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I Miss You, Hugs and Kisses

Original / alternate title: I Miss You, Hugs and Kisses
1978   |   Canada   |   Psychological horror / thriller

After a wealthy woman dies under suspicious circumstances, obsession, jealousy and murder ripple outward through a world of glamour, betrayal and unstable desire. The film turns a tabloid-style premise into a chilly Canadian psychological thriller with a surreal edge.

Film details

Original / alt titleI Miss You, Hugs and Kisses
Year1978
DirectorMurray Markowitz
CountryCanada
RuntimeApprox. 87 min
Main castElke Sommer, Donald Pilon, Chuck Shamata, George Touliatos

UK status

DPP 72 — DROPPED / ACQUITTED

Included on the DPP 72 list during the Video Nasty panic, but dropped rather than ending as one of the 39 successful prosecutions.

Current UK position:
Still mainly a cult collector title in Britain, remembered far more for its list status and unusual title than for any large-scale UK release.
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Why it caused controversy

The film was placed on the DPP list during the panic because its unclassified VHS release and psychological horror / thriller content were considered potentially obscene. The case was later dropped, acquitted or not successfully pursued, so it did not become one of the final 39 successful prosecutions.

UK censorship / Video Nasties history

A quick status check first, followed by the film’s censorship timeline. A DPP prosecution was an obscenity case against a particular video publication — it was not automatically the same thing as a permanent nationwide “ban”.

DPP listYes — DPP 72
Prosecuted?Dropped / acquitted / not successfully prosecuted
Seized?DPP-listed title; the list was used operationally in police raids, but this archive does not claim every individual cassette was seized
Banned / cut / rejected?Dropped: The case did not remain among the final 39 successful prosecutions.
Later BBFC certificateStill mainly a cult collector title in Britain, remembered far more for its list status and unusual title than for any large-scale UK release.
Now uncut / restored?Still mainly a cult collector title in Britain, remembered far more for its list status and unusual title than for any large-scale UK release.

Detailed censorship timeline & facts

1978Released in Canada as a psychological thriller starring Elke Sommer.
Early 1980sBecame more widely known in Britain through VHS circulation and collectors.
1983–1984Appeared on the DPP list during the Video Nasty panic.
DroppedThe case did not remain among the final 39 successful prosecutions.
Cult eraIts odd title and scarcity helped make it a collector favourite.

FACTS & TRIVIA

  • The film is based loosely on a real Canadian murder case.
  • Elke Sommer was one of the picture's main selling points in international marketing.
  • Its title is one of the most distinctive on the entire DPP list.
  • The movie sits closer to psychological melodrama than splatter horror.
  • Collectors have long sought out original UK video sleeves and tape variants.
  • Its DPP status was as a dropped title, not a successful prosecution.

Distributor / VHS label

Video release

Archive cover shown is the user-supplied scan. UK distributor / VHS-label attribution varies by edition and is not asserted here without a verified sleeve imprint.

Trailer

Open a search for the original theatrical / VHS-era trailer. This keeps the archive linking to publicly available trailer sources rather than hosting copyrighted film footage.

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Research sources

DPP 72 list ↗
Archive note: the DPP list changed during 1983–84. This site distinguishes the 39 successfully prosecuted titles from the 33 acquitted / dropped titles, and separately labels related censorship-era films.

Related films

Inferno1980 • DPP — DROPPED 33
Killer Nun1979 • DPP — DROPPED 33
Late Night Trains1975 • DPP — DROPPED 33
Terror Eyes1981 • DPP — DROPPED 33