With the release of the re-imaging of Faces of Death recently, it got me thinking about the original film and how controversial it was at the time. The film was essentially a legend, much in the same way that Cannibal Holocaust was. The information age of the internet has gotten rid of this kind of hysteria, with mostly films being easily researchable. But there was once a time where school yard talks would say how “they were real, trust me!” There’s just nothing quite like a controversial horror movie.
Some have lost some of their edge over the decades while others are just as poignant and disturbing as the day they were released. Ranging from banned by entire countries to just shunned by online communities, we’ve got a wide variety of films to look at. So let’s take a look at some of the most controversial horror films of all time.
Inside (2007)
The mid-2000s gave us the French Extreme era and it was glorious. While this is more of a slow burn, it has one of the most disturbing endings you can imagine as a pregnant woman is terrorized by a woman who wants her unborn baby. She wants it so bad that she eventually cuts the baby out of the woman’s stomach with scissors, all shown on camera. So if you’re pregnant, definitely avoid this one.
Faces of Death (1978)
Presented as a real documentary, this looks at various gruesome ways of dying. Most of the deaths are fake but there are some using archival footage and the aftermath of some real-life deaths. As much as the “torture porn” era of the 2000s has been lambasted, I would consider this to be so much more disturbing as it’s no story, just horrible deaths. And it doesn’t help that there are also real animal deaths in the film, which is something I’ll never be okay with for entertainment purposes. There have somehow been multiple sequels to this film, following in the same style. Then we obviously just received a re-imagining in 2026.
Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
This is the story of a documentary crew that terrorizes an indigenous tribe, and their footage is found by a separate documentarian. It speaks on who the actual cannibals are, as the original crew is full of absolute monsters. I’ll always be disturbed by the animal abuse that is featured in the film, but the other stuff can be a bit tame by today’s standards. There’s a version of the film that gets rid of the animal abuse, and it makes for a much more palatable version of the film. It was considered a snuff film at one point, and the director actually had to prove that it was not, in fact, real.
The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence (2011)
I suppose all three of the Human Centipede films belong on here for their own unique brand of depravity but the second entry has always seemed like the most disturbing of the trilogy. Sequels always have to go bigger than the first, and what’s bigger than three people sewn ass to mouth like a centipede? Twelve people! This one does go the meta route, with someone being obsessed with the first film, and wanting to make a human contraption all his own. As if the centipede element couldn’t be worse, there’s even a guy jerking off with sandpaper. This one is just…yeah, I don’t want to even talk about this movie anymore.
The Last House On The Left (1972)
Wes Craven was one sick bastard, and none of that is exemplified more than in his 1972 film. Sexual violence in film has never been my thing, and the prolonged rape of a teenage girl just makes me squeamish even typing it. It follows a group that commits that violent act, only to come across the girl’s family, where they make them pay for their sins. Thankfully, this one gives us a bit more revenge and retribution than many others on this list and
Antichrist (2009)
I’ve seen this 2009 Lars Von Trier film a grand total of one time yet there is still imagery that I cannot get out of my head. A penis being smashed with a hammer. A woman’s clit being cut off with scissors. It’s the kind of thing that makes you go “What the fuck am I watching?” It follows a married couple played by Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg who lose their infant child and go off to a cabin the woods to grieve. There, thing take a turn as the couple starts losing their minds.
A Serbian Film (2010)
I’m not sure there’s ever been a film as depraved as this one. It’s really the only one of the list that I just don’t understand the appeal of in any way. This one just feels like someone very sick in the head trying to live out their fantasies. It follows a struggling pornstar as he’s offered a chance to star in an art film that ends up being a disgusting snuff film. Pedophilia and Necrophilia should be enough to turn most people away, and I can’t blame you. I have no interest in watching this one and it is firmly the most controversial and just plain disgusting film of all time.
What do you think are the most controversial horror films of all time?
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