 The film was rejected by the British film censors in 1975, but it  did get a limited cinema release in the London area thanks to the  GLC (Greater London Council). It was banned again in 1977, when the  censors attempts to cut it were unsuccessful, (for the purposes of  a wider release), then it was banned again in 1984, due to the  growing controversy involving video nasties. In 1999, after the  censors finally changed their policy, they took the plunge, and  passed it uncut, for the cinema and video, after 25 years, since  they first banned it.