10 Brutal TV Moments You Won't Believe Were Allowed To Air

10. American Horror Story: Murder House - The Westfield High Massacre

While not the goriest of AHS moments, this scene remains the series' most infamous. Aired a year before Sandy Hook, the scene took inspiration from the Columbine massacre. Ravaged by critics and audiences alike at the time for its perceived tastelessness, the scene has taken on a different reputation in recent years.

Mercilessly realistic, the Piggy Piggy episode provided viewers with a major plot twist. Tate, seemingly a good-natured teen on his way to being Violet's love interest, is in fact a psychotic killer.

None of Tate's 15 victims are given much room for development. While they do get additional appearance as ghosts, they mostly serve as high school stereotypes. The fear is not in our connection to them but in the hard-hitting nature of the crimes they fall victim to.

The slanting camera angles and curious use of sound alters ramp up the scene's creep factor. Reminiscent of an old slasher flick, the manner of filming leaves us wondering if we're meant to treat this as the terrible display it is or simply the latest in a long line of over the top set pieces from the series.

10 years later, it's as timely as ever due to a spate of similar real life crimes and some of the largest debates on gun control in US history.