Every true horror fan loves the jump scares, but some horror films are just plain gross and leave viewers haunted for years.
Many such movies contain highly inappropriate content and have been banned worldwide or in certain countries.
However, if you don’t mind violence or obscenity, check out our list of horror movies that were banned in different countries worldwide.
1. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
- IMDb Rating: 7/10
Henry is one of the most unsettling horror movies ever to hit the big screens to date.
Even more twisted is the fact that it takes some cues from real-life serial killers. It quickly garnered a lot of attention after airing at film festivals.
Still, it was never adequately distributed since the MPAA gave it an X rating, which is the equivalent of refusing to give a nod of approval for viewership for US audiences.
While several other countries allowed only their audiences to have access to cut and censored versions of the movie for home media,
2. Faces of Death (1978 – 1996)
- IMDb Rating: 4.2/10
Faces of Death is notoriously known as one of the horror movies that were banned by a ridiculous number of countries worldwide.
It is a running joke that 46 countries have banned it for reasons that border on its extreme depiction of violence and gore. However, those claims have no concrete backing.
Faces of Death combines live footage and scripted scenes of some of the most gruesome deaths you can imagine.
After several years, the ban was lifted in Germany in 2022, and the BBFC allowed censored versions to be released on DVDs.
3. Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)
- IMDb Rating: 5.8/10
When Silent Night, Deadly Night aired in ‘84, parents thought their kids were in for some Christmas magic.
You can imagine every shocked parent’s expression before clutching their pearls and kids as they hurried out of the cinema.
Due to all the controversy surrounding the movie and the widespread protests, it stopped airing in movie theaters in the US.
Silent Night Deadly Night (SNDN) was boycotted entirely in some regions, like the UK.
The BBFC deemed that the uncut version could not meet the requirements for an Adult rating.
Despite the preserved disapproval, SNDN remains a horror classic with a cult following.
4. Freaks (1932)
- IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
For a movie that is said to have arguably ruined Tod Browning’s career as a director, it had some strangely high ratings among fans of the horror genre.
That’s probably because the uncut version was officially obliterated from existence. However, it remains a fan favorite among horror movies that were banned.
Despite Freaks’ media-friendly changes before its distribution, the BBFC banned it for over thirty years.
Interestingly, a large portion of Freaks’ cult following is from Europe. In an even more exciting turn of events, Freaks was added as one of the US National Film Registry gems of aesthetic, cultural, and historical value.
5. Trauma (2017)
- IMDb Rating: 4.9/10
Trauma lives up to its name, giving viewers an experience they’ll never forget just 5 minutes into the show.
Many viewers found the need to portray extreme graphic acts of sexual violence a bit difficult to understand.
Coupled with the fact that many believe that those scenes did not pass messages that such acts were frowned upon.
However, some horror fans have taken to it like moths to flames and scoured out lessons where there seem to be none.
6. Most Disturbed Person on Planet Earth (2013)
- IMDb Rating: 5.9/10
The BBFC, Australian Film Classification Board, and Canada’s film classification bodies collectively banned MDPOPE.
MDPOPE is one of the horror movies that were banned for its utterly vile content that leaves viewers hoping that everyone in those clips is behind locked doors.
The interesting part is that every scene is derived from real-life footage.
Although the MPAA slammed an X-rating on a collection of gore, violence, and absurd mutilations, it’s safe to say most adults don’t have the stomach to go through 99% of the clips.
7. Squirmfest (1989)
- IMDb Rating: 4.7/10
If Squirmfest aimed to push the boundaries of human morality and gag reflexes, then writer and director Susumu Saegusa did a phenomenal job.
Nothing prepares you for scenes where bugs, worms, and human waste are mixed, eaten, thrown up, and licked up again.
There’s no country where it is legal to possess a copy of Squirmfest, even in its host country, Japan.
However, copies circulate on torrent sites and are moved around among audiences with an affinity for highly paranormal acts.
8. Irréversible (2002)
- IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
For a movie that is described as a romance thriller, Irreversible contains incredibly graphic scenes of extreme violence and wild fits of rage.
Irreversible is another horror movie banned in the UK and Australia due to its morbid scenes that seem to go on forever.
It follows a confusing sequence of events where two men are seen leaving a building—one in cuffs and the other on stretchers.
As the scenes progress, more context is provided, but it’s only for horror lovers with boosted shock absorbers.
9. Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007)
- IMDb Rating: 6/10
Have you ever wondered what goes on in the minds of serial killers when they go on their infamous killing sprees?
Well, the Poughkeepsie Tapes are a gem among horror-found footage lovers.
John Erick Dowdle compiled a collection of tapes and interviews from the notorious Water Street Butcher’s time with his victims.
Although it teases most of the events that ensued between the captor and killer, it contains just enough to be disturbing to an average viewer.
From gruesome CS scenes to Cheryl Dempsey’s unfortunate abduction, it has just the right amount of creepiness that needs to be taken off home media like it was.
10. Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
- IMDb Rating: 5.8/10
The Cannibal Holocaust is credited with starting the wave of found footage horror movies that make up a large portion of horror movies that were banned due to preferences for extreme violence and gore.
At the time, depictions of violence, rape, and disregard for animal life were still extremely sensitive subjects in the entertainment world.
The movie shook the world and raked in numbers in various countries within 10 days. Afterward, it was banned in just as many countries.
Its box office performance didn’t stop director Ruggero Deodato’s arrest shortly after its theatrical release concerning the level of obscenity portrayed in the film.
It probably didn’t help that all animals were mutilated on set, and casts and extras were subjected to inhumane treatment.
11. Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) (2011)
- IMDb Rating: 3.8/10
From the lights and grotesque acts to the looks of key cast members, Human Centipede 2 had all the ingredients needed to become one of the horror movies banned in several countries.
It follows the actions of a psychotic young man who is obsessed with Human Centipede 1 and longs to recreate his version with some alterations.
While recreating his version, Martin maims, kills, mutilates, and carries out the most absurd sexual acts on himself and his victims.
There’s no part of the human centipede that won’t have your skin crawling.
Whoever thought that sandpaper or barbed wire was meant to give pleasure, it is hard to imagine that there was enough demand to release a third part. Who watches these things?
12. The Bunny Game (2012)
- IMDb Rating: 3.4/10
The Bunny Game follows the tortuous events endured by a streetwalker after hitchhiking with a random truck driver.
Thinking it’s just another good old day on the streets, Bunny hops in with an unknown driver miles away from civilization.
Nothing prepares her for the games he wants to play. All of which leaves her clinging desperately to her life and a few moments of relief.
Just like you probably figured by now, the sequence of events has been deemed unfit for UK audiences.
