10 Most Controversial Horror Movie Moments

As gory as some horror films are, there is nothing more vivid or more creative than the human imagination. And no movie proves this more than The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Director, Tobe Hooper, intended the movie to be rated PG since most of the violence occurs off-screen. Even though Franklin is skewered by a chainsaw and Kirk is bludgeoned to death, the gore is limited or unseen. Hooper perfectly timed shots so it the camera cut away the instant someone was maimed or stabbed.

One of the most famous examples of this technique is when Leatherface hangs Pam on a meat hook. The instant the masked cannibal gouges her back into the blade, we hear a crunching sound while the camera cuts to a shot of Pam screaming.

This moment is so perfectly timed, many viewers believe they saw the hook penetrate Pam's spine, even though no such shot exists in the film. Ironically, Hooper's decision to minimise blood like this ended up making the film more controversial. Even though Hooper argued to the censor board that shots like this were devoid of blood, the film was slapped with an R-rating, and was banned in a dozen countries.