It’s that time of year again! Ghosts, goblins, and ghouls step out of our nightmares and into our world. For those who love a good movie marathon this time of year, I’ve got the perfect spooky list: 10 horror movies so controversial they were banned!
Whether you agree or not these movies were controversial when released and even banned in some parts of the world. So get your popcorn ready, grab a snuggle buddy, and settle in to get your scare on!
Braindead
First up is Braindead a 1992 classic from the legend himself Peter Jackson. Yup, he can do high fantasy and horror folks, he does it all.
Braindead follows a small town infected by a zombie virus caused by a rat-monkey hybrid. Think Shaun of the Dead-type humor. However, the film was nevertheless banned for its disturbing gory scenes.
It is often hailed as the goriest film of all time. And it might be hard to argue that. Since a reported 300 liters of fake blood was used in the final scene alone.
The film was banned in Germany, South Korea, and Singapore due to the amount of gore. Eventually, Germany did release the movie under the American title Dead Alive but nearly all the gore had been cut.
For me, this was a no-brainer. The infamous Peter Jackson co-wrote and directed a film so gory it was banned. There’s no way I’m not going to talk about it!
A Serbian Film
Some things are best left to the imagination and some shouldn’t be imagined. If you disagree with that then A Serbian Film is definitely for you.
A Serbian Film is about a struggling porn star who agrees to appear in an art film. However, he quickly learns this art film is a snuff film and is forced to perform depraved acts.
The film was banned in Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, South Korea, and Spain for its graphic display of sexual abuse of children.
The director defends his film against the bans saying, “This is a diary of our own molestation by the Serbian Government…It’s about the monolithic power of leaders who hypnotize you to do things you don’t want to do. You have to feel the violence to know what it’s about.”
Watch at your own risk is all I’m saying.
Salò, or The 120 Days of Sodom
Probably one of the most notorious banned horror movies is Salò which is a re-imagining of Marquis De Sade’s ‘The 120 Days of Sodom.”
Set in WW2 the film is about four wealthy and utterly corrupt Italian libertines who kidnap and torture 18 teenagers for 4 months.
The movie was released in Italian theatres for a year before it was banned due to the graphic depictions of abuse of what were believed to be minors in the film. However, despite the controversy and many bans it received throughout the world, the film itself was internationally well-received.
The sheer fact that legendary director John Waters said, Salò is a beautiful film…it uses obscenity in an intelligent way…and it’s about the pornography of power” is enough for this guy to add it to the list.
Cannibal Holocaust
Disclaimer: Animals were harmed during the making of this film.
Yup, you read that right. Ruggero Deodato made the bold choice to use live animals for the animal death scenes. There are 6 scenes, however one had to be re-shot so two monkeys were killed bringing the total to 7 animal deaths.
The film follows an anthropologist leading a team sent to the Amazon rainforest to rescue a film crew that has gone missing while documenting local tribes.
An Italian local magistrate convicted Deodato, Cierci, and several producers were convicted of obscenity and the film was seized until 1982.
Deodato has been quoted years later saying, “I was stupid to introduce animals.” While I don’t condone violence, it’s hard to leave it off a list of banned horror movies. Watch at your own risk.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
That’s right the classic Texas Chainsaw Massacre released in 1974 was quite the controversial film in its day.
At the time the film pushed the boundaries of what was considered acceptable to show on screen for gore and violence. It has even been reported that several moviegoers walked out of the theatre during a showing in San Francisco. Australia banned the movie from 1975 until 1984 and two Canadian theatres were threatened with charges if they continued to show the film.
However, the BBCF was the harshest of all. Not only did they ban the movie in the UK but the word “chainsaw” from being used in any movie title until 1999.
I don’t think I need to explain further why this absolute classic of the horror genre is a must for this list.
The Poughkeepsie Tapes
Ok, this one was never actually banned but the controversy surrounding the film makes it worth a mention. Released in 2007 the film follows the story of a serial killer in Poughkeepsie, NY through interviews and footage found in a cache belonging to the killer.
While not banned, for a while there was a rumor that it kept getting banned whenever anyone watched it. However, this was actually because MGM kept pulling it from its release schedules. Resulting in rare brief appearances in theatres.
Add to that the belief that the movie was about real events by fans and I had to add it to the list.
Ichi The Killer
Ichi the Killer is an interesting foray into what a person is willing to do and allows themselves to be pushed to do. A man suffering from severe mental health issues is manipulated into killing rival Yakuza gang members.
The UK banned the uncut release due to the graphic violence and seeming enjoyment from violence towards women. To be released the film needed to cut around 3 minutes and 15 seconds. Hong Kong required 16 minutes and 59 seconds be cut from the film for release.
The movie was banned in Norway and Malaysia and banned for distribution in Germany. What gets it on my list here is the amount of editing the studio went through for a release.
The Evil Dead
Long before bringing Spider-Man to life on the big screen, Sam Raimi wrote and directed a low-budget horror movie called The Evil Dead. A phenomenal cult classic. (I’m a huge fan!) The film stars Bruce Campbell as Ash who along with a group of college friends accidentally unleash a demonic force and must survive the night in a remote cabin. This film has possessions, it has zombies and a possessed forest.
Oh and gore, plenty of gore. So much in fact that upon initial review the film was given an X rating in the US before finally being given an NC-17 rating. However, many home video additions are unrated.
To be released in the UK 49 seconds of graphic imagery had to be cut for theatres and home video release. In 1984 the Video Recordings Act banned the home video release until 1990 when a further 66 seconds would be cut for home viewers’ “benefit.” It wouldn’t be until 200 when it would receive an 18 certificate for theatre and home video release.
This film is an absolute gem of a movie, spawned two sequels and a Starz TV show. If you haven’t seen the film you need to!
Frankenstein
Yup, the original 1931 classic starring Boris Karloff as the monster was banned in several US states before the 1934 Production Code enforcement. Despite the cheesy effects and make-up by today’s standards Frankenstein was cutting edge at the time.
In the film, Dr. Frankenstein creates a monster made up of different body parts of corpses. Eventually, the monster escapes and terrorizes the small nearby town.
One violent scene in particular is at the source of the controversy. The monster encounters a little girl who offers him a flower. He responds by hucking her into the lake where she drowns.
Today we don’t think much of it. But back then it was so serious that such scenes were often cut from the original negative and destroyed. Luckily a discovery in 1980 allows audiences today to see the original scene in its entirety.
Being such a historical classic I can’t overlook its addition to this list. While the effects and make-up are cheesy today, back then they were nightmare fuel. And I’m always looking to kick my terrors into turbo.
Martyrs
Martyrs was released in 2008 after being downgraded from an 18+ rating in France (the equivalent of XXX in the US) to a 16+ allowing it to be released theatrically in France.
The film tells the story of Lucie, a survivor of child abuse, and Anna, a friend Lucie makes in the orphanage. Lucie believes she has found a family connected to her abusers and kills them all before asking Anna for help. Initially, Anna doesn’t believe Lucie is telling the truth but soon regrets doubting her friend.
The graphic depiction of violence and sexual abuse towards minors has made Martyrs quite a controversial film. It’s never received a theatrical US release and was only released on DVD. A very heavily edited cut of the movie was finally given an R rating by the Motion Picture Association.
Conclusion
And that wraps up my list of must-watch banned horror movies this spooky season. Brave enough to give ’em a try? How about all 10? Just remember…some things can be unseen!
