As movies are something made for the public eye, it is of no surprise when they are censored. The reasons vary from film to film. Some find coarse or suggestive language to be a problem, whereas others are opposed to sensuality. Violence in American films has especially come under fire since the MPAA's rating system was instilled in 1968. And one genre that has contended regularly with the MPAA is no doubt horror.

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Horror has discernibly changed over the years. The genre's boundaries have been challenged, and in turn, censors' standards have been updated. So, in light of the ongoing battle between horror and censors, let's look at ten movies that have experienced censorship.

The Hunt (2019)

After waking up in a clearing with no recollection of how they got there, twelve strangers realize they are now being hunted for sport. But by whom? Luckily for the "prey," one of the would-be victims is about to turn the tables.

The release date of this Blumhouse thriller changed from September 2019 to October, then back to its original date. In light of the tragic Dayton and El Paso mass shootings, however, distributor Universal Pictures shelved The Hunt. They removed it from their release schedule altogether. Whether or not it will have an international release is still up in the air.

Scream (1996)

Scream Skeet Ulrich Neve Campbell

In the small community of Woodsboro, Sidney Prescott and her friends are being targeted by a masked murderer dubbed Ghostface. It all starts when a classmate is brutally butchered after playing a game of cat-and-mouse over the phone with the killer. Now, Sidney is thrown smack-dab into the center of this blood-soaked mystery.

As considerably tame as Scream seems nowadays, the MPAA was at odds with director Wes Craven before the movie's 1996 release. Craven's preferred cut was deemed too violent for an R-rating. Thus, that version was rated NC-17 and only made available on Laserdisc in the U.S. and on DVD in select foreign countries.

Hostel (2006)

Jay Hernandez in Hostel

In both Hostel and Hostel: Part II, friends visiting Eastern Europe are abducted and tortured for pleasure. Many Europeans are apparently not fans of these films, as they cast Eastern Europe in an unfavorable light. Ukraine completely banned the two films; they did not like seeing a popular tourist neighborhood as a venue for torture. The movies can still be watched privately, though.

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The uncut version of Hostel: Part II was banned in Germany and New Zealand. Malaysia and Singapore would have followed suit if the film had not been severely censored.

The Descent (2005)

After Sarah's family is killed in a tragic car accident, she enters a deep depression. A year later, her friends coax her to go spelunking in a cave system in North Carolina. Once inside, though, they become prey to an undisclosed species of carnivorous humanoids that can "see" in the dark.

Neil Marshall's critically-acclaimed followup to Dog Soldiers is frequently cited as one of the best horror movies made in the last two decades. However, the version shown in American theaters was different from the one seen in the United Kingdom. This was largely because test screen audiences found the original ending to be too downbeat.

Mikey (1992)

In Mikey, a couple adopts the film's namesake, a young boy who turns out to be violent. This American-made thriller was ultimately banned in the United Kingdom because of poor timing. In 1993, a two-year old boy named James Bulger was kidnapped and murdered by two ten-year old boys. This horrific incident led to the BBFC refusing to give Mikey a UK release certificate in 1996. As of today, the movie is still banned there. Bans on other films have since been rescinded, but Mikey's remains because the movie was never resubmitted for review.

Freaks (1932)

Freaks Guillermo del Toro favourite horror movies

A circus trapeze artist named Cleopatra marries another performer in a bid to steal his fortune and run away with her secret lover. Hercules. When their peers learn of their scheme, they hatch a revenge plan.

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Freaks did not fare well with audiences at MGM's test screenings. One woman was so traumatized, she threatened to sue. As a result, MGM edited the movie down from ninety minutes to a little over an hour. The original footage no longer exists at MGM, so we won't be seeing that cut any time soon. Included in the scenes that were removed, it's suggested that the character of Hercules was castrated.

My Bloody Valentine (1981)

my bloody valentine

A legendary murder is the root cause for a rash of killings in a mining town. When the longtime ban on the town's traditional Valentine's Day dance is lifted, a group of locals plan the event. Now, a killer dressed as a miner is out to punish the partygoers.

Friday the 13th opened the floodgate for slasher movies in the 1980s. This urged the MPAA to be more strict about its censorship. One prime example is the original My Bloody Valentine, which was all but stripped of its violence. A somewhat restored version was released in time for the remake, though.

Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)

Silent Night Deadly Night Christmas Lights Choke Out

A young boy named Billy witnesses his parents' murder at the hands of a maniac dressed as Santa Claus. In the following years, the orphan is raised by nuns whose strict disciplinarian attitudes influence Billy's next actions. He dons a Santa Claus costume and goes on a killing spree, targeting those he deems "naughty."

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Subversive imagery including Santa Claus and other mythic icons might be somewhat normalized today, but that attitude was not around when Silent Night, Deadly Night was first released. This slasher was protested by the PTA because of the ads depicting Santa as a killer. TriStar Pictures pulled the movie from theaters in 1984 before it was re-released by Aquarius Films the next year. However, the ads were less focused on Billy dressed as Santa Claus.

Land of the Dead (2005)

Zombies in Land of the Dead

In a dystopian world populated by zombies, humans have had to build a separate society away from the undead. But when zombies start to adapt, people from different walks of life are forced to band together if they want to survive.

George A. Romero's Land of the Dead was banned in Ukraine for how it portrayed cannibalism. It was not even because the scenes were too explicit. Rather, Ukraine was just concerned that the movie would remind its citizens of Holodomor, the 1933 man-made famine that killed millions of Ukrainians.

Possession (1981)

Isabelle Adjani in Possession

Anna leaves her husband Mark after revealing she is having an affair. The devastated Mark tends to their son, but he can't let Anna go. The possessive ex then hires a private investigator to follow Anna, who is hiding a shocking secret.

Yet another "video nasty" in the United Kingdom, Andrzej Żuławski's Possession has had a turbulent release history. It wasn't available uncut on home video until 1999. In the United States, the film was heavily altered. One version excised a whopping forty minutes as well as rearranged scenes.

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