The world’s most controversial films revealed in eye-opening Letterboxd list of banned movies

A Letterboxd list has revealed some of the world’s most controversial films.

Though Letterboxd is primarily for reviewing films people will often use the lists function to share hidden gems and groupings of some of their favourite films.

Some, however, use it to share lists of every film where a well-known star engaged in unsimulated sex and in this case, every film to have been banned by certain countries around the world.

Though a movie can be controversial in a number of ways being banned in certain countries is arguably the truest sign that a movie has caused a massive stir.

The Letterboxd list is 63 films long with a number of films that have been banned across the world for one reason or another.

Controversial movies banned for being too violent or extreme

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was banned in some countries (Bryanston Distributing)

Several of the films in the movie are, simply put, just too violent for the tastes of certain countries.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is now an iconic horror that spawned a number of remakes and sequels, however, when it was first released the UK’s BBFC blocked it, citing the extreme violence in the film.

Though Ichi the Killer released in the UK, it had over three minutes cut, but was outright banned in a number of countries, including Norway and Malaysia.

Another film however was banned in part due to fears that the filmmakers had carried out actual violence.

Cannibal Holocaust, a found footage horror, led to fears that the people involved had actually been killed it was so violent and graphic.

Cannibal Holocaust saw some involved arrested and were forced to prove actors were alive (United Artists)

Despite this turning out to be untrue, it was banned in Iceland, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, and they tried to get around a ban in the UK by releasing it to straight to video and circumventing the BBFC.

This was thwarted when an order was given to specifically ban the movie.

Arguably the most controversial film ever, A Serbian Film was also banned in numerous countries for well, all of it. This saw people in over 40 countries unable to watch the film which is undoubtably for the best.

Movies banned for political reasons and outright bizarre ones

2012 was banned in North Korea (Sony)

My personal favourite reason a film is banned on the list is 2012, the 2009 movie about the end of the world.

In short, the year 2012 is when Kim Il Sung would have turned 100 and so was described by Kim Jong-il as being the year that North Korea would ‘would "open the grand gates to becoming a rising superpower.’

As a result, no one got to watch 2012 (which again, to me makes them the real winners).

Borat (2006) was, for fairly obvious reasons, banned in most Arabic countries - bar Lebanon - for its portrayal of Kazakhstan and offensive content.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that Borat was banned in many Arabic countries (Everyman Pictures)

Another to have been banned in numerous countries is The Last Temptation of Christ, the Jesus film in which he was tempted by Satan to give up his faith.

This led to bans in Turkey, Mexico, Greece, Chile, Argentina, Singapore, and the Philippines.

Shockingly, one film that was banned from being broadcast in several countries is Schindler’s List.

Whilst many claimed that this was due to nudity or violence in the film, it is largely accepted to have been at least partially motivated by anti-Semitism.

See the full list of banned films here.