Top 15 Banned Horror Movies that were Too Disturbing

Welcome to the world of horror movies! Whether you’re a fan of horror movies or here just for some fun, you’ll find something you like in this list of 15 banned horror movies. From bloody slashers to psychological thrillers, these movies have gone too far for audiences. Some are too violent, disturbing, or politically charged for viewers.

Consequently, different countries have banned them for being too profane or shocking. Whatever the reason, the ban has given them more fame than defaming them. When talking about horror movies, the restriction would create a curiosity to watch them.

So if you’re looking for something a little riskier than the average horror movie, we have covered you all. People who have watched them consider them cult classics, and some even masterpieces. When you’re in the mood for something that pushes the boundaries of what’s considered “acceptable,” this list is for you!

Top 15 Banned Horror Movies:

From movies about demonic possession to those with extreme violence and gore, let’s dig into banned horror movies. These range from the classic The Exorcist to modern films like A Serbian Film. Beware, these would even shock you with their cinematography.

1. The Exorcist:

William Friedkin directed The Exorcist, while William Peter Blatty wrote it. It is a horror movie that seeks inspiration from a novel of 1971 that shares the same name. The film tells the story of the demonic possession of a 12-year-old girl.

It also revolves around her mother’s desperate attempts. These were to save her daughter from an exorcism that two priests had done on her. The movie’s excellence is evident because it won several awards. It includes ten Academy Award nominations, of which it won two: Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound.

The film has revolutionized and justified modern horror by focusing on psychological terror rather than physical violence. People have praised it for its realistic portrayal of demonic possession. Further, its effective use of music and sound design has created a sense of dread and horror.

• Release Date: December 26, 1973
• Cast: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty Winn, Jack MacGowran, Jason Miller, Linda Blair
• Box Office Earnings: $441.3 million
• IMDb: 8.1/10
• Director: William Friedkin

2. Possession:

The French-West German international co-production has shot the film in West Berlin. It is a 1981 psychological drama and horror film which Andrzej Uawski directed. Besides, Frederic Tuten has co-written it. It depicts the story between an international agent and his wife. The latter demands a divorce and then acts increasingly troubling. It follows the plot obliquely.

Possession is also about a spiral staircase, an endless metaphysical game of cat-and-mouse. It leads to a spiritual quest for heaven, a “spotlight” on God. It’s no less than a scornful detective story, a horror story, and a chilling, high-octane baroque masterpiece. There are numerous analogies, symbols, and divisive themes throughout the film.

Consequently, all of it leads to its ban. So, if you are thinking more of this movie, we need to give you a trigger warning. It’s because it contains aspects of self-harm, suicide, extreme jealousy, etc. It would be no leap to say that this film sits alongside some evergreen psychological films.

• Release Date: 27 May 1981
• Cast: Isabelle Adjani, Sam Neill, Margit Carstensen, Heinz Bennent, Johanna Hofer, Carl Duering, Shaun Lawton, Michael Hogben
• Box Office Earnings: 11 lakhs USD
• IMDb: 7.3/10
• Director: Andrzej Żuławski

3. Slender Man:

Parents need to know that the horror film Slender Man revolves around creepypasta. It’s a viral internet myth about a faceless creature who kidnaps children. The movie depicts jump scares, teens in danger, and choking as well as grabbing teenage girls. Along with it disturbing, nightmarish imagery also rushes by.

Critics have given it harsh feedback, and it has enraged many of the audiences also. Mythology Entertainment made this movie in 2018, which Screen Gems distributed. The most exciting yet shocking story is behind its ban. People found the movie criminalistic as one girl had started believing Slender Man, the fictional character, to be real.

• Release Date: August 10, 2018
• Cast: Joey King, Julia Goldani Telles, Jaz Sinclair, Annalise Basso, Alex Fitzalan, Taylor Richardson, Javier Botet
• Box Office Earnings: 5.17 crores USD
• IMDb: 3.2/10
• Director: Sylvian White

4. The Human Centipede 2:

Tom Six wrote, co-directed, and co-produced the 2011 body exploitation horror film The Human Centipede 2. Due to its vivid imagery of physical and sexual assault and physical horror, media and critics have blistered it.

The Human Centipede 2 attracted significant attention and criticism in the media Media. We live in a censored world, so we have the right to remove objectionable content. People found its performances, narrative, and violence offensive, which resulted in a ban.

The film is hideous, shocking, ugly, lacking creativity, and violates even the most tenuous notions of morality. It highlights one of the characters, Martin’s lack of surgical skills. He appears to stitch his victims together using a summer camp trick of stitching together the leather pieces of a wallet.

• Release Date: 22 September 2011
• Cast: Laurence R. Harvey, Ashlynn Yennie, Maddi Black, Kandace Caine, Bill Hutchens
• Box Office Earnings: 1.42 lakhs USD
• IMDb: 3.8/10
• Director: Tom Six

5. The Bunny Game:

When a prostitute accepts the wrong man’s offer to take her away, she suffers greatly. The latter catches her and tortures her. It seems that the horror subgenre willingly descends into depravity. It shall be to shock, disgust, and horrify its audience.

This claim, of course, is not new. These allegations are perhaps most familiar for the exploitation films of the 1970s and 1980s. So, it significantly dates to those that made the Video Nasties list in Britain. People have always criticized movies for such factors and posed allegations.

Similar allegations have undoubtedly been made in the past years. However, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has changed its course of the decision resulting in banning the movie.

• Release Date: 7 April 2012
• Cast: Rodleen Getsic, Jeff Renfro, Gregg Gilmore, Drettie Page, Curtis Reynolds
• Box Office Earnings: N/A
• IMDb: 3.4/10
• Director: Adam Rehmeier

6. Hostel: Part 2

Hostel: Part II is a 2007 American horror film that is a sequel to Hostel. Eli Roth has written the movie. The difference is that the sequel focuses on three women instead of the men in the initial film. However, the basic premise of the movie remains the same. The only difference is that this time the film also follows two American businessmen and aspiring members of the EHC.

Its story is about three American art students in Rome who have to go to a Slovakian village. But someone kidnaps them and sends them to a facility where wealthy clients pay to torture and kill other people. With massive violence, the movie was solely for adults. Despite that, Germany restricted it, and they also banned its German Extended Version.

• Release Date: 8 June 2007
• Cast: Lauren German, Bijou Phillips, Vera Jordanova, Heather Matarazzo, Roger Bart, Richard Burgi
• Box Office Earnings: 1.02 Crores USD
• IMDb: 5.5/10
• Director: Eli Roth

7. The Faces of Death:

Francis B. Groess, a pathologist, is the focus of the documentary-style film. The narrator shows the viewer several clips from various sources that show many gruesome ways of dying. While most of the film contains pre-existing footage of actual deaths or their aftermath, some fictitious parts were intentionally fabricated.

Despite relatively unfavorable reviews, Faces of Death made an enormous box office hit. It reportedly grossed over $35 million worldwide. The film developed a cult following. Further, the cinema industry was later recognized for its creative value. Therefore, its makers came out with a series of sequels. Its first one includes Faces of Death II in 1981. Subsequent sequels had either less or no fake footage.

• Release Date: November 10, 1978
• Cast: Michael Carr, Samuel Berkowitz, Mary Ellen Brighton, Thomas Noguchi
• Box Office Earnings: $35 million
• IMDb: 4.2/10
• Director: John Alan Schwartz

8. Traces of Death:

Unlike the earlier Faces of Death, which featured staged deaths and reenactments, Traces of Death lies differently. It features actual footage of people dying or the ones who are injured. Besides, you would also see some footage of other movies. Daman Fox has given it a narrative.

The 1993 Z-movie Mondo Shockumentary, titled Traces of Death, features a variety of film clips about violent crime and death. It opens with a scene from Spanish-language television wherein the ex-husband of Maritza Martin murders her.

One of the hilarious parts is when doctors replace the nasal cavity of a man with a prosthesis. Further, the producers abruptly return to the subject of death with footage of R. Budd Dwyer’s suicide. It occurred with a .357 Magnum in the air, followed by a look at Ilsa Koch.

She was one of the most notorious Nazi villains. Besides, she had an absurd collection of concentration camp victim tattoos that she turned into book covers, lampshades, and wallets.

• Release Date: April 20, 1993
• Cast: Damon Fox (Narrator)
• Box Office Earnings: N/A
• IMDb: 4/10
• Director: Brain Damage

9. Mikey:

Mikey needs a good, safe home. He had spent his whole life moving from foster home to foster home. He is finally living with a new, loving family, but their adorable child is not quite who they seem to think he is. All his previous caregivers have died in unexplained “accidents” that were not accidents.

A cold-blooded killer, Mikey quickly turns his attention to his new adoptive family and those who get in his way. Child psychologists feel that the film would be dangerous for impressionable children who see it. For instance, those who committed Bulger’s murder.

Therefore, the film has multiple edits to reduce the impact of intense scenarios by editing or removing scenes. It’s because the censor body thought that it would least affect the film’s impact.

Release Date: September 23, 1992
Cast: Brian Bonsall, Josie Bissett, Ashley Laurence, Mimi Craven, John Diehl
Box Office Earnings: N/A
IMDb: 5.6/10
Director: Dennis Dimster

10. The Evil Dead:

The Evil Dead is a 1981 American supernatural horror film that Sam Raimi wrote and directed. Five college students are the main characters of the story. All five vacation in a lonely cabin in a distant wooded area.

They travel to a remote cabin on a whim to find a tape that summons a host of demons and spirits when they play it. Demonic possession troubles four of them, and Ash Williams (Campbell), the fifth, has to fight for survival in the face of increasingly bloody chaos.

Due to the intense violence, blood, sex, and gore, the censor decided to ban 1981 original and its 2013 remakes. Singapore, Finland, and Ukraine have banned it.

• Release Date: 2 January 1984
• Cast: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Betsy Baker, Theresa Tilly, Philip A. Gillis, Dorothy Tapert, Cheryl Guttridge
• Box Office Earnings: N/A
• IMDb: 7.4/10
• Director: Sam Raimi

11. Land of The Dead

The scene is set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with a feudal government. There is a zombie invasion, and fellow survivors seem to pose a more significant threat than the zombies. This is the setting of the movie Land of the Dead.

In the movie, the survivors have fled to the city. A large river surrounds the city on three sides, and an electric fence protects it on the fourth side. Like Day of the Dead, Land of the Dead is about the idea that humanity harms itself more than any external danger. The zombies’ set up a class system Kaufman at the end of the film, leading to a more democratic government.

Citing cultural sensitivities, the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture has banned the local release of George A. Romero’s movie. Besides, if a distributor releases it locally, they would face criminal charges. This raises new concerns about government interference in the media.

Release Date: 24 June 2005
Cast: Simon Baker, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper, Asia Argento, Robert Joy, Eugene Clark, Joanne Boland, Tony Nappo
Box Office Earnings: 4.68 crores USD
IMDb: 6.2/10
Director: George A. Romero

12. I Spit On Your Grave:

The film is notable for its highly graphic depiction of violence. It focuses on the extensive scenes of gang rape for up to 30 minutes of its running time. Upon its release in the United Kingdom, organizations that commission films attempted to suppress it by labeling it as a “disgusting video,”

Yet, even now, people watch it skeptically and consider it one of the worst films ever made. Its controversy makes it a cult film.

Meir Zarchi, the writer and director of I Spit on Your Grave, met a young woman in a New York City park in 1974. The latter was the one who two men had raped and beaten. This event inspired the movie.

• Release Date: 22 November 1978
• Cast: Camille Keaton, Eron Tabor, Anthony Nicholas, Richard Pace, Alexis Magnotti
• Box Office Earnings: 80,000 USD
• IMDb: 5.6/10
• Director: Meir Zarchi

13. Saw 3D:

The story revolves around a man who pretends to survive one of the Jigsaw Killer’s games. He does so to become known in his community and then gets involved in a real game where he must save his wife. Meanwhile, rogue investigator Mark Hoffman is behind the recent Jigsaw games. Jill Tuck, John Kramer’s ex-wife, who also informs Internal Affairs gives him this information

According to the Advertising Standards Authority, it is “likely to make young children uncomfortable”. A seven-year-old celebrating his birthday was watching the animated movie Megamind at a showcase theater in Massachusetts when Saw 3D replaced it.

According to the statement, the images of people in the commercials “connected the scenes from the movie to a recognizably real environment.”

• Release Date: 29 October 2010
• Cast: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Cary Elwes, Sean Patrick Flanery, Chad Donella
• Box Office Earnings: $136.2 million
• IMDb: 5.5/10
• Director: Kevin Greutert

14. A Serbian Film:

The Spanish court in San Sebastián banned a Serbian film for “threatening sexual freedom”. Therefore, they didn’t show it during the XXI Semana de Cine Fantástico y de Terror (21st Horror and Fantasy Film Festival). However, the film was released at the Spanish Sitges Film Festival in October 2010, where only adults watched it.

Its violent and sexual themes gave us much attention after its show at the Art Film Festival.

Set in Serbia, the film revolves around an aging porn actor who comes out of retirement to collaborate on a snuff video unwittingly. The film is not for the faint-hearted, and some online descriptions are too graphic for this program.

• Release Date: 16 June 2010
• Cast: Srđan Todorović h Sergej Trifunović, Jelena Gavrilović, Slobodan Beštić, Katarina Žutić, Anđela Nenadović, Ana Sakić, Lidija Pletl
• Box Office Earnings: $1,550 (Brazil)
• IMDb: 5/10
• Director: Srdjan Spasojevic

15. Texas Chainsaw Massacre:

Due to complaints about its violence, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was banned in many countries, and many theaters stopped showing the film. Although reviews were initially mixed, the film was a huge financial success, grossing over $30 million (as of 2019: $150.8 million) and selling over 16.5 million tickets.

Since then, it has had a reputation as one of the best and most influential horror films. It shows the use of power tools as murder weapons. Besides, it also depicted the perpetrator as a vast, massive person wearing a mask. Next, it shows the execution of the victims also.

• Release Date: 1 October 1974
• Cast: Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, Allen Danziger, Paul A. Partain, William Vail
• Box Office Earnings: N/A
• IMDb: 7.4/10
• Director: Tobe Hooper

Conclusion:

Horror films deemed too disturbing or offensive for general consumption are banned. These films often contain dark themes, severe violence, and explicit sexual content. While some of these movies may be too harsh for some viewers, those willing to take risks can still enjoy them.

When a movie has an “18” rating, viewers under 18 are not allowed to watch. It’s because it has too extreme scenes for a general watch. In addition to slasher films, zombie films, and supernatural films, there are many other types of banned horror films.

Although some of these movies might be too intense for you, if you want to experience the best of horror, so do watch them. With banned horror movies, you can explore the darker side of the horror subgenre. Besides, it also provides viewers with a distinctive and thrilling experience.