When it comes to movie ratings, the NC-17 or X certification was as strict as it could get, meaning that the Horror movies Was really only for adult eyes. Although the already harsh R rating meant that those under 17 years of age required an accompanying parent or adult guardian to see the film, the classifications blocked all young people from seeing the controversial, divisive and highly violent movies. Many of these horror films push far past normal boundaries of acceptability and are likely to give viewers nightmares no matter how old they are.
Some of the scariest horror movies of all time are rated NC-17 or X, although it was more than just gore and violence that often led to these classifications. Deep themes, highly sexualized imagery, and pure profanity can also lead Classifiers such as the Motion Picture Association (MPAA) and the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) To consider these movies for adults only. All of these movies include highly controversial content, and viewers should be warned to watch them at their own risk.
10
Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
Directed by Ruggero Deodato
The Italian found the footage horrifying Cannibal destruction was so convincingly terrifying that it became the subject of an objective process (by CBR) and was banned in several countries around the world. Following the story of a filmmaker crew who went missing in the Amazon rainforest, this trail-blazing example of exploitation cinema became all the more terrifying once it was revealed that they had fallen victim to a local cannibalistic tribe. Packed with graphic violence and disturbing themes, it’s no surprise Cannibal destruction Received a strict X rating For its deep content.
Cannibal destruction was an early example of found footage horror, and for this reason, some viewers mistook its content for reality. By presenting the film as the actual footage of a murdered documentary crew, Ruggero Deodato toyed with the audience’s expectations in a way that no one expected. While today, the popularity of series like Paranormal activity While viewers can easily decipher when a fictional film is merely presenting itself as reality, the audience during this time was not quite so sure, which led to cannibal destruction s Now infamous.
9
I Spit on Your Grave (1978)
Director: Meir Zarhi
I spit on your grave was one of the few films that the distinguished film critic Roger Ebert Given a no-star rating, claiming it is “A nasty bag of garbage“That was itWithout an iota of artistic difference.” Although the cult classic also has its apologists, it is no surprise that the graphic rape and revenge story of a woman seeking revenge on the men who brutally assaulted her and left her for dead was very divisive. Depending on Who’s talking about it, I spit on your grave was either a powerful feminist document of female empowerment or a misogynistic exercise in pure vulgarity.
While I spit on your grave Was initially rated R, the addition of extra scenes involving graphic sexual assault meant it was later upgraded to an X (via NY Times.) However, an agreement was later reached as the film was reedited with the MPAA reinstating its R rating. Despite the changes, I spit on your grave It remained highly controversial and was banned in many countries, including Ireland, Norway, Iceland and West Germany.
8
Santa Sangre (1989)
Directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky
The tragic, funny, violent and beautiful movie Santa Sangre was an Avant-garde triumph in surrealistic psychological horror from director Alejandro Jodorowsky. Telling the story of Phoenix, a boy who grew up in a Mexican circus, this overwhelming and strangely moving journey into a world of violence, vulgarity and provocation perfectly captured the unique appeal of Jodorowsky’s unique artistic vision. Although this was a deeply disturbing film, Santa Sangre Still deserves a spot on Empire magazine’s 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time.
Santa Sangre Is rated NC-17 in the United States For scenes with extreme depictions of explicit violence (by Film ratings.) However, an edited version was also released that received an R rating because it maintained its weirdness, graphic violence, sensuality, and drug content. As an insightful look into the hallucinatory lens of 1960s psychedelia, Santa Sangre Considered a moral message about opposing evil. Although Santa Sangre Made for challenging viewing, it was also one of the most rewarding horror movies of the 1980s.
7
The Devils (1971)
Directed by Ken Russell
Ken Russell was one of Britain’s most idiosyncratic filmmakers, directing surreal classics such as The Who. Tommy and deep psychological horrors such as Gothic. One of Russell’s most controversial films was 1971’s The DevilsAn intense historical horror focused on a 17th century priest accused of witchcraft. With graphic images of violence and sexual images, it is no surprise The Devils was heavily edited in many countries and outright banned in others.
The Devils Received an X rating in Britain and the United StatesWith Russell later expressing his frustration that editing requirements had damaged the film’s integrity (via AFI). Russell said that the 108-minute American addition “Killed the key scene“Depicting the sexual assault of Jesus Christ and that”Warner Brothers cuts out the best of the devils.” The director also said that unwanted editing “has a negative effect on the story, to the point where in America the film is isolated and incomprehensible.”
6
Salò, or the 120 days of Sodom (1975)
Directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini
As the last film of the Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini, Salò, or the 120 days of Sodom was an intense political horror focused on four rich, corrupt Italian libertines during the time of the Fascist Republic of Salo. The film showed the men who kidnapped 18 teenagers and subjected them to four months of extreme violence, sadism, genital torture and psychological torture. As a deeply unnerving and difficult-to-summarize film, while Salò Could have compelling social and political undertones, the vulgarity and intense violence on display pushed things into uncomfortable territory.
Salò premiered at the Paris Film Festival in 1975 and had a brief theatrical run in Italy before being banned in January 1976. The subject of deep controversy and censorship, Salò was only approved for theatrical and video distribution in the United Kingdom in the year 2000 (via BBFC.) With this approval, the British Board of Film Classification warned that “People who chose to see the film would, because of its notoriety, be aware of its content.”
5
Meat for Frankenstein (1973)
Directed by Paul Morrissey
Although Meat for Frankenstein is also published under the title Andy Warhol’s FrankensteinThe famous pop artist has very little involvement in the movie except to briefly visit the set. Instead, director Paul Morrissey was the creative force behind this subversive movie that contains explicit sexuality, nudity and violence. With a 3-D version screened in several theaters, Meat for Frankenstein was a uniquely uncomfortable take on Mary Shelley’s classic 1818 novel.
With Baron Frankenstein’s attempts to create two zombies, one male and one female, and have them create a master race, Meat for Frankenstein was a gruesome slice of European exploitation horror. The MPAA rated it X for its graphic contentBut it remains an effective satire and homage to earlier horror movies, such as James Whale’s 1931 version of Frankenstein. As a terrible and extraordinary notice, Meat for Frankenstein was a hidden gem for lovers of subversive 1970s horror.
4
crash (1996)
Directed by David Cronenberg
Director David Cronenberg received the Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival for his highly subversive movie Crash. Telling the story of film producer and car crash survivor, James Ballard, who becomes involved with a group of symphophiliacs who are awakened by car crashes, the funny film explores his attempts to rekindle his relationship with his wife. As the perfect blend of Cronenberg’s fascination with body horror and personal excess, Crash was a very difficult movie to define.
It seems that the sensors also have their issues to make sense of crash, And it was The first film to receive an NC-17 in the United States since Showgirls. With vivid depictions of graphic sex acts instigated by violence, Crash was a highly controversial and divisive film. However, it’s also a definitive release in Cronenberg’s filmography and one of his most confrontational and deeply shared movies.
3
Peeping Tom (1960)
Directed by Michael Powell
The psychological horror Peeping Tom Revolved around a serial killer who uses a portable camera to capture his victim’s dying expressions of terror. Like a truly subversive horror movie, Peeping Tom was one of the most intense depictions of voyeurism seen in 1960s British cinema. The controversial topic of Peeping Tom led to negative reviews upon release and had a bad impact on Michael Powell’s filmmaking career. However, the film has since gained a cult following and has been reevaluated as an underappreciated hidden gem of horror.
Peeping Tom Had to be cut seven different times to get his X rating of the British Board of Film Classification and actually contained much more graphic images than what initially premiered. Nude scenes, the murder of a prostitute, and a character’s suicide were cut from the approved edition of Peeping Tom Just to get it classified as X. While Peeping Tom was unfairly judged at the time of its release, a revival led by Martin Scorsese (as BBFC) helped rectify his reputation in the 1970s.
2
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Directed by George A. Romero
George A. Romero revolutionized the zombie genre with his trail-blazing 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead. This highly influential release led to an entire franchise as Romero continued to explore the zombie apocalypse’s effects on society. The most famous sequel in this series, Dawn of the DeadShowed more survivors of the outbreak barricading themselves in a shopping mall amid mass hysteria and great panic.
Dawn of the Dead Pushed the zombie into terrifying new territory and was given an X by the Motion Picture Association of America. This was more intense in Britain, where copies of Dawn of the Dead They were caught during the 1980s moral panic of video nasties. Rather than dealing with the commercial disaster of releasing a movie with an X rating, Romero decided to release the movie unratedWhere it became a major success at the box office and has since grossed an impressive $102 million (via Box Office Mojo.)
1
The Evil Dead (1981)
Directed by Sam Raimi
The independent supernatural horror The evil death Kickstarted a popular franchise that has since continued with sequels, standalone movies and even a TV series. While later installments embraced the more comedic aspects of the franchise, the original The evil death was a much more serious and scary affair as it explored demons and spirits pursuing a group of students in an isolated cabin. A very influential film, The evil death Not afraid to push cinematic boundaries With its graphic depictions of violence and sex.
As one of the most notorious splatter films of all time, Raimi made The evil death Without fear of censorship, and it was given an X certificate in the United Kingdom and the United States. For various theatrical and home video releases of The evil deathSome scenes have been trimmed down (by BBFC) as moments like the notorious tree attack scene still have the power to shock viewers. Despite being a touchstone of Horror history, The evil death has remained banned in some countries (through independent.)
Sources: CBR, Roger Ebert, NY Times, Film ratings, AFI, BBFC, BBFC, Box Office Mojo, BBFC, independent