#1. Saw II (2005)
The gory gross-out horror film franchise,
Saw, revolves around a fictional character named
Jigsaw who traps and tortures his victims. For the sequel,
Saw II, the poster art featured two severed female fingers. The MPAA did not approve and banned the poster. The poster was later reworked and the fingers were moved off frame to hide the stumps.
Why it was banned: violence
#2. Zack And Miri Make A Porno (2008)
Like the poster for The Zero Theorem, it might take you a moment to figure out why the poster for director Kevin Smith‘s 2008 comedy,
Zack And Miri Make A Porno, got banned. Then it will hit you. Obviously seeing
Seth Rogen on either end of oral sex grosses everyone out.
Why it was banned: sexual content
#3. Shame (2011)
The 2011 film Shame, starring Michael Fassbender,
was released with a wave of controversy. The film is about sex
addiction and has a full frontal nudity scene with Fassbender. But
the Hungarian poster for the film, attracted an insane amount of
outrage. Why? The
gooey font. The poster was later banned in Hungary.
Why it was banned: sexual content
#4. Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)
The 1984 film, Silent Night, Deadly Night, caused one of the earliest controversies in horror cinema. The poster for the film depicts an axe-wielding Santa
climbing down a chimney. Not only were the posters banned, but the
theatrical release was picketed by angry parents. After a storm of
protests and controversy, the film was eventually pulled from theaters.
Why it was banned: violence
#5. The Road to Guantanamo (2006)
Part documentary, part dramatization, the 2006 documentary film, The Road to Guantanamo, chronicles
a terrifying first-hand account of three British Muslims, who were held
for 2 years without charges in the American military prison at
Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba. The original poster for film depicts torture, but it’s a documentary
about torture. Didn’t matter. It was banned by the MPAA.
Why it was banned: violence
#6. I Spit On Your Grave (2010)
Sex and blood. Never a winning combination in the eyes of the MPAA. The 2010 film,
I Spit On Your Grave, is
about a woman who seeks revenge against a group of men who brutally
rape her. The original poster sexualizes a sexual assault. The MPAA
deemed the poster very distasteful and it was banned.
Why it was banned: violence, sex
#7. Bereavement (2011)
The original poster for the 2011 film, Bereavement,
depicted a child holding a large knife. The poster was banned and a new
version was made where the knife is moved to the adult’s hand.
Why it was banned: violence
#8. Rules Of Attraction (2002)
What does the MPAA have against a bunch of stuffed animals? Nothing,
as long as they aren’t in sexually graphic positions. This poster for
the film, Rules Of Attraction, was banned in the U.S., but not Canada or the U.K..
Why it was banned: sexual content
#9. Ali G Indahouse (2002)
English comedian, Sacha Baron Cohen, has made a career out of shocking audiences. His first feature film,
Ali G Indahouse, went on to be a breakout hit in 2002. But the original poster for the film was banned by the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority.
The poster depicted Cohen’s hand on/in the crack of a woman’s butt.
People were outraged. An updated version of the poster put a thong on
the female model and moved Cohen’s hand to her leg.
Why it was banned: nudity
#10. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011)
The original movie poster for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo depicts actress Rooney Mara topless and her nipple ring only slightly covered by semi-transparent text. Very provocative. Very banned.
Why it was banned: nudity
