When it comes to movie ratings, the NC-17 or X certification was as strict as it could get, meaning that thesehorror movieswere truly for adult eyes only. While the already harsh R rating meant those under 17 years old required an accompanying parent or adult guardian to see the film, these classifications blocked all young people from seeing these controversial, divisive, and highly violent movies. Many of these horror films pushed far past normal boundaries of acceptability and were likely to give viewers nightmares no matter how old they were.
Some of thescariest horror movies of all timewere rated NC-17 or X, although it was more than just gore and violence that often led to these classifications. Intense themes, highly sexualized imagery, and pure profanity could also leadclassifiers like the Motion Picture Association (MPAA) and the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC)to deem 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.
Cannibal Holocaust
Cast
Cannibal Holocaust is a controversial 1980 horror film directed by Ruggero Deodato. It follows anthropologist Harold Monroe (Robert Kerman) and his rescue team as they venture into the Amazon jungle to investigate the disappearance of documentary crew that went missing while researching a cannibalistic tribe.
The Italian found footage horrorCannibal Holocaustwas so convincingly terrifying that it became the subject of an obscenity trial (viaCBR) and was banned in several countries around the world. Following the story of a filmmaking crew who went missing in the Amazon rainforest, this trailblazing example of exploitation cinema became all the more frightening once it was revealed they had fallen victim to a local cannibalistic tribe. Packed with graphic violence and disturbing themes, it’s no surpriseCannibal Holocaustreceived a strict X ratingfor its intense content.
Cannibal Holocaustwas an early example of afound 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 audience expectations in a way nobody was expecting. While today, the popularity of series likeParanormal Activitymeans viewers can easily decipher when a fictional film merely presents itself as fact, audiences during this time were not quite so sure, leading toCannibal Holocaust’snow infamous reputation.
I Spit On Your Grave
I Spit On Your Grave is a controversial horror-thriller directed by Meir Zarchi. Released in 1978, the film follows author Jennifer Hills, played by Camille Keaton, as she retreats to a secluded cabin to write her next novel. The story becomes harrowing as she faces brutal violence from local men, leading to a dark and violent quest for revenge. The film is known for its stark portrayal of vengeance and has spurred significant debate and discussion.
I Spit on Your Gravewas one of the few films that the esteemed movie criticRoger Ebertgave a no-star rating, claiming it was “a vile bag of garbage” that was “without a shred of artistic distinction.” Although this cult classic also has its apologists, it’s no surprise this graphic rape and revenge story of a woman seeking vengeance on the men who brutally assaulted her and left her for dead was highly divisive. Depending on who’s talking about it,I Spit on Your Gravewas either a powerful feminist document of female empowerment or a misogynistic exercise in pure vulgarity.
WhileI Spit on Your Gravewas initially rated R, the addition of extra scenes featuring graphic sexual assault meant it was later upgraded to an X (viaNY Times.) However, an agreement was later reached as the film was re-edited with theMPAA reinstating its R rating. Despite these changes,I Spit on Your Graveremained highly controversial and was banned in many countries, including Ireland, Norway, Iceland, and West Germany.
The tragic, uncanny, violent, and beautiful movieSanta Sangrewas anavant-garde triumph in surrealistic psychological horror from director Alejandro Jodorowsky. Telling the story of Fenix, a boy growing up in a Mexican circus, this overwhelming and oddly touching journey into a world of violence, vulgarity, and provocation perfectly captured the unique appeal of Jodorowsky’s singular artistic vision. While this was a deeply disturbing film,Santa Sangrestill gained a spot onEmpiremagazine’s 2008 list of the 500 Greatest Movies of All Time.
Santa Sangrewas rated NC-17 in the United Statesfor scenes containing extreme depictions of explicit violence (viaFilm Ratings.) However, an edited version was also released that received an R rating as it maintained its bizarre, graphic violence, sensuality, and drug content. As an insightful glimpse into the hallucinatory lens of 1960s psychedelia,Santa Sangreheld a moral message about opposing evil. AlthoughSanta Sangremade for challenging viewing, it was also one of the most rewarding horror movies of the 1980s.
Ken Russell was one of Britain’s most idiosyncratic filmmakers who directed surreal classics like The Who’sTommyand intense psychological horrors such asGothic. One of Russell’s most controversial films was 1971’sThe Devils, an intense historical horror focused on a 17th-century priest accused of witchcraft. With graphic portrayals of violence and sexual imagery, it’s no surpriseThe Devilswas heavily edited in many countries and outright banned in others.
The Devilsreceived an X rating in Britain and the United States, with Russell later expressing his frustration that editing requirements had damaged the integrity of the film (viaAFI). Russell stated that the 108-minute American addition “killed the key scene” depicting Jesus Christ’s sexual assault and that “Warner Brothers cut out the best of The Devils.” The director has also said that unwanted edits “adversely affected the story, to the point where in America the film is disjointed and incomprehensible.”
Salò, Or The 120 Days Of Sodom
Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom is a 1976 Italian drama directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini. Set in fascist Italy, the film follows four libertines who capture and subject nine teenagers to prolonged abuse, exploring themes of power, corruption, and depravity.
As the final film of Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini,Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodomwas an intense political horror focused on four wealthy, corrupt Italian libertines in the time of the fascist Republic of Salò. The film shockingly showcased the men abducting 18 teenagers and subjecting them to four months of extreme violence, sadism, genital torture, and psychological torture. As a deeply unnerving and difficult-to-digest film, whileSalòmay have had compelling social and political undertones, the vulgarity and intense violence on display pushed things into uncomfortable territory.
Salòpremiered at the Paris Film Festival in 1975 and had a brief theatrical run in Italy before being banned in January 1976. The subject of intense controversy and censorship,Salòwas only approved for theatrical and video distribution in the United Kingdom in the year 2000(viaBBFC.) With this approval, the British Board of Film Classification warned that “people who chose to view the film would, because of its notoriety, be aware of its contents.”
AlthoughFlesh for Frankensteinwas also released under the titleAndy Warhol’s Frankenstein, the famed pop artist had very little involvement in the movie besides briefly visiting 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 being screened in some theaters,Flesh for Frankensteinwas a uniquely distasteful take on Mary Shelley’s classic 1818 novel.
Featuring Baron Frankenstein’s attempts to create two zombies, one male and one female, and have them mate to create a master race,Flesh for Frankensteinwas a gruesome slice of European exploitation horror.The MPAA rated it X for its graphic content, but it has remained an effective satire and homage to earlier horror movies, such as James Whale’s 1931 version ofFrankenstein. As a gory and outlandish release,Flesh for Frankensteinwas a hidden gem for lovers of subversive 1970s horror.
Crash
Crash follows a TV director who becomes entangled in a subculture of car crash victims who seek thrill and connection through the raw energy of collisions, aiming to revive intimacy in his marriage through this unusual obsession.
Director David Cronenberg received the Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival for his highly subversive movieCrash. Telling the story of film producer and car crash survivor James Ballard becoming involved with a group of symphorophiliacs who are aroused by car crashes, this strange 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,Crashwas a very difficult movie to define.
It seems the censors also had their issues making sense ofCrash,and it becamethe first film to receive a NC-17 in the United States sinceShowgirls. With vivid depictions of graphic sexual acts instigated by violence,Crashwas a highly controversial and divisive film. However, it also remains a definitive release inCronenberg’s filmographyand one of his most confrontational and deeply layered movies.
Peeping Tom
Peeping Tom is a 1960 British psychological horror-thriller directed by Michael Powell. The film stars Karlheinz Böhm as Mark Lewis, a disturbed cameraman who films the terror of his victims as he murders them. As Lewis delves deeper into his sinister compulsions, the boundaries between his professional and personal life begin to blur, leading to shocking revelations about his past. Peeping Tom explores themes of voyeurism, the nature of fear, and the destructive impact of childhood trauma.
The psychological horrorPeeping Tomrevolved around a serial killer who utilized a portable camera to capture his victim’s dying expressions of terror. As a truly subversive horror movie,Peeping Tomwas one of the most intense depictions of voyeurism seen in 1960s British cinema. The controversial subject matter ofPeeping Tomled 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 Tomhad to be cut seven different times to receive its X ratingfrom the British Board of Film Classification and actually contained far more graphic imagery than what initially premiered. Nude scenes, the murder of a prostitute, and a character’s suicide were cut out from the approved edition ofPeeping Tomjust to get it classified as X. WhilePeeping Tomwas unfairly judged at the time of its release, a revival led by Martin Scorsese (viaBBFC) helped rectify its reputation during the 1970s.
Directed by George A. Romero
Dawn of the Dead
George A. Romero’s horror classic Dawn of the Dead follows on from Night of the Living Dead. Expanding upon Romero’s zombies, Dawn of the Dead redefined the horror genre for a generation. It follows a group of survivors as they make camp in a shopping mall, clearing the zombies in order to scavenge supplies and fortify their position in an increasingly hostile world.
George A. Romero revolutionized the zombie genre with his trailblazing 1968 classicNight of the Living Dead. This highly influential release led to an entire franchise as Romero continued exploring this zombie apocalypse’s effects on society. The most famous sequel in this series,Dawn of the Dead, showcased more survivors of the outbreak barricading themselves inside a shopping mall amid mass hysteria and major panic.
Dawn of the Deadpushed the zombie into horrifying new territory and was given an X by the Motion Picture Association of America. Things were more intense in Britain, where copies ofDawn of the Deadwere seized during the 1980s video nasties' moral panic. Rather than deal with the commercial disaster of releasing a movie with an X rating,Romero opted to release the movie unrated, where it became a major box office success and has since grossed an impressive $102 million (viaBox Office Mojo.)
The Evil Dead
The Evil Deadis a horror movie from 1981 starring Bruce Campbell and directed by Sam Raimi. The film follows Ash Williams, who after visiting a cabin in the woods, is tormented by deadites and must fight for his life after his friends are possessed.The Evil Deadnot only started a long-running horror franchise, but it is also the film responsible for putting both Raimi and Campbell on the map as a director and actor, respectively.
The independent supernatural horrorThe Evil Deadkickstarted a popular franchise that has since continued with sequels, standalone movies, and even a television series. While later installments embraced the more comedic aspects of this franchise, the originalThe Evil Deadwas a far more serious and scary affair as it explored demons and spirits pursuing a group of students in an isolated cabin. A hugely influential film,The Evil Deadwas not afraid to push cinematic boundarieswith its graphic depictions of violence and sex.
As one of the most notorious splatter films of all time, Raimi madeThe Evil Deadwithout fear of censorship, and it was granted an X certificate in the United Kingdom and the United States. For different theatrical and home video releases ofThe Evil Dead, some scenes have been trimmed down (viaBBFC) as moments like the notorious tree attack scene still have the power to shock viewers. Despite being a touchstone ofhorrorhistory,The Evil Deadhas remained banned in some countries (viaIndependent.)
