20 Most Controversial Movies Of All Time

18. The Exorcist

The controversy surrounding the release of William Friedkin'€™s The Exorcist is interesting because so many people had contradictory issues over it. Some claimed the film glorified Satan, others viewed it as religious pornography that berated the modern world in favor of old school superstitions. Even before it hit theaters, William Peter Blatty€™'s tale of a young girl possessed by a demon was a hot topic because its first teaser trailer was banned by several theaters for being too distressing to certain viewers.

Then the movie came out, and the controversy escalated. Certain towns banned the film, leading to organized bus rides for moviegoers eager to see it. Evangelist Billy Graham claimed that he believed a literal demon was living in the films' reels, and young star Linda Blair was besieged by threats from those who felt she was glorifying the devil. Rumors of accidents and strange occurrences on the set, along with the deaths of several people involved with the film€™'s production, led to greater belief that there was something truly evil about the film. This speculation, of course, drove up public interest in the film, which went on to become a massive box office hit.

In the end, The Exorcist survived the controversy, going on to score a slew of Oscar nominations, and is now widely regarded as one of the greatest horror films of all time.