12 Movies That Have Been Banned Around the World

The boundaries of good taste are a very intangible thing, but there are some out there who protect those boundaries ferociously. Of course, there are also artists and innovators out there who are working to steadily subvert that sense of good taste by pushing the limit of their art into new and often unsettling places. Sometimes, ground-breaking artists like John Waters and Stanley Kubrick just push a little too hard, too fast. That’s when close-minded government types clamp down on innovation just because it sometimes comes with a little bit of the old ultra violence. And ultra sex. And sometimes torture. Of course, a solid X-rating isn’t the only reason that films get banned, but it doesn’t hurt. Sometimes, however, you’re just Claire Danes.

1. Monty Python’s Life of Brian

Comedy troop Monty Python put the institution of Christianity squarely in its sights when Life of Brian was released. The story of a bumbling moron who ends up becoming a messiah while chasing tail, Life of Brian may have been construed to paint the average messiah-following Christian as a bit dim-witted. As a result, the film was banned in Ireland and Norway, a fact Monty Python actually included in their posters for the film.

2. The Interview

The Interview is the story of two dummies who score an interview with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. Before the little tyrant is incinerated (quite graphically) in a fireball, he’s painted as something of an off-balance megalomaniac. In spite of Randall Park’s inspired performance as Kim Jong-un, the comedy romp from Seth Rogen and pals is super duper banned in North Korea. In fact, the government of NK claimed that the movie promoted terrorism — whether that’s terrorism against North Korea or terrorism by North Korea because Kim Jong-un got his feelings hurt remains to be seen.

3. Song of the South

Easily the only film on this list that should stay uniformly banned, Song of the South is a Disney film released in 1946 that blends live action footage with animated stories and characters. Unfortunately, that technological achievement is set against the backdrop of a plantation filled with former slaves who just miss the crap out of bondage. Complete with the wildly offensive “Negro dialect” and all of the most horrifying cliches from the Uncle Remus stories, Song of the South was still praised for its technological achievements for some time … then the Walt Disney Company put a kind of self-ban on the film, locking it in its “vault” and refusing to release it ever again.

4. The Exorcist

On its original release, The Exorcist was a smash hit across the world. Critics and audiences alike adored its ground-breaking (and terrifying) story, the “based on a true story” exorcism of a young woman. More than a decade after the film’s 1973 release, however, the UK banned the film, pulling every copy of the film from video stores for more than a decade before The Exorcist was allowed back in.

5. The Last House on the Left

These days, the wicked results of Wes Craven’s imagination are some of the most beloved horror films of all time. His directorial debut, The Last House on the Left, however, opened to controversy right away. The film follows two young women who are tortured and murdered by four dirtbags who happen to stumble into the home of one of their victim’s parents. From there on, it’s the parents turn to exact some bloody revenge. There’s graphic sex and even more graphic violence, which lead to the film being banned in several countries. The companies in Australia were so offended that none even picked the film up for distribution.

6. Wonder Woman

The Arab League had a real problem with the immensely popular 2017 adaptation of Wonder Woman, but their problem wasn’t with the strong, scantily-clad woman at the center (well, it wasn’t their only problem). The Arab League, Qatar, and Tunisia objected to the fact that Israeli Gal Gadot was playing the lead. Their ongoing boycott of all things Israel dictated that these Arab countries ban Wonder Woman, no matter how much Gal Gadot kicked butt in the film.

7. Pink Flamingos

Now considered a cult masterpiece, Pink Flamingos seems like a movie that was created with the sole intent of grossing people out. The weird misadventures of drag queen Divine and her menagerie of oddballs, Pink Flamingos will test your ability to sit and watch a movie. At one point Divine eats literal dog feces. It’s … a thing. John Waters’ first film may not be for the faint of heart, which is why it was banned in Australia, Norway, and some provinces of Canada.

8. A Clockwork Orange

When it was initially released, Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 homage to government control was wildly popular wherever it went. It made $26 million in the US (which was a lot at the time) and even earned a nod for Best Picture of the Year. Some people, however, felt that the film’s graphic depictions of rape and violence were excessive and borderline pornographic. After a case of what authorities believed to be copycat violence, the film was banned in the United Kingdom. In Ireland, that ban remained active until 2000.

9. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

You might be wondering what in the heck could possibly be offensive about one of movie history’s most beloved (and kid-friendly) aliens. Well, the release of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial didn’t sit well with the governing body of Scandinavia, who banned the film because it made adults look like total dicks. Throughout the story of a lost little alien trying to get home, adults constantly subvert Elliott’s efforts to help, which makes for good drama. Unfortunately, in Norway and Sweden, et al. that also created a tough image for parents to overcome.

10. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

This cult classic horror film starring Michael Rooker (in his first film role) isn’t all that offensive in hindsight. A lot of the violence takes place off screen, and except for some gratuitous nudity, the only thing “objectionable” about the film is Michael Rooker’s haunting performance as a drifter sociopath whose disease impacts everyone around him. On its release, the film was outright banned in New Zealand and Australia.

11. Every Claire Danes Movie

When the Homeland star was filming her imprisonment drama Brokedown Palace, she and the crew were on location in the Philippines. According to Danes, however, the island country is a total rat trap (like, literally). Throughout filming and while doing publicity for the film, Danes was quick to bad mouth the nation — as a result, the actress’ work in its entirety was banned from the country for several years.

12. The Evil Dead

Originally released in 1981, Sam Raimi’s cult classic The Evil Dead was considered one of the most violent films ever made. The low-budget horror comedy follows a group of unlucky friends resurrect and then subsequently get possessed by a real jerk demon. At that point, Bruce Campbell is forced to dismember a handful of his best friends with a lot of inventive means. Things get messy, which is why The Evil Dead grabbed an ‘X’ rating and was outright banned in several countries on release. It remained banned in some countries for decades. Singapore didn’t allow the film until 2011.