Exploited Video was launched in 1998 specialising in releasing independent US horror films from the 70s and 80s including Alan Ormsby and Jeff Gillen’s Deranged (1974) and Three on a Meat-Hook (1972). The label immediately ruffled the wrong feathers, with objections being raised by the Video Packaging Review Committee on drafted VHS artwork. Their submissions of William Lustig’s Maniac (1980) and Wes Craven’s The Last House on the Left (1972) to the BBFC for certification (and rejection) was seen as a declaration of defiance.

Exploited co-founder David Gregory takes time to talk to writer and Abertoir contributor Tristan Thompson to reflect on his passion for horror and exploitation films, his industry beginnings, and provides a fascinating insight into the logistics and battles of creating a niche horror label for the UK in the 90s – all under the gaze of the stringent BBFC attitudes of the time.