10 Best Films Based On Urban Legends

10. 8mm

Snuff films have long been the topic of discussion - whispered rumours of bootleg VHS tapes that feature onscreen murders are still something many people believe exist. They aren't just for a serial killer's personal collection - those exist - these tapes are circulated on the black market. The likely source of the legend comes from the Faces of Death series, which employed special effects to purportedly portray onscreen murder and suicide. When Roggero Deodato's Cannibal Holocaust was released, the director had to clear himself of murder in court by bringing to rumoured murdered actor along with him.

Fact of the matter is, the reality or unreality of a snuff film is virtually impossible to prove if one chooses not to disclose the truth. There were several films about the dangerous, perverted reality of the snuff world, but none caught more attention than Joel Schumacher's 8mm, scripted by Se7en's Andrew Kevin Walker.

In the film, investigator Nicolas Cage is hired by a wealthy widow to uncover whether or not an unearthed snuff film from her late husband's collection is real or not. From there, Cage is led to the L.A. underground, the kind of dark yet still neon freak show Schumacher revels in. A wacky, seemingly pansexual Joaquin Phoenix is his guide.

It's an interesting premise, sadly undone in the final act when it unspools into a standard revenge thriller. What's most disconcerting is its portrayal of homosexuality - particularly exploitative for someone like Schumacher.