Controversy in Horror: 10 Movies that Shocked the World
Matt Molgaard
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The Last House on the Left: The depravity of Wes Craven’s gritty breakout reaches great length. Even today, more than 40 years after release, the film still taps a nerve. It’s a heartbreaking story, and while – for the most part – vengeance is served by the time the credits roll, the impact of seeing a few young women with their entire lives ahead of them brutalized and prematurely ended for no particular reason casts a gloom on the psyche. It’s not a pleasant piece of work by any means. It is, however, one of the most controversial flicks you’re ever going to watch.
A Serbian Film: For my personal money, this is the most unnerving movie to land on this list. As a family man, it burrows under my skin and crawls… endlessly. The movie is about a down and out ex-porn star who agrees to shoot a mysterious movie that will send him spiraling into debauched depths, shattering the life and family that he’s helped to build. It’s tough to talk too much about this one without completely spoiling it, but know this: A Serbian Film is a shocking and sickening movie that you won’t forget once you watch it. Some things simply cannot be unseen. You may be better off skipping this one, especially if family values rank high in your priority list.
Faces of Death: This pseudo-documentary had moviegoers believing it was entirely legit for years. While we now know that not to be the case, it’s hard to deny the impact that Faces of Death had on not just the movie scene, but society in general. The pic, which depicts numerous acts of extreme violence and murder, was banned all over the globe and left those who did see it feeling as filthy as an excited hog in the pen. If you check it out with the idea in your mind that it’s all real, you’ll be completely and utterly stunned. If you watch it knowing that the majority of footage you see is staged, you’re still going to be shaking your head in bewilderment. It’s a disturbing film, no doubt about it, and it’s easily one of the most controversial works the world has ever seen.
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I Spit on Your Grave (1978): This misogynistic trek into exploitation won’t leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside. While the movie does follow the blueprint of Craven’s The Last House on the Left, the final revenge twist doesn’t do much to make the viewer feel comfortable or cleansed in any way. There’s something about watching about an hour of rape onscreen that thrusts the human mindset into a realm of complete depression. There are no redeeming qualities in this pic, and the degradation of women we see here is nearly unparalleled in cinematic history. It’ll be a cold day in Hell before I can recommend this one to anyone, as it really is a disgusting film worthy of the controversy that’s long surrounded it.
