HORROR MOVIES THAT WERE BANNED

As reported by upbeatnews.com in their article, "Famous Movies That Have Been Banned Around the World", here are a handful of horror movies that were among the batch, including the most banned film of all-time, CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST.

FREAKS

Freaks was a disturbing early thriller type movie that starred a group of disabled sideshow circus acts who get revenge on their ringleader when his heart gets broken by a trapeze artist. Freaks was banned for 30 years in the UK because it showcased disabled folks. The film is only available to view through a second-recording home-video format that's pretty difficult to find. 

SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT

This 1980 slasher movie was intended to be just like the other popular slasher films that are connected to holidays. However, all the other slasher films are more connected to holidays that aren't Christmas. Parents in Brooklyn, Chicago, and Milwaukee all protested this film, which ended up getting the movie much more attention than its traditional marketing route got. So, in the end, the movie was boycotted, which is practically just an unofficial ban. 

HAXAN (WITCHCRAFT THROUGH THE AGES)

This Swedish silent film was banned in the United States because it depicted acts of witchcraft and satanism. Haxan was a large proponent behind the "satanic panic" of the 1980s because of its re-cut and re-release that came out in 1960.  

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE

This horror masterpiece still holds up to today's standards. With its unapologetic gore, refusal to let the good guy win, and its counterculture overtone, there's no wonder why this movie got demonized when it was released in 1974. This movie always has been, and will forever be, one of the most important horror films to ever exist. 

This movie got banned in West Germany, Singapore, and numerous Scandanavian countries because of its disturbing imagery and violent theme. Believe it or not, this movie is still censored in some of the places that it was originally banned. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the grandfather of the slasher genre, and it deserves a watch if your local government permits it. 

A CLOCKWORK ORANGE

Stanley Kubrick's depiction of a dystopian future and a group of sociopathic youngsters got banned for good reason. The graphic displays of both sexual assault and gory violence won this movie the death sentence in many countries. Kubrick himself was the reason the movie was banned in the UK. It wasn't until his death in 1999 that the movie became available in most European countries. 

After A Clockwork Orange's release, Kubrick noticed that there were some copycat murders happening around the UK. A 16-year-old boy murdered an elderly homeless man after "hearing" about a similar scene in the movie that had yet to be released. This was deeply upsetting for the director, so he decided to pull the movie from the UK market altogether. 

CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST

If you've actually seen this film, you probably know why it got banned. Cannibal Holocaust is one of those "found-footage" movies that feels too graphic to be convincing, but somehow its authenticity sticks. This movie was hugely influential, but it has been equally demonized and censored. 

Cannibal Holocaust came out in 1980. It was immediately banned in 40 countries, but over time those countries eased their grip over the media that the world craves to consume. That being said, this horrific, gore-laden movie is still banned in New Zealand. 

This is the most banned movie ever -- period.

THE EXORCIST

This movie was banned in the United Kingdom before it even got released. Audience members (remember, this is 1973) were reported leaving the movie theater in hysterics, vomiting, and uncontrollably shaking. This movie was even banned in places in the US for a long time. Nowadays, The Exorcist is considered a horror essential. 

PSYCHO

Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is famous for a multitude of reasons. First of all, this was far from one of the first horror movies ever produced, but for some reason, the fact that horror was being marketed to a wide audience scared the hell out of legislators. The movie made it through Hollywood's review board (barely), but some small towns boycotted showing the film in theaters because its imagery was "sadistic" and "degrading to the human race."