A Super-8 camera bearing a supposed snuff film accidentally floated away on some balloons (used as a cheap crane effect), was found and watched by a farmer, who freaked and gave it to the authorities, who tried to solve the case for a year before acting on a tip from an art student and discovering that it was the popular heavy metal rock act Nine Inch Nails. In the Smithsonian of Novel Ways to Promote Music, this Pretty Hate Machine-era stunt, accidental or not, is, when compared to what Reznor would do later, something akin to finding the Wright Brothers' first popsicle-stick airplane model. Here's the whole story, from the flabbergasted folks at c.1990 Hard Copy (via):


One other fun thing: the producers' idea of a stock "art student" (around 5:05) is a fey, bereted jester-type lustily painting what looks like an out-of-work Cinemax softcore actress. I'm more afraid of him than anything that might have been on Reznor's film.