The Exorcist was shocking (made two years later), you ain't seen nothing yet. Like Russell's biographies of classical composers, The Devils is an exaggerated version of actual events (based on the heavily researched book by Aldous Huxley).

Terrific news, but you'll have to be patient until March of next year. Until then, ignore any other DVDs for sale online, they're not official releases and some have been 'bumped up' from VHS.

Of course there's always the hope that if this sells well, Warner Brothers will relent and release the missing scene, which has already been digitally restored. At the moment there are no plans for a Blu-ray release either.

Thanks to Jonny Sambuca for getting my facts right! (Entry corrected on 16th November...)

Details of the DVD extras are here at the ZetaMinor forum.

My extended look at the movie The Devils is here.

For news and updates on the release, follow this Facebook page.

NFL Power Poll - Week 9

Sorry, had this done on Tuesday but forgot to post:

1. Green Bay Packers (8-0)
2. Baltimore Ravens (6-2)
3. San Francisco 49ers (7-1)
4. New Orleans Saints (6-3)
5. New York Giants (6-2)
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3)
7. Atlanta Falcons (5-3)
8. Detroit Lions (6-2)
9. New England Patriots (5-3)
10. New York Jets (5-3)
11. Houston Texans (6-3)
12. Chicago Bears (5-3)
13. Cincinnati Bengals (6-2)
14. Buffalo Bills (5-3)
15. San Diego Chargers (4-4)
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4)
17. Dallas Cowboys (4-4)
18. Oakland Raiders (4-4)
19 Tennessee Titans (4-4)
20. Kansas City Chiefs (4-4)
21. Philadelphia Eagles (3-5)
22. Cleveland Browns (3-5)
23. Denver Broncos (3-5)
24. Minnesota Vikings (2-6)
25. Carolina Panthers (2-6)
26. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6)
27. Washington Redskins (3-5)
28. Arizona Cardinals (2-6)
29. Seattle Seahawks (2-6)
30. St Louis Rams (1-7)
31. Miami Dolphins (1-7)
32. Indianapolis Colts (0-9)

ZOMBIE FLESH EATERS cost me an arm and a leg...

We are going to fleece you...

The awesome documentary Video Nasties: A Definitive Guide (2011) lives up to its name. But as I started to review it, I could only think of all the time and money I've spent on horror films over this period. For example, a case in point...

UK release poster

It's also called Zombie or Zombie 2, but I saw Lucio Fulci's first zombie epic as Zombie Flesh Eaters in 1979 in my local cinema in London's suburbia, four times in a fortnight. Despite being an 'X' certificate (no one under 18), it was censored for UK cinemas by over two minutes. The eye scene, the 'banquet' and all the throat-ripping was missing (and more). Some cuts were fairly obvious: on film, the image runs in front of the lens at a different point from the audio pick-up. If a shot is cut from a print, the sound that is removed on that section doesn't exactly match the images that remain. You still hear part of the removed scene! A split-second of screams and gory sound effects would tip off the audience that something was missing. These faults could also be heard on the VHS release.

Yes, the next time I'd see Zombie Flesh Eaters was on an uncertificated VHS, rented from the local video shop. The first release (above, from 1980) was the same version that I'd seen in the cinema, though of course I'd hoped that it would be less cut. Once I knew a film was censored, I'd always hope that the next time it would be more complete. Maybe the next incarnation...

In 1981 there was a special 'strong uncut' edition. Another VHS rental (too expensive to buy), totally uncensored but still 'pan-and-scanned', cropped to 1.33 from 2.35 widescreen.

But then in 1983 the government banned the film altogether. "Video nasties" had been singled out, even though this film had been legally shown in the cinema. Now it couldn't be sold or rented any more, even if it was cut. At the same time, every movie in the UK would have to be checked by the censorship board for its home video release. Even the sleeve art had to be approved, by a separate organisation.

It would be ten more years before Zombie Flesh Eaters was again legally allowed on VHS in the UK. In the meantime, many of the banned copies that had been available in the video rental shops hit the black market at high prices - the only way to see it, unless you risked a bootlegged copy. If a VHS was copied down several generations, you'd maybe see what you were missing without seeing it too clearly.

This widescreen version was released by Vipco in 1996. My first official copy, a 17-year wait. Not the three months you have to wait for a DVD. But now incomplete.

Wormface laserdisc

By this time, horror fans were looking abroad to countries where there was less censorship. American videotape was even poorer quality than the UK system, but laserdiscs offered better picture and sound, as well as widescreen. Zombie Flesh Eaters almost uncut, was available on this US laserdisc in 1998.

Fans would scour the world - finding which country had censored which scenes. US censorship was sometimes more, sometimes less than the UK cinema release. Japanese versions added subtitles, fuzzed out nudity but kept more gore. Take your pick. American laserdiscs were also about $30, Japanese at least double that. But an uncut bootleg VHS might cost just the same.

In this chaotic time (pre-internet) accurate information was scarce. One of the few guides to the many versions out there was Video Watchdog magazine. It saved me money because the obsessive writers had checked through everything. It cost me money by highlighting many wonderful and obscure horror films I'd not heard of. Video Watchdog became a bible for the next two decades.

Finally - uncut on DVD

James Ferman, the head of the censorship board who'd presided over movie classification in the UK, passed over the reins in 1999. There was finally a change in attitude, an acceptance that the internet had raised the bar far higher than what was on home video. Finally, many of the video nasties could be released uncut on DVD (and of course then again as a special edition). I had my complete version of Zombie Flesh Eaters after a twenty-five year wait (on DVD in the US in 2004, 2005 in the UK).

Special edition DVD

I'll soon get it on blu-ray, for the carefully restored version, in far better condition than the scratchy print I saw in the cinema.

But this is just one horror film and all the versions that I can remember seeing and buying (yes, all of the above). All the while, taking seriously the many issues surrounding violence and sexualisation in movies, TV, and video games. The press and even the government have thrown a barrage of psychologists and urban myths to muddy the debates, even linking movies to murders. I've followed many of the arguments through the years, read way too much research, all to justify me seeing a bloody zombie movie!

While improved quality and DVD extras now entice us into buying duplicate editions of a movie, it was the censor cuts that fuelled most of my expensive 'double-dips' in a variety of formats. At least the trail of tape, laserdisc and DVD makes it easy to track the evolution of releases, a 'paper' trail that will soon be lost in the digital world.

TV showings are no longer archived, movies are streamed or downloaded. Working out which version of a classic film you own is going to be hard. Without packaging or release dates - how will you know you've got a director's cut or an original? Which is which, which was first, which is the best?

Journey's end - me with two stars of Zombie Flesh Eaters -
Al Cliver and stuntman Ottaviano Dell'Acqua (Wormeye!)

Thanks for all the hard work done by Melon Farmers, for tracking the many censored incarnations of, well, everything through the years. I'd never have remembered all those release dates.

Brooklyn Bridge, 2000 - my own little zombie (flesh eaters) walk

Next up will be my actual review of Video Nasties: A Definitive Guide which got me into this rant in the first place...

Yup

Halloween 2011 Recap

I love the Halloween season, it gives me a month long time frame to watch the horror movies that make me laugh or scream and I always try to add some classic horror movies I have never seen. Last year I ended up seeing 23 films that had to do with the mystery/horror/suspense genres (click HERE to read these) .

This year I did not plan to do try and see a ton of those type of movies but the season did hit me and I tried to watch some movies that would get me into the mood of the month. I was having a great time following two people who did an amazing job of making October really special.

My brother aka Colonel Mortimer wrote a blog on horror movies for every day in October, click HERE to check it out! I also am happy to be a huge fan of James Rolfe (aka the Angry Video Game Nerd) who daily reviewed a horror movie sequel, he calls it Monster Madness. I knew that everyday in October I could wake up and look forward to reading a blog or watching a video, it all made for a fun and educational month of October.

Here is the movies I saw in October that made it a fun month:

Troll Hunter (2010) -- A pretty cool Norewigan movie that I saw a preview for a while ago and thought it looked interesting. Pretty much shot in the found footage type of genre. I thought the movie used the special effects well and the acting was good. A fun little movie. I hear its being remade for the USA already.







Dead Of Night (1974) -- I had this one on my netflix for a while, it was mostly because it was directed by the late Bob Clark (A Christmas Story) and I read about it in a few books. The movie is about a man coming back from war, but he is not the same man. I found it interesting but slow at times. Also found out it is called Deathdream in some places.

Scream 4 (2011) -- I started to wonder why netflix didn't really have a long wait considering I got this movie a day or so after it was released. I now know why....OK the movie is not total garbage but it has many flaws. If you like the other scream films the movie will be right up your ally since it has whoever has lived through the first 3 movies. I really enjoyed the opening credits, you are really never sure what is going on at that point. The rest of the movie is just a rehash of the other 3 movies.

April Fool's Day (1986) -- I had seen the movie a long time ago when I was younger so I knew all about the ending. I found this to be an entertaining movie. It is about a bunch of college kids going to a cabin in the woods...sounds very cliche and most of it is. Still a fun watch.








Beetlejuice (1988) -- It is really weird to see Alec Bladwin being so young, he seemed to never take on a role or be in a movie like this one again. I feel the movie is a good comedy and has all the Burton elements he would go on to use in his later films. I wish Michael Keaton could have had more of a starring role, for being the character the movies name after he is only in around 20 minutes of it. Still a great movie to watch to see Burton when he wasn't just doing remakes.

The Howling (1981) -- I put off seeing this one for a while, but urged on because of my brother's blog I finally watched it. Starts off sort of slow but overall I thought this was a fresh take on the Wolfman movies.

Rosemary's Baby (1968) -- I just love it, it was a masterpiece. The acting was perfect! I cannot believe that I had never seen it before since it was so renowned. I really like how you can feel for Rosemary and how no one will believe all the strange things she is seeing. I can tell why this is a classic.








Practical Magic (1999) -- Is what you watch when you are hanging out with two females who decide they want to watch a scary movie. You have two future oscar winners (Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock) be witches with a curse on them.

Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) -- I figured I would watch this one since I watched the first one. Overall if you can get past the really slow pace and some bad acting (especially from the dad) then it is somewhat okay. I liked most of all how it tied into the first films and gives and ending to that movie.

Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight (1995) -- When I first saw this as a 15 year old it was perfect for me. A movie that had some gore and action but mixed with that right amount of humor. Seeing it again as an older man I still found enjoyment but could also see how the 15 year old me would love it. Overall this is still a fun movie but maybe not as a good as I once thought.

Trick'R Treat (2007) -- This underrated movie is like Creepshow but if it was for just Halloween. I still enjoy the movie even though I know everything that is going to happen throughout it. I shared it with my girlfriend, who seemed to not hate it! It is becoming must watch movie every October.







Repulsion (1965) -- After Rosemary's Baby I wanted to see more of director Roman Polanksi . Repulsion is about a woman who is home alone and slowly starts seeing and hearing weird things, as she slips slowly into madness. It was very uncomfortable movie to watch (which it was going for), great directing here again.

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) -- Another Halloween time favorite! Halloween III is slowly getting a good buzz, well at least with the people I show it too. I have shared the movie with a few friends, this year it was my roommate who I showed it too. I just love this movie and feel it is always fun to watch around Halloween. Atkins rules!







Well that is it for this year. I wasn't trying to watch a certain amount of movie this time but overall they all added to the enjoyment of the season.

APPROPRIATE ADULT (2011) - Dominic West as Fred West

APPROPRIATE ADULT

(2011, UK, TV)

A horrendous true story that keeps on getting worse... 

The horrifying crimes of Fred and Rosemary West threatened to eclipse those of all previous British serial killers, with ghastly excesses that fuelled tabloid headlines for years. The Moors Murders, a couple that abducted and murdered children, still haunt England from the distant mists of the mid-1960s. These crimes at 25, Cromwell Street, uncovered in the mid-1990s, started with assault and murder in the family home... 

The case set a new low benchmark for inhumanity reported in this country. Not in a war zone. Not on the other side of the world. But in an ordinary street, that could easily have been next door.

The idea of adapting the Wests' story as a TV drama, even fifteen years later, sounded impossible. The amount of sexual violence would be hard to work around on mainstream TV.

I wasn't even going to watch Appropriate Adult until it was announced that Dominic West, star of the acclaimed TV series The Wire, was to play Fred West. This indicated a more serious approach than a lurid reconstruction. For the actor, it was potentially a gamble to play one of the most hated men of recent years.

There's a huge disparity in taste between approaches to true crime on TV. I was surprised by an ITV documentary about the Moors Murders which suffered indifferent acting and poor taste crime recreations. Yet the Channel 4 drama Longford (2006) found an intriguing angle to dramatise part of the story, pitting Jim Broadbent (Brazil) as Lord Longford against Samantha Morton (A.I.) as Myra Hindley. But I wasn't expecting such an intelligent drama about Fred and Rosemary from the more mainstream ITV.

The script cleverly follows an appropriate adult, a civilian (Emily Watson) invited into the case when Fred is arrested to ensure he's being understood by the police, as he's suspected of being mentally vulnerable (there's irony for you). Each time they discover a crime has been committed, the more victims there turn out to be. Sitting in on police interviews with Fred West (Dominic West), she also accompanies him and the police in the hunt for where he might have hidden the bodies. Without his cooperation, there'll be no evidence.

As an investigation, this isn't a barrage of flashy technology cracking the case, like in CSI. It's not built around violent flashbacks, like a horror film. We're simply faced with the suspect, trying to discover what and why he did. Is he as stupid as he looks? Is he lying? It starts with a missing person, but the more the police dig, the more crimes they unearth. 

Emily Watson (soon to be seen in War Horse) is excellent as the 'appropriate adult' brought in without any preparation to hear West's interrogations and confessions. Unfortunately, Fred starts confiding in her, placing her in increasingly difficult quandaries.

Dominic West is frighteningly convincing, all the more chilling because we're hearing some of the words and motivations of the original murderer in an eerie impersonation of him. The distinction between murders that he does or doesn't find upsetting, the casual way he admits to further crimes. Particularly chilling is the way the victims 'speak to him' as he gets closer to where they were buried.

Rosemary West (Monica Dolan) is a frightening figure who's mostly in the background, with an unconcealed violent attitude towards everyone around her. In contrast, the calm and usually relaxed Fred insists she has nothing to do with all of it.

Shown as two feature-length parts, the first was very tight dramatically, showing the short claustrophobic period of his early interrogations. The second part was less satisfying, because it had to match real events, her sporadic involvement struggles to keep the viewpoint inside the investigation to the end.
The whole story can't be told as completely as a work of fiction would, because of the lack of evidence and the labyrinthine legal process. But I wish the programme had been a little clearer about how some of obstacles to the case had been overcome.

This serves as a restrained reminder of what this pair did, without showing the gory details. But also focuses on how hard it is to establish the truth, even with so much circumstantial evidence and the criminals in custody. 

It's not just a situation where an ordinary person is in the same room with someone describing horror, but one where she gets the confidence of and insight into the mind of a psychotic multiple murderer. This took me as close as I wanted to get, and in as much detail as I could take. There are also hints that there were further, even nastier crimes...

It's available on region 2 DVD in the UK (pictured at the top).

NFL Power Poll - Week 8

1. Green Bay Packers (7-0) The only team left undefeated, for how much longer?

2. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) A huge win over the Patriots makes the Steelers back as the class of the AFC.

3. San Francisco 49ers (6-1) The team just wins games!

4. New England Patriots (5-2) A loss on the road in a tough environment, but the team seems to be lacking something this season.

5. New Orleans Saints (5-3) Got beat by the Rams, only reason I can think of is that the Rams wore the throwback jerseys (they should just wear them every week).

6. Detroit Lions (6-2) Blasted the Tebow led Broncos, this might give them back some of the swagger after two losses in a row.

7. Baltimore Ravens (5-2) Whew, almost lost to Arizona at home...big concerns with the passing game and Flacco have emerged.

8. Atlanta Falcons (4-3) They were on a bye week but I still feel they are better than a lot of others in the NFC.

9. New York Jets (4-3) Joe McNight is getting my vote for return man pro bowler!

10. Buffalo Bills (5-2) Shut out the Redskins in Canada!

11. San Diego Chargers (4-3) Lost in OT to the surging Chiefs, why is Norv Turner still coaching this team?

12. New York Giants (5-2) Had a close win against the bad Dolphins.

13. Houston Texans (5-3) Texans remain perfect agaisnt the AFC South with win.

14. Kansas City Chiefs (4-3) I never counted this team out but thought the injures would too much to get back in this, but hey that why they play the games.

15. Oakland Raiders (4-3) Had a bye week to get Carson Palmer ready.

16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3) Another team on a bye week.

17. Chicago Bears (4-3) Yet another team on a bye week!

18. Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) This team is doing surprisingly well with the young talent they have, and wow they get two more first round picks for trading Palmer.

19 Philadelphia Eagles (3-4) Ah the Eagles coming off a bye week never lose, is this the game that signals the turn around?

20. Dallas Cowboys (3-4) This team is so inconsistent.

21. Tennessee Titans (4-3) Chris Johnson is averaging 2.8 yards per carry but this team is still winning.

22. Cleveland Browns (3-4) They are down to their third string running back now.

23. Minnesota Vikings (2-6) The tough loss team finally is able to pull out a close win, Ponder looks much better then McNabb.

24. Carolina Panthers (2-6) Panthers could be a team to reckon with, but maybe starting next year.

25. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6) MJD leads the AFC in rushing (and fumbles?)

26. Washington Redskins (3-4) Look, record with Beck is 0-2...I think we all know it is time for Grossman to step back in!

27. Seattle Seahawks (2-5) They were almost never beat at home last year, this year 1-2 at home.

28. St Louis Rams (1-6) Throwback jerseys lead to a huge win over the Saints.

29. Denver Broncos (2-5) Tebow gets credit for a win last week and should take the blame for loss this week, welcome to the NFL kid.

30. Arizona Cardinals (1-6) Had a good game agaisnt the Ravens on the road but ultimately the proved to be who we thought they were.

31. Miami Dolphins (0-7) They sure are playing like they would like a certain future QB.

32. Indianapolis Colts (0-8) They are sure playing like they miss a certain hall of fame QB.