JACKSON, Tenn. — Students in a Tennessee classroom viewed part of a film that has been referred to as "torture porn"[1] and banned in some countries.
Superintendent Verna Ruffin confirmed to The Jackson Sun that students at Jackson Central-Merry High School had viewed Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) after a parent called the paper to report the incident.
Ruffin would not say why the students had seen the movie, or whether the teacher in that classroom had been suspended or otherwise disciplined.
"The matter has been addressed," Ruffin said. "It's inappropriate and unacceptable."
The Jackson Sun obtained a copy of the letter sent to parents from Jackson Central-Merry's principal two days after the incident.
"I understand that on Wednesday, April 20, 2016, your student may have inadvertently viewed inappropriate content in a JCM classroom," the letter stated. "This occurrence is inconsistent with our Mission and Vision at Jackson Central Merry."
The letter does not mention the title of the film.
"I have investigated the situation and talked to those involved," the letter read. "Immediate action has been taken to assure that there will be no further occurrences."
Human Centipede 2 is unrated in the United States and was initially banned in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
The British Board of Film Classification only granted the movie an 18 certificate, the rough equivalent of a NC-17 rating in the United States, after extensive cuts were made, according to the organization's website.
According to the British Board of Film Classification, the movie's central focus "is the sexual arousal of this character at the idea and later the spectacle of the total degradation, humiliation, mutilation, torture, rape and murder of his naked victims."
Ruffin said she did not know how much of the movie the students saw or how many students were present.
Jackson Central-Merry Principal Charles Clark did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.
Follow Katherine Burgess on Twitter: @kathsburgess
