Scavengers (1987): disturbing British public information film about the fur trade
By Shantleen Kaur Dhanoa
Just in case you haven't heard of public information films (also known as PIFs or public service films), they are basically short films, usually commissioned by the government, that try to educate the public about a particular topic. This PIF is from the UK, and it was produced by Lynx (later renamed Respect For Animals), an animal rights organization known for making horror movie style PIFs that criticize the fur clothing industry because of its perceived cruelty towards animals. This PIF was rated “18” (the closest counterpart in the UK to the Motion Picture Association 's NC-17 rating) for cinema release, and was shown before horror movies in British cinemas.
Plot
The PIF opens with a fly (from its point of view) flying into a fashion shop. Around the same time, a wealthy woman's limo pulls up outside the same fashion shop. A butler swats the fly away, and the camera then cuts to more flies swarming in the air vents and around the shop. The woman tries on some fur coats, while the flies swarm into a different coat, situated across the room. Intercut with the action are shots of flies and maggots feeding on what appears to be a carcass. The woman approaches the aforementioned coat and opens it to reveal that the unidentified mammal carcass is actually the inside of the fur coat on the rack!
A horrific screeching noise is heard, and we once again cut to closeups of flies and maggots feeding on the bloodied flesh inside the coat! A beating heart falls out, landing on the floor near the woman and a crowd gathers where the incident is happening. The film then fades to a black screen with the following message (in white lettering):
"When animals are killed for their fur, two kinds of scavengers move in.
The difference is the flies don't know any better."
How Effective Is It?
Symbolism
The rotting corpse inside the fur coat represents the mammals who were killed and traded for their fur. The PIF also dehumanizes the human characters by comparing their shopping for fur coats to the flies feeding on a rotten carcass.
Scare Factor
This PIF is just bizarre nightmare fuel, especially the ending where one of the fur coats is revealed to be a rotting corpse, while a screeching noise reminiscent of the Psycho shower scene is heard while more disgusting closeups of the flies and maggots are shown!!! Like many British PIFs, it is a mini-horror movie with a bizarre build-up that could be mistaken by unprepared viewers for a hygiene commercial. Due to the video’s poor quality, this was my first thought when I watched it as part of the Top 50 Scariest PIFs (UK) compilation video.
Availability
Originally shown in British cinemas before horror movies, there is a 4K remaster of this PIF available on YouTube (by helloimapizza):