Horror Movie So Disgusting That It's Banned In Over 40 Countries And Someone Was Arrested For Screening

By maks in Movies & TV On 3rd April 2024
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Everyone loves to get a bit spooked by a horror movie now and then, right?

The kind filled with so much gore, guts, and jump scares that it sticks with you.

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But, could you stomach the most debated horror movie out there? This one's a whole different ball game.

We're not talking about a film like Sydney Sweeney's Immaculate, which might stir up a bit of controversy over its portrayal of satanic elements.

We're diving into a horror flick that's been banned in over 40 countries. Yes, you read that right. 

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It even landed a film festival director in hot water, leading to his arrest.

The movie in question? A Serbian Film. And trust me, I'm not overdoing it with my description.

The plot revolves around Milos, a retired Serbian porn star, who gets a chance to star in one last movie for a hefty sum. 

But before he knows it, he's trapped in a snuff film nightmare, filled with such twisted sexual content and murder that there are parts we can't even bring ourselves to describe.

Credit: Unearthed Films

When the director, SrÄ‘an Spasojević, was asked by Indiewire about the inspiration behind the film, he said: "We just wanted to express our deepest and honest feelings towards our region and also the world in general — a world that is sugar-coated in political correctness, but also very rotten under that façade".

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Released in 2010, the film kicked up a storm of controversy.

To get it shown in any country, major cuts were needed just for it to scrape by with a rating.

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In the US, about a minute had to be chopped to snag an NC-17 rating.

Over in the UK, it was slashed by a whopping three minutes and 48 seconds across 11 scenes just to make it to screens.

Credit: Unearthed Films

One daring film festival director, Angel Sala, faced charges of 'exhibiting child pornography' in 2011 after a Roman Catholic organization complained about a screening.

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Although the charges were eventually dropped, Sala could've been looking at a year behind bars if things had gone differently.

Out of the 46+ countries that have banned the movie, big markets like Spain, Australia, and Malaysia have completely shut down any chance of its screening.

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Critics are torn on A Serbian Film. Some appreciate the director's vision, while others outright condemn it as 'disgusting'.

Film critic Mark Kermode had his say: "The director says it's allegorical… if it so, then the allegory just gets lost in the increasingly stupid splatter."

Credit: Unearthed Films

"The most annoying thing about it is – torture porn is one thing, but pompous, pretentious torture porn is something else."

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If you're still here thinking, "Okay, I'm intrigued, maybe I'll give it a watch," then a top review on IMDB might sway you one way or the other.

It goes like this: "I heard about this movie on YouTube it was someone saying don't watch it it's made to disturb you but I didn't listen and I feel like vomiting now please do not watch this just don't I'm literally crying right now."

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After reading that, I'm leaning towards taking their advice.

If you're in the US and still want to take a peek, A Serbian Film is available on Vudu. 

But honestly? I'd pass. Seriously.