10 Movies That Caused Incredible Controversy

By Travis Earl / May 1, 2013

As the recent Evil Dead reboot proved, the boundaries for how much gore isacceptable to show onscreen have been pushed so far that a film can get away with representing any sickening act of graphic violence so long as no female orgasm is depicted. Things haven't always been this way. Evil Dead exploited the groundwork laid by pioneers of controversy who pushed the boundaries of what society would tolerate onscreen. I present a list of Evil Dead's forebears, the films that broke new cinematic ground, inspired riots, arrests, and moralistic outcries: ten of the most controversial movies ever made.

10. Cannibal Holocaust

Chief among Cannibal Holocaust's many sins is its introduction of the concept of "found footage" to cinema. We can thank it for indirectly inspiring such classic films as Paranormal Activity 4, The Devil Inside, and Apollo 18. The film chronicles the horrors that befall a documentary film crew that trek into the Amazon to film cannibal tribes. Upon its release several countries, including Australia and Italy, banned the film outright. Cannibal Holocaust is a gross, painful experience with onscreen brutality so realistically rendered that authorities arrested director Ruggero Deodato for making what they believe to be a genuine snuff film. Though no humans were killed during production, the actors did slaughter animals on camera, including an endangered species of turtle. Cannibal Holocaust's wanton perversity outraged entire nations enough so that Entertainment Weekly dubbed it the 20th most controversial movie ever made.