Movies - TV
American Horror Movies That Are Banned In Other Countries
By KIRA DESHLER
World War Z
"World War Z" was banned in China, which limited its international box office numbers by a significant margin. The reason for the ban might have been either a line in the film that questioned whether the virus at the center of the story originated in China or Brad Pitt's previous role in "Seven Years in Tibet," a movie depicting Tibet's struggle for autonomy from China.
Faces of Death
The VHS cover of "Faces of Death" famously proclaimed, "BANNED in 46 countries!"; the number is probably fabricated, but the controversy surrounding it helped the film secure cult classic status. Although Australia and the U.K. banned the film, it did quite well in the U.S., especially following the invention of the VHS.
Traces of Death
"Traces of Death," a 1993 remake of "Faces of Death," was banned in the same locations as its predecessor. In the U.S., a woman living in Pennsylvania refused to return the rented copy of the film so no one else could see it and contacted the Attorney General and several animal rights groups, though no ban went into effect.
The Exorcist
"The Exorcist" provoked a lot of outrage due to its religious themes, and even though it wasn't censored in the U.K., several local regions banned the film from cinemas. In 1988, the British Board of Film Classification imposed a ban on the video version, which was lifted in 1999 when the film celebrated its 25th anniversary and distributors re-submitted it for approval.
Texas Chain Saw...
"The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" was given an R-rating in the United States — though it still did amazingly well at the domestic box office. However, the U.K., Brazil, France, Germany, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Singapore, and Iceland banned the film, but eventually, they rescinded the ban — for instance, it was released in the U.K. with an 18+ certificate.