board passed Gaspar Noé's Irréversible without any cuts. It said that the rape depicted in the film does not contain any explicit sexual images and is not designed to titillate. Less than a month later, Takashi Miike's Ichi the Killer had to be cut by three minutes and twenty-five seconds due to sexual violence. In this case, the scenes were felt to be potentially glamourising assault. Another example of cuts for sexual violence, as well as child protection issues, is A Serbian Film, a horror film about a retired porn star lured back into performing. Over four minutes of cuts were required, primarily to remove material involving children in sexual and sexually violent scenarios. The initially banned 1980 Italian film Cannibal Holocaust had five minutes and forty-four seconds of cuts to scenes of sexual violence and actual animal cruelty on its first submission in 2001, reduced to only a single cut of three seconds in 2011. Violence that dwells on the infliction of pain or injury is considered by the BBFC to exceed what is considered acceptable in the lower 15 category and is likely to result in an 18 certificate. The strongest graphic violence is also restricted to the 18 category. References or scenes of suicide or dangerous stunts, which can be easily imitated by youth, can lead to a DVD being given an 18 certificate. Volume 3 of the anime Paranoia Agent (which is normally rated 12 or 15) is rated 18 because of suicide references and violence, mostly in the episode "Happy Family Planning", which made light of suicide and featured a scene of someone pretending to hang himself, a scene which was edited by the BBFC until the series was released uncut on Blu-ray in 2021. An episode of House titled "Under My Skin" became the first and only one to be passed with an 18 certificate due to scenes depicting a suicide technique that can easily be imitated in real life. Most of the Jackass films are also given an 18 certificate because of dangerous and imitable stunts. Horror film distributors may consider an 18 rating preferable to the lower 15 category, as the rating is an indicator of the strength of the film's content. See also Motion picture rating system Obscene Publications Act R18 certificate, a more restrictive certificate used in the United Kingdom X certificate References External links Screen Online: 18 certificate British