banned

Based on Thomas Dixon's novel, The Clansman, D. W. Griffith's controversial and extremely influential silent film classic caused riots in Boston, Philadelphia and other major cities. The NAACP organized protests at the various premieres of the film around the country. In addition, The Birth of a Nation was outright banned in several cities such as Chicago, Pittsburgh and Kansas City due to its racist themes.

Directed by Lewis Milestone, All Quiet on the Western Front was based on the critically acclaimed Erich Maria Remarque novel, Im Westen nichts Neues, and starred Lew Ayres as the disillusioned soldier, Paul Baumer. The film, which won an Academy Award for Best Picture, was eventually banned in Germany due to its anti-war theme: "You still think it's beautiful to die for your country.

The first bombardment taught us better. When it comes to dying for country, it's better not to die at all." However, during the film's brief run in Germany, the Nazis released rats into the theaters to scare off movie patrons. All Quiet on the Western Front was also banned in Italy until 1956.

Notable for bringing sex to the Western genre, Howard Hughes’ The Outlaw was shelved for years before finally receiving approval by the Hollywood Production Code Administration. The whole controversial production seems to have gone forward for one reason: To showcase actress Jane Russell’s magnificent breasts. The film’s slogan was "What are the two biggest reasons for Jane Russell’s success?"

Banned in Massachusetts for being pornographic, this notorious Swedish film (Jag är nyfiken - gul) faced a landmark court battle in the United States and was eventually found to be not obscene by the United States Court of Appeals. Directed by Vilgot Sjöman, the film starred Lena Nyman and is a companion film to I Am Curious (Blue) (1968). The films were named after the colors of the Swedish flag. I Am Curious (Yellow) contains documentary elements, including an interview with Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Don't turn your back on this film . . . if you value your mind or your life." A fascinating (and extremely disturbing!) black and white documentary dealing with the mistreatment of patients at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution, a prison hospital for the criminally insane, Titicut Follies was banned in the United States after a ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court determined that the film violated the patients' right to privacy.

However, many critics believed that the film was removed from circulation by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to protect its own reputation. Finally, in 1992, the film aired on PBS and is now widely available.

Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, Last Tango in Paris (Ultimo tango a Parigi) details the bizarre relationship of an American widower (Marlon Brando) and a young Parisian woman (Maria Schneider). The film caused much controversy for the so-called "butter scene," which is extremely tame by today's standards. Schneider, who claims she is still haunted by the scene, was quoted in the New York Post (July 23, 2007), claiming that the scene wasn't part of the original script: "The truth is it was Marlon who came up with the idea . . . I should have called my agent or had my lawyer come to the set because you can't force someone to do something that isn't in the script . . . I was crying real tears. I felt humiliated and, to be honest, I felt a little raped . . . Thankfully, there was just one take . . . I never use butter to cook anymore - only olive oil."

According to a court in Bologna that banned the film: "Obscene content offensive to public decency . . . presented with obsessive self-indulgence, catering to the lowest instincts of the libido, dominated by the idea of stirring unchecked appetites for sexual pleasure, permeated by scurrilous language . . . accompanied off screen by sounds, sighs and shrieks of climax pleasure."

The Exorcist was released theatrically in 1973. The film has since had an overwhelming effect on popular culture and has been described by some as the scariest horror movie of all time. It is also one of the highest grossing movies of all time, earning $441million worldwide. The Exorcist was banned in many individual towns and countries for being horrifyingly scary, and in some cases for religious reasons.

The film affected many audiences so strongly that, at many theaters, paramedics were called to treat people who fainted and others who went into hysterics. In the UK, The Exorcist wasn’t available until 1990, when it passed the British Board of Film Censorship (BBFC) with an 18 rating.

Upon its 1974 release, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was banned outright in many countries, and numerous cinemas stopped showing the film after receiving complaints about the nature of extreme violence. The film was marketed as a true story to attract a wider audience, though the plot is entirely fictional. In reality the film was inspired by the crimes of notorious serial killer, Ed Gein, who famously collected tokens from his victims, such as nipples, skin masks and heads, and kept them in his house.

"A savage, sweeping epic of society in chaos." Adapted from the critically acclaimed novel (Die Blechtrommel) by Günter Grass, The Tin Drum won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. However, the film was banned in several countries, including parts of Canada, as well as in Oklahoma City for a short time, due to a controversial scene that appears to show minors engaging in oral sex.

Scum is the hard and shocking story of life in a British Borstal for young offenders during the 1970s. The film was originally banned completely from television because of its graphic depictions of racism, gang rape, suicide and violence. It was, however, remade entirely in 1979, with the newer version starring a young Ray Winstone in his breakthrough role, as Carlin.

The remade version was also banned, though eventually a court case concluded that Scum should remain distributable in the UK. The newer version of Scum received good reviews from critics, and was praised for its accurate depiction of a brutal borstal regime.

Cannibal Holocaust is an Italian horror film that is banned to this day in over fifty countries. Upon it’s release, director Ruggero Deodata was arrested and charged with murder, after rumors suggested Cannibal Holocaust was a snuff film, though he was later cleared of all charges. The movie was filmed in the Amazon rainforest and features real members of indigenous tribes.

Released in 1981, The Evil Dead narrates the horrifying story of five college students vacationing in an isolated cabin in a wooded area. Their vacation becomes gruesome when they find an audiotape that releases evil spirits. The low-budget slasher movie was very well-received by critics and successful at the box office, and a cult following has emerged in recent years.

Because of its graphic violence and terror, The Evil Dead is banned in several countries, including Finland, Germany, Iceland and Ireland. Perhaps the most disturbing scene is when a young woman is raped by a tree possessed by an evil spirit. This scene in particular has been heavily criticized for being perverse and misogynistic, despite the film’s overall critical success. Graphic scenes of dismemberment are also shown, as well as various torture scenes.

In Hail Mary (Je vous salue, Marie), the Virgin Mary is a gas station attendant whose boyfriend, Joseph, drives a taxi. Even Pope John Paul II jumped into the battle over this controversial, modern retelling of the virgin birth story from Jean-Luc Godard, claiming that the film "deeply wounds the religious sentiments of believers."

"I am here to set fire to the world!" Martin Scorsese directed this adaption of Nikos Kazantzakis' controversial 1953 novel that is notable for the scandal it caused as well as for its bizarre casting that included Willem Dafoe as Jesus, Barbara Hershey as Mary Magdalene, Harvey Keitel as Judas Iscariot, David Bowie as Pontius Pilate and Harry Dean Stanton as Paul.

Numerous religious leaders throughout the United States organized protests against The Last Temptation of Christ (many of whom didn't bother to make an effort to watch the film!) and several Southern cities such as Savannah, Georgia, banned the film.

Upon release in 1992, Mikey was banned in many countries and is still banned today in the UK. Many graphic scenes of torture and murder contributed to the ban, as well as the James Bulger murder of 1993, when two young children tortured and murdered a toddler.

The film narrates the life of Mikey Holt; a sociopathic nine year old who horrifically murders his foster parents and friends. Many of his carers seem to die in “accidents”, causing Mikey to move from family to family.

Natural Born Killers was released in 1994, directed by Oliver Stone. The film was a spec-screenplay written by Quentin Tarantino, who based the movie on the lives of Charles Starkweather and Caril Fugate; two lovers who embarked on a vicious murder spree. The movie was banned completely in Ireland, and denied distribution in the USA. Stone later cut approximately four minutes of footage, resulting in the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) allowing its distribution.

Grotesque is a 2009 Japanese splatter horror. The story follows the lives of a young couple who are snatched off the streets whilst on their first date, and are subjected to horrific torture by their insane kidnapper. Because of extremely disturbing footage, including eye gouging and amputation scenes, Grotesque is banned in many countries, including the UK. The film has been criticized for involving little narrative or character development, unlike successful splatter horrors such as Hostel or Saw.

Banned in Spain, Norway and Brazil, A Serbian Film is arguably one of the most controversial films of all time. Contributing factors of the ban were scenes of child rape, incest and murder, among others. A Serbian Film received mixed reviews from critics; some of which condemned the film for it’s extreme sexual violence.