15 Controversial Movies That Actually Live Up To The Hype

Some controversial movies fail utterly to live up to the outrage, leaving you wondering what all the fuss was about. In fact, most controversial films don't actually deserve all the hype and they will often prove to be rather disappointing. But there are others, thankfully, that manage to fulfill their reputations and then some. In such cases, it almost feels as though causing offence was the order of the day.

These following movies are some of the relatively few controversial movies which actually earned their infamy and weren't just lots of fuss over nothing. When looking through them, one immediately notices some trends: nearly all of them are from the last 25 years, a lot of them angered religious groups, and curiously, all of them are actually good films.

Censorship of cinema really shouldn't be allowed in the vast majority of cases and these following 15 movies are testament to that. After all, they used their offensive material to their benefit, and created sharp, shocking and - in some of these cases - hysterically funny works of art.

Be warned: Spoilers follow.

The Film:

Eli Roth's INSANELY violent torture-porn movie, which sees three American women fall victim to Elite Hunting, the torture society. It's made easier to watch by how much better than the first film it is.

The Controversy:

If you thought the first Hostel was gruesome, you ain't seen nothing yet. Inevitably, much like with the first film, all the grisly violence proved controversial.

Why It Was Right:

Hostel did not live up to the hype at all, but this one does.

Decapitations. Castrations. Maulings. Torture. Mutilation. If you like seriously sadistic and nasty horror films, you've met your match. There's a certain scene involving a bath and a scythe which is nearly unwatchable. It also has far more likable characters than the first film did, so seeing their nightmarish deaths is a more disturbing spectacle.

This is probably one of the most deserving 18-rated films of all time and, to be honest, it could be one of the most violent commercially released American films of all time. Usually such extreme horror is reserved for Japan and France, but Eli Roth gave them a run for their money here. Saw, eat your heart out.

This is one of those violent movies which can be seen as an endurance test. If you can get through this, you can get through anything. Oh, and a warning to male viewers: there's a certain scene towards the end you might want to look away from.