Pushing the Cassette: How Taboo Defined 1980s Itaeng Entertainment and Popular Media

This article dissects the most controversial films, television events, and popular media phenomena of 1980, revealing why they were banned, why audiences craved them, and how their DNA survives in today's streaming landscape.

1. The Unsimulated: The introduction of hardcore elements into narrative cinema (e.g., Caligula released widely in 1980 in edited forms).
2. The Real Death: Mondo films and shockumentaries that featured genuine fatalities, animal cruelty, and autopsies.
3. The Political Nihilism: Films that suggested the state or the family were irredeemably corrupt, often ending without justice.
4. The Occult Panic: A surge in Satanic imagery linked to real-world crimes (the "Satanic Panic" began its incubation here).

2. Cinema: The Golden Age of Italian Erotic and “Decadent” Thrillers

"Taboo" (1980) is a film directed by Nagisa Ōshima, a renowned Japanese filmmaker known for his provocative and often controversial works. The film, also known as "Empire of Passion" or "Ai no Korīda" in Japanese, explores themes of desire, obsession, and the transgression of societal norms, all set against the backdrop of Japan's tumultuous pre-World War II era.

Popular Media and the Taboo

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Taboo Topics in Italian Cinema