American Horror Movies That Are Banned In Other Countries
Horror has always been one of the most controversial film genres. From the silent frights of "Nosferatu" to Wes Craven's 1970s shockers, horror films are the harbingers of moral panic and audience debate. Though American horror films have spurred plenty of moral outrage on our shores, it's not common for films to be banned outright in the United States. However, that doesn't mean that American horror films receive the same reception in other counties.
Countries have specific rules regarding censorship and movie ratings, leading some to ban certain American horror films for violating federal guidelines. Horror movies tend to be the most censored genre because of their depiction of violence (as well as sex and nudity), making some horror films unsuitable for viewing due to their explicit depictions of depravity. Censorship like this comes from ethical debates about whether or not pop culture influences the masses: Can violent movies make people more violent?
Regardless of where you stand, film censorship is a fascinating illustration of how moral standards function globally. For you thrill seekers out there, hearing a film has been banned in other countries might make you even more inclined to seek it out. Whether you're interested in the cultural implications of censorship or want to read about the worst of the worst, this list is for you. It's time to explore which American horror movies didn't make the censorship cut!
World War Z (2013)
It might seem strange for "World War Z" to make this list, considering it's not generally notable for being shocking. But in this case, there might be other forces at play. "World War Z" stars Brad Pritt as Gerry Lane, a former U.N. investigator, stuck in traffic with his family. Gerry senses something is seriously amiss, and he's right. A virus of unknown origin has begun to spread through the populous, turning ordinary people into thoughtless killing machines. Gerry makes it his mission to find the virus' origin before it's too late.
China banned the film, a decision that limited its international box office numbers by a significant margin. The Wrap reported that Paramount submitted an alternate cut to China's censorship office, hoping it would give them a better chance. They removed a line in the film that questioned whether the virus originated in China. However, that line played during a Superbowl ad, which meant Chinese authorities had likely seen it. There's also the fact that Pritt previously starred in "Seven Years In Tibet," which depicted Tibet's struggle for autonomy from China. The book on which the film was based is also banned in China. Despite losing a significant international market, the film was still a commercial success — bringing in $540 million on a $200 million budget.
Faces of Death (1978)
In some cases, internationally banning a film hurts a film's financial potential. Other times, censorship becomes a boon for its marketing. 1978's "Faces of Death" is one of the most disturbing films ever made, and that's exactly what the filmmakers wanted. "Faces of Death" is an exploitation film shot in a documentarian style. Narrated by Francis B. Gröss (Michael Carr), the film follows a pathologist fascinated by all the ways one can die. Its footage presents numerous grisly death scenes (of humans and animals): Some are fake, but many are real-life death sequences.
Despite the controversy surrounding it, the film became a cult classic. Likely, the controversy helped the film secure its status. The VHS cover of the film famously proclaimed "BANNED in 46 countries!" That number is probably fabricated, as there are only records of the film being banned in a few countries. The Guardian reports that the United Kingdom banned the film, as their laws about the distribution of "video nasties" – mainly horror or exploitation films – are fairly strict. Australia also banned it, citing that the violence in the film was "frequent, high, and gratuitous." "Faces of Death" did quite well in the U.S., especially following the invention of the VHS, though several states proposed legislation to keep it away from minors.
Traces of Death (1993)
"Faces of Death" spawned several remakes, all of which purported to be more shocking than the last. In 1993, a new exploitation series called "Traces of Death" debuted. Unlike "Faces of Death," "Traces of Death" purported to show only real-life death sequences, with the tagline on its poster reading: "It doesn't get any deader than this." Damon Fox narrates the film. Much of the footage depicted famous events, including the Iranian Embassy siege, Evel Knievel's stunt crashes, notable racing accidents, and the live TV suicide of Budd Dwyer.
Unsurprisingly, "Traces of Death" became banned in the same locations as its predecessor. The British Board of Film Certification called the film sensationalist and dangerous, noting that "the work invites the viewer to take sadistic pleasure in death, injury, mutilation, and pain and encourages callousness towards victims." They were also particularly worried about the effect it might have on adolescents. In Australia, the film wasn't outright banned but customs seized a copy of it. In the United States, a woman living in Pennsylvania rented the film at a video store and found it so shocking that she refused to return it so no one else could see it. She called several animal rights groups and got in contact with the Attorney General, though no ban went into effect.
The Exorcist (1973)
The 1970s is one of the most influential decades in American horror filmmaking. Many of the genre's classics were made in that era and caused a significant amount of controversy. One of the most renowned films of the decade is "The Exorcist," which, perhaps unsurprisingly, provoked a lot of outrage due to its religious themes. The film centers on Regan (Linda Blair), a young girl who starts behaving very strangely. Her mother (Ellen Burstyn) is at a loss, but Father Karras (Jason Miller) becomes convinced the devil possessed her.
In the United Kingdom, the film was not banned. But it was given an "X" rating (meaning suitable for an 18+ crowd) and released without cuts. Nonetheless, several local regions banned the film from cinemas. When the film was released on video in 1981, there were no regulations in place regarding classifications from the BBFC. However, the Video Recordings Act of 1984 added regulations, which meant the film needed to be recertified for a video release.
The board finally made a decision in 1988, concluding that the film should not be accessible to the public in video stores, not even with an X rating. For 11 years, "The Exorcist" was banned in the UK. The ban was lifted in 1999 when the film celebrated its 25th anniversary and distributors re-submitted it for approval.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
"The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" premiered one year after "The Exorcist," and it saw similar controversy. Tobe Hooper's horror masterpiece follows a group of friends in rural Texas stumbling upon a family of deranged cannibals. The most fearsome member of the family, Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen), wields a chainsaw and makes it his mission to make sure no one gets out alive.
Several countries banned the film, including the UK – though it subsequently received an 18+ certificate in the late 1990s. According to the Banned Library, Brazil, France, Germany, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Singapore, and Iceland banned the film. Like the UK, they rescinded these bans at a later date.
"The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" is a famously terrifying film: It still shocks to this day. Hooper wanted the film to be watched by audiences of all ages. He made the film to have a PG rating, which was why he limited the amount of fake blood in the film. Of course, the film was given an R-rating in the United States — though it still did amazingly well at the domestic box office.
The Last House on the Left (1972)
In 1972, horror legend Wes Craven's first film debuted in the United States. "The Last House on the Left" follows two teenagers, Mari (Sandra Cassel) and Phyllis (Lucy Grantham), being tortured and killed by a group of violent fugitives. The killers attempt to seek refuge in a nearby home, not realizing they've just been taken in by Mari's parents.
Aware that the British Board of Film Certification might take issue with the film, "The Last House on the Left" came with a note to the BBFC. The letter read: "Before submitting the film to you we have already made considerable cuts, thereby eliminating much of the goriness that was in the full-length version...It is not my intention to exploit the film." Despite that heartfelt plea, the film was ultimately rejected by the board: They did not see it as fit to release for public consumption. "If we are to go into this area of sexual violence, it will have to be for a film in which we detect greater merit than this," wrote BBFC Secretary Stephen Murphy.
The distributor then wrote back to Murphy, pleading for the decision to be reversed. Still, they upheld the ban. Though it was available for a brief period on VHS, shortly thereafter the film was again deemed obscene and was seized as a "video nasty." Until 2008, the uncut version of "The Last House on the Left" was not made available to the British public.
Land of the Dead (2005)
While some horror films are banned because of high levels of violence or gore, others are because of distinct cultural issues. 2005's "The Land of the Dead" was banned in Ukraine, though not for the reasons you might think. Directed by George A. Romero, often known as the father of the zombie film, the movie takes place in a world where most of the population are zombies. The uninfected have built a series of feudal-like states across America. The leader (Dennis Hopper) an enclave in Pittsburgh rules with an iron fist, but some of his citizens have started to fight back.
Ukraine's Culture Ministry banned the film, calling it "not just another zombie film" (via Variety). Maksym Rostotsky, a member of the commission, told the press that the famine of 1933 – which provoked instances of cannibalism – "is still fresh in our society." He suggested that the film hits a little too close to home for Ukrainians. "A movie with scenes of people being eaten alive should not be given the go-ahead," he added. Distributors in Ukraine could have faced criminal prosecution had they screened the film.
Maniac (2012)
In the filmmaking industry, New Zealand may be best known for being the shooting location of the "Lord of the Rings" series — a real-life counterpart of The Shire. However, that didn't stop the country from banning a film starring a famous hobbit. New Zealand banned the Elijah Wood-starring film "Maniac." Outside of film festivals and DVDs sold, it couldn't be shown to the public.
The film is a remake of the 1980 William Lustig film of the same name, which follows Frank Zito (Wood), a young man with schizophrenia who works in his family's mannequin restoration shop. Frank had a traumatic childhood and has become a prolific serial killer. He scalps women and attaches their hair to mannequins. The film is shot entirely from Frank's perspective, which is precisely why the Office of Film and Literature Classification felt it should be banned.
Ant Timpson, a programmer at the New Zealand International Film Festival, explained the decision of the OFLC. He claimed, "The POV nature of the film mixed with the psychopathic behavior of actor Elijah Wood is more than disturbing, it's potentially dangerous in the hands of the wrong person — that is, a non-festivalgoer." Neil Foley, the head of the distribution company distributing the film in Australia, stated that "banning the film beyond festival screenings is an insult to the intelligence of the adult population of New Zealand and does little more than to serve as an open invitation to illegally pirate the film."
Saw VI (2009) and Saw 3D (2010)
The "Saw" films are well-known for being some of the goriest and most brutal horror films, so it's not too surprising they wouldn't be accepted with open arms on a global scale. In fact, at least two different Saw films were banned internationally. "Saw VI" faced a ban in Trinidad and Tobago as well as Thailand (via CBS news). The sixth in the series continues to depict the effects of Jigsaw's game, while also focusing on the evolution of his predecessor, Hoffman (Costas Mandylor).
Germany banned "Saw 3D," ruling that the film should be confiscated nationwide for violating §131 StGB, which concerns the "glorification of violence." Among other things, "Saw 3D" follows a self-help guru (Sean Patrick Flanery) who has become famous after falsely claiming to be a survivor. "Saw 3D" is the first in the franchise to be banned in Germany, though a censored version labeled "no youth release" is available for sale in the country.
Though "Saw 3D" was not banned in the United Kingdom, it did stir up some controversy there. The film's trailer was banned in the UK after a 10-year-old saw it on television and complained that it was "distressing." The trailer had already been cleared to be shown only after 7:30 p.m. — the child saw the ad at 8:30 p.m. — but The Advertising Standards Authority concluded that was "not sufficient." They ruled that the ad could only be played after 9:00 p.m. after the complaint.
The Bunny Game (2010)
Coming in at number 37 on Complex's list of The Most Disturbing Movies of All Time is "The Bunny Game," a low-budget horror film created by Rodleen Getsic and Adam Rehmeier. The film centers on a sex worker, Bunny (Getsic), being kidnapped by a deranged truck driver and subjected to horrific torture. Conceding that it's ultimately a well-made film, Bloody Disgusting's David Harley argued, "The Bunny Game is captivating, but ultimately not an experience worth having."
Unsurprisingly, the UK banned the film. The BBFC has strict guidelines regarding sexual violence, stating: "Any association of sex with non-consensual restraint, pain or humiliation may be cut." The explanation for the BBFC ban was due to how the film's nudity "eroticize[s] what is shown." They also suggested that the narrative and the way it was shot might lead some viewers to empathize with the killer. Over the course of 100 years, the BBFC has rejected around 1,000 films. In recent years, they average one to two rejections per year.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Mikey (1992)
The 1992 film "Mikey" depicts one of the most disturbing horror narratives possible: a murderous child. The film's titular character (Brian Bonsall) is a nine-year-old boy living with a foster family. When his family members are mysteriously killed, he's placed with another family, who will soon discover Mikey's true nature. The film includes images of children being killed and a child killing.
The film was submitted to the BBFC for classification at the end of 1992, at which point it was classified as suitable for those over the age of 18. Later they reassessed the decision, following the murder of two-year-old James Bulger in February of 1993 by two ten-year-old boys. The board spent years deliberating about the case, and things only became more complicated with the 1994 amendment to the 1984 Video Recordings Act, which took into consideration underage viewing of home videos.
Finally, after four years of deliberating, the BBFC came to a decision, declaring that they would not classify the film for a home video release. The BBFC noted that the film was likely to cause harm "to and by a small but significant proportion of potential viewers whose behavior might be dangerously influenced by it." Though the film's distributor could have tried for a theatrical release at this time — four years after it was initially released in America — they chose not to do so.