The films listed below are (in)famous for arousing controversy on their initial release, be it for explicit scenes of violence, sex or extreme political beliefs . The best films in this collection use their notorious elements not merely to shock, but to provoke ('Salo' uses its disturbing sequences, borrowed from Sade, as a comment on Fascism, whilst the sickening rape scene in 'The Accused' rightly refused to soften the depiction of this despicable crime). The following films can still cause impassioned debate, in some cases decades after they were made... See also the category 'Asia Extreme'. Right: One of the most shocking debuts 'Man Bites Dog'.
AKA 'La Bete'. Passing New Zealand censors for the first time, Walerian Borowcyzyk's official director's cut of his controversial film can finally be... Read more
Cult classic cannibal 'comedy' about the sadistic Sardu, a man who stages elaborate S & M torture shows in an exclusive New York theatre. What the un... Read more
After "El Topo" and with the production assistance of John Lennon and ABKCO Films and the desire to become "the Cecil B. De Mille of the underground",... Read more
Three depraved criminals kidnap 16-year-old Candy (Susan Sennet) and bury her alive, demanding a ransom from her father. When Dad refuses to pay, the... Read more
Stanley Kubrick's dark, dazzling, ironic tale of an ultra-violent future filled with marauding gangs, decaying cities and bizarre technologies. Follow... Read more
Aka "The Mole." "I ask of film what most North Americans' ask of psychedelic drugs" said Writer, Director and star Alexandro Jodorowsky of this stunni... Read more
Stanley Kubrick's dark, dazzling, ironic tale of an ultra-violent future filled with marauding gangs, decaying cities and bizarre technologies. Follow... Read more
Leni Riefenstahl's breathtaking film record of the 1934 Nazi Nuremberg Rally is universally regarded as one of the most outstanding documentaries ever... Read more
An epic tale of the Civil War which many consider to be the single most important film in the development of cinema as an art. It is a stunning summar... Read more