Those of a particular vintage may already be familiar with the term ‘video nasty’. For the uninitiated, it refers to films that were deemed too violent, pornographic, or both, by regulators in the ‘80s. A number of these tapes were subsequently banned, shrouding them in notoriety among collectors.

Whether it’s watching outlawed videos, underage drinking, or touching a scalding plate after a waiter’s warning, as adolescents, there’s often an allure to doing the things we’re told not to. This intrigue is at the centre of Virgin Media’s hilarious new comedy-horror.

Starting out in Dublin in 1985, best friends Billy (Justin Daniels Anene) and Con (Cal O’Driscoll) are in sixth year, waiting to finish school so they can head to London and work in the horror movie industry. In the meantime, they’ve been stealing money from the debs committee to fund purchases of illicit cassettes.

They’re just one away from finishing their collection of 72 video nasties, with Billy promising his wimpy sidekick that they’ll sell the entire thing and repay their classmates once it’s complete. Thus, alongside Cal’s sister Zoe (Leia Murphy), the teenagers set out on a reckless journey to meet Billy’s pen pal in the UK, who supposedly has possession of the elusive object.

Video Nasty, like Sing Street or an Irish version of Stranger Things, oozes nostalgic charm in its depiction of the ‘80s.

Simone Kirby in Video Nasty

“It took the effort of everybody on the crew, from the costumes and sets down to the props,” says Leia. “Everything was so detailed – all I had to do was step onto set and I felt like I was in that world.”

The three young leads also took it into their own hands to immerse themselves.

“I really enjoy making a playlist for every character that I play,” Leia shares. “It had Madonna and The Cure. My dad was in a band in the ‘80s so he was showing me all his inspirations.”

“I’ve always been obsessed with the ‘80s,” Cal adds. “My dad used to work in pirate radio, so he has about 800 records in his collection. I’ve spent a lot of time going through all of them. I have a Walkman and wear all the baggy clothes. On Con’s playlist we have Bronski Beat, Madonna, Thompson Twins, Orange Juice, all of that.”

Justin’s taste is a little more contemporary.

“My favourite artist is Hozier, hands down,” he says. “My dream role is to be in one of his music videos. If you gave me the choice between doing that or the next Chritopher Nolan film, I’m picking the music video, though my agent would probably kill me.”

Another factor aiding Video Nasty’s authenticity is Cal and Justin’s real-life chemistry, with the two being close friends away from the set.

“We go back about five years now,” Cal says. “I remember the day we met, we both said we wanted to get into this acting thing, so it’s a full circle moment.”

Their on-screen relationship, though, is far from healthy.

“Billy especially is excited by the fact that this whole thing is illegal,” Cal shares. “He’s making money and he’s not following the crowd. Con is just a follower. He’ll do whatever Billy does, and Billy will find a way to kind of manipulate him into doing that.”

The two lads share an Inbetweeners-y, low-runged status in their secondary school’s social hierarchy, but their backgrounds couldn’t be more different. Con is the golden child in a nuclear Irish family, while Billy stands as a motherless, mixed-race teen living with his immature and judgemental African father.

“I did look at it as a coping mechanism,” Justin says, touching on his character’s fascination with the guts and gore of low-budget splatter films. “There’s also his relationship with his pen pal. He’s looking for a woman’s love. Even though he loves his tapes, there is a little bit of him that wants to go to England because he could be meeting his dream girl.”

To make matters worse, Billy is regularly on the receiving end of racist and homophobic slurs at the behest of gurrier, hurling jock, bully and all-round asshole Luke, played by Ryan Burke.
“There was a big debate at the beginning when they were talking about putting it in the show, but it wouldn’t have been doing the time justice if they didn’t,” Cal says of the language.

“I was an advocate for it,” adds Justin. “I don’t think we should deny how people spoke back in the ‘80s. It might not be nice to hear, but to say there was no racism would be lying.”
Contrasting with the puerile lads is Zoe, a cigarette-smoking, binge-drinking delinquent who has a tetchy relationship with her parents and hangs around skinheads. While she’s cheekier and more popular than her brother and his friend, it’s clear she has some personal struggles bubbling under the surface.

“There’s hardships that come with every era,” Leia reflects. “I feel like nowadays, there’s so much pressure on teenagers with social media and all of that. But Zoe, she’s had a bit of a hard time at home and when we start the show, she doesn’t want to talk to anyone about what she’s been through or any of those mental health issues. She’s hiding a lot of vulnerability behind the wall of attitude.

“But she’s definitely the most emotionally intelligent out of the three of them. She’s very good in a crisis and has her head screwed on straight.”

• Video Nasty is available to stream now on Virgin Media Play.