10 Banned Horror Movies That Shocked The World

2. Possession

Nekromantic Kiss
Bleeding Light Film Group/VTC

Brought to life in the heyday of video nasties, Possession is the story of a woman that wants to divorce her husband who just so happens to be an international spy, but won't tell him why she wants the split.

As the film progresses, she slowly devolves into reckless and erratic behaviour, with it spiralling out as both a horror movie and something far stranger in the process thanks to Isabelle Adjani's powerhouse performance, succumbing to a level of unhinged that's disturbingly convincing. So, how did this cult gem get banned?

Again, the UK were the more prudish of the bunch with a straight ban for a whopping 18 years, citing its reasoning as a 'video nasty' alone. Other countries wouldn't allow the full cut to hit screens, chopping it down to roughly an hour and a half out of a two-hour runtime for its more grisly moments featuring a bizarre creature.

The collapse of a relationship at the centre might drive the narrative here, but it's the notoriety of such an intense possession story that drives the film's reputation even now.

 
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