10 Banned Horror Movies That Shocked The World

Warning - This article depicts some images and themes readers may find disturbing.

Antichrist Lars von Trier
Nordisk Film Distribution

It's all fun and games until somebody gets hurt. Or at least, that's how the saying goes until you're smack bang in the middle of a horror movie, where half the entertainment of the bloody thing is watching some poor man lie down in front of an industrial sized lawnmower to get turned into a fine fleshy paste. Because the plants told him to do it. It's always the damn plants.

And whilst it might be top banter to watch heads explode, chainsaws be wielded, and horny couples going at it left, right and centre in these movies - there's always an invisible line that can't be crossed for fear of going that little bit too far. Going over the edge means taking your audiences to a dark and scary place for all the wrong reasons, drawing the Eye of Mordor that is the film ratings board to cast its unforgiving gaze down and ban the film into oblivion.

There's plenty of horror movies out there that were rightly shunned and hidden from the light of god's green Earth to protect pearl-clutching audiences the world over, but that just makes them all the more morbidly interesting to seek out. Let's take a look, shall we?

10. The Devils

Nekromantic Kiss
Warner Bros.

This movie has since been released in shortened form, but the full cut was something so decidedly terrible that censors haven't allowed it out in its entirety... ever. Studio Warner Bros. actually realised what they'd done after being faced with a film far more extreme than they'd envisioned when approving the script, removing two extended scenes before submitting it to the BBFC where it was further cut down to be able to screen at all.

The Devils is Ken Russell's interpretation of real historical figure - Urbain Grandier - who was a priest executed for witchcraft in the 17th century. Of course, this means plenty of riffing on overtly sexual, violent, and religious themes, a mix that doesn't please the censors at the best of times, but even less so in the early 70s when they were hot on the heels of any and all out-there content.

The uncut version of the movie that has been cobbled together in recent years is still missing some controversial clips, and Warner Bros. refuse to release their chopped-down version of the film for home consumption even 50 years on from its initial outing, which begs the question of what really went down between the allowed footage...

 
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Horror film junkie, burrito connoisseur, and serial cat stroker. WhatCulture's least favourite ginger.