1. Cannibal Holocaust
Yep, it's Cannibal Holocaust in at the number one spot. Another movie with a title you wouldn't shake a stick at; combining the concept of cannibalism with the enormity of genocide is a sure fire way to get your film banned. If that wasn't enough, the film contains multiple scenes of real life animal cruelty - just to make sure it's sufficiently offensive enough to upset, scare and shock absolutely everybody who's seen it/heard about it. Cannibal Holocaust holds the proud title of being the first ever "found footage" movie, completely inventing the premise in a way which would re-shape an entire era of cinema that was to follow it. The film charts the story of a missing film crew who ventured into the amazon jungle to explore the culture of cannibal tribes. An American rescue team recover their lost tapes and bit by bit watch as the horrors of their ordeal come to light through the recovered film reels. As you might have guessed, the film depicts some incredibly disturbing scenes of sexual violence - including a sequence with a rock and a vagina that would best be forgotten altogether. The non-sexual violence is intensely graphic and so superbly depicted that authorities assumed Cannibal Holocaust was a snuff film. An image of a woman impaled on a spike particularly roused audiences suspicions and the director Ruggero Deodato was arrested for murder days after the film's premiere. He actually had to get actors whose characters in the film had been murdered to come to court as means of proving they were in fact alive. Insane, I know, but an unwavering testament to the bold cinematic vision of Deodato. As much as I'd like to wax lyrical about the merits of Cannibal Holocaust, Deodato's cruelty to animals during the production of this film tarnishes its artistry and leaves a bad taste in one's mouth. Stand out scenes include a pig being repeatedly kicked and then killed with a shotgun and a turtle being dragged in from the water and decapitated. There is never an excuse for cruelty to animals. What could have been a masterpiece of horror cinema is instead a malevolent and thoughtless production that ironically seems to reflect the charges of murder sanctioned against it. Animal cruelty aside, Cannibal Holocaust's controversial content, production and release resulted in a multitude of bans, cuts and general disgust. It was banned in over 50 countries at the time of its release, many of which still stand to this day. The enormity of the charges sanctioned against this film, coupled with the sheer volume of countries that refused its distribution surely make this the most infamous banned movie of all-time.
So there you have it. Some come more highly recommended than others, but all have made an indelible mark - or perhaps left a stain - somewhere in cinematic history. Agree or disagree? Let us known in the comments section below.