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From shocking violence to explicit content, these notorious film moments pushed boundaries and sparked outrage. Join us as we count down the movie sequences that left audiences gasping, critics fuming, and censors working overtime! Our list includes infamous scenes from classics like "The Exorcist," "A Clockwork Orange," and "Basic Instinct."
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00:00If you're the devil, why not make the stripes disappear?
00:02That's much too vulgar a display of power, Karis.
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we'll be looking at the sequences that are considered the most
00:10notorious for their content, context, and subsequent reaction to them. This means a few spoilers.
00:15I'm sorry, but we don't usually let strangers in in the middle of it.
00:20Number 20. The Bathtub. Birth.
00:22Nicole Kidman stars in this psychological drama as a woman being pursued by a young boy claiming
00:26to be the reincarnation of her late husband.
00:28It's me.
00:30Sean.
00:37You're telling me that you're Sean.
00:40Yes.
00:43Let's go.
00:44The relationship builds to an uncomfortably intimate moment where Kidman's character and the young
00:48boy bathe together. In reality, Kidman and actor Cameron Bright were only on set together for one
00:53shot of the Bathtub scene. Bright wasn't completely undressed while Kidman wore special clothing to
00:58create the illusion of nudity. Kidman and Bright filmed the rest of the Bathtub scene separately.
01:02Without this background information, though, audiences were inclined to question the ethics
01:05of this scene.
01:06I want you to leave.
01:08This seemed to overshadow Kidman's performance and the story's deeper themes, which would
01:12earn the film praise years later.
01:14Number 19. Russian Roulette. The Deer Hunter.
01:16Although The Deer Hunter won the Oscar for Best Picture, it was also among 1978's most
01:21controversial films. Its depiction of Russian roulette was a source of much debate.
01:24Stevie, you gotta do it. If you don't do it, they're gonna throw you in a pit.
01:28The filmmakers strived for authenticity to the point that Robert De Niro suggested that live
01:32ammo be used during a Russian roulette sequence. This request was met, although the revolver was
01:37meticulously checked between takes. While the risk on screen was real, numerous critics argued that
01:42the scene wasn't true to the experiences that POWs endured during the Vietnam War.
01:46I'm not ready for this.
01:48You gotta listen to me. You wanna stay down here and die?
01:51This included Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Pete Arnett, who wrote,
01:55In its 20 years of war, there was not a single recorded case of Russian roulette, adding that
01:59the metaphor was a bloody lie.
02:00Number 18. Real Birds, Real Terror. The Birds.
02:03With this 1963 film, Alfred Hitchcock proved that he could even make birds scary. Nobody was more
02:09afraid than Hitch's leading lady, Tippi Hedren. Two particular scenes traumatized her.
02:13First, there was the phone booth sequence in which one of the mechanical birds allegedly broke
02:24through the glass, cutting Hedren. Then there was the climax in the attic where the mechanical birds
02:27were replaced with real ones, which Hedren wasn't prepared for. Hedren reportedly spent five days
02:32working with live birds, one nearly pecking her eye. According to Hedren, this was Hitch's way of
02:46punishing her after she rejected his sexual advances. While this scene wasn't especially
02:50controversial at first, Hedren's allegations have reframed it in a far more infamous light.
02:55Number 17. The Tree. The Evil Dead.
02:57For better or worse, Sam Raimi's feature debut is best remembered for a scene where a possessed
03:01tree sexually assaults Ellen Sandweiss' Cheryl.
03:05I know someone's out there.
03:13I heard you. I heard you in the cellar.
03:16Some viewers were scared, others questioned if it was supposed to be darkly comedic, and
03:20many found it offensive. The scene contributed to the film reportedly being pulled in multiple
03:24countries. One audience member wrote in 1983 that the film reflects a woman-hating society,
03:29alluding to its portrayal of assault. Even Raimi expressed regret about the scene years later,
03:34saying it was unnecessarily gratuitous and a little too brutal.
03:37Nevertheless, the tree resurfaced in Fede Alvarez's 2013 Evil Dead movie.
03:47Although it may be in poor taste, the scene is so ingrained in the Evil Dead's legacy that it can't be removed.
03:51Number 16. Dog Feces. Pink Flamingos. Pink Flamingos might be John Waters' masterpiece,
03:57putting him on the map as a shameless proprietor of what some might describe as filth.
04:01Why, hello, Cookie. I do hope you're hungry.
04:04Proudly earning an NC-17 rating, the film as a whole was controversial, but the ending left an
04:09especially bad taste in viewers' mouths. As a chorus sings,
04:12How Much Is That Doggy In The Window?, Divine waits for a small canine to do its business.
04:16Divine proceeds to scoop up the dog's excrement, snacking on it. According to Waters,
04:20this was the real thing. Waters described the scene as a publicity stunt, believing it would
04:24frighten hippies.
04:25You think you know somebody filthier? Watch, as Divine proves that not only is she the filthiest
04:32person in the world, she is also the filthiest actress in the world.
04:37Divine was on board with doing the stunt, wanting to cause trouble. Yet Divine was apprehensive about
04:41his mother watching the film.
04:43Number 15. The Assault. The Accused. Jodie Foster won an Oscar for her performance as Sarah Tobias in
04:48this legal drama. Sarah was based on Cheryl Araujo, who multiple men sexually assaulted in a bar.
04:53Evening, lady.
04:54Danny. This is my friend Sarah. Thanks for the drinks, Danny.
04:59The accused is uncompromising in its portrayal of assault, leaving no room for ambiguity.
05:03Although the scene was carefully rehearsed before the cameras rolled, the five-day shoot was grueling
05:08for everyone, especially Foster, who blacked out. It wasn't much easier for the audience to watch.
05:12According to producer Cheryl Lansing, the test screenings garnered the lowest scores in the
05:16history of Paramount. This almost gave Paramount an excuse not to release the picture, although
05:32the studio reconsidered after another screening with an all-female audience went better. The
05:37scene was brutal, yet honest.
05:39Number 14. Tormented Turtle. Cannibal Holocaust. Mixing exploitation cinema with what would come to
05:44be known as the found-footed genre, Cannibal Holocaust was revolutionary in many respects.
05:49For us, the difficult doesn't exist, and the impossible takes just a little more time.
05:53It was also widely condemned and banned in multiple countries, even leading to several
05:57creative figures receiving obscenity and violence convictions. While more than a few scenes meet
06:01this list's criteria, the ones involving animal cruelty have ignited the most outrage. The torment
06:06extended to a squirrel monkey, pig, boa constrictor, tarantula, and South American coati. Of all the
06:12real animals that were killed on screen, the dismembering of an arow turtle was perhaps the most
06:16appalling. While the arow turtle isn't considered an endangered species, some would argue it's
06:20getting dangerously close, making this scene even harder to watch years later.
06:24Turn the camera off, will you?
06:26Number 13. Squeal Like a Pig. Deliverance. Sexual violence against women has been depicted
06:31in countless movies. 1972's Deliverance is still something of a rarity, featuring a graphic
06:36scene where Ned Beatty's Bobby is sexually assaulted at the hands of another man.
06:40We don't know what you're doing, and we don't care. That's none of our business.
06:45That's right. It's none of your goddamn business. Right.
06:47We've got quite a long journey ahead of this channel in the world.
06:50According to director John Borman, the studio got cold feet about making Deliverance,
06:54the Squeal Like a Pig scene being a sticking point. While its budget was reduced, Borman brought
06:58his film to fruition, this infamous scene included. Upon release in Salt Lake City, it was reported that
07:03three men and a woman fainted during the assault scene. Some argued that the film should have been
07:06rated X rather than R. That didn't stop Deliverance from receiving three Oscar nominations,
07:11including Best Picture and Best Director.
07:13I don't want any part of it. Well, you are part of it!
07:15Number 12. The Leg Cross. Basic Instinct. Basic Instinct caused an uproar among the ratings
07:20board and LGBTQIA plus groups, but Sharon Stone's at the center of its most talked about controversy.
07:25Did I miss something?
07:27Stone's revealing interrogation defined the film and her career. She didn't see this coming,
07:31claiming that Paul Verhoeven tricked her into crossing her legs without underwear.
07:34According to Stone, she was told that the scene would only suggest nudity without actually
07:38showing anything. She found at a test screening that this wasn't the case, slapping Verhoeven
07:42over the close-up. The interrogation scene arguably isn't even the most graphic one in this erotic
07:46thriller. Given the lack of consent on Stone's part though, it's the one that sparked the most
07:50backlash. When Stone crossed her legs, a line was crossed as well.
07:53Number 11. Butter. Last Tango in Paris. Simulating sexual violence is always going to be triggering
08:06for some, but Last Tango in Paris arguably went too far. In this erotic drama's most notorious scene,
08:11Marlon Brando's Paul assaults Maria Schneider's gene using a stick of butter.
08:15So you're here. What did you answer?
08:18Go get the butter.
08:20I have to hurry. I have a cab dancer waiting.
08:22Go get the butter.
08:23Although the attack was staged, the usage of butter was unscripted. Schneider reflected,
08:27even though what Marlon was doing wasn't real, I was crying real tears. The actress thought
08:31Brando and director Bernardo Bertolucci had violated her. Despite this, Schneider maintained
08:35a friendly relationship with Brando, but not with the film's director. Schneider and Brando both felt
08:40Bertolucci had manipulated them on set. For Schneider in particular, the film would have a traumatic
08:44effect on her career and personal life.
08:46Let's talk about us.
08:49Okay. This place is so pitiful.
08:53Number 10. The Assassination. The Interview. Those who remember this 2014 comedy probably
08:58focus on the fact that it almost started in an international incident.
09:01As I'm sure you know already, Kim Jong-un is now capable of nuking all of the West Coast.
09:08North Korea was offended by the film's premise, which culminates with Kim Jong-un's demise.
09:12Not only does the nation's leader die at the end, he meets his destruction in excruciating
09:16detail as a tank projectile hits his helicopter.
09:28This led to serious threats from the country. Hackers linked to North Korea's cyber attacks
09:32Sony in what became an unprecedented disclosure of information. Theater chains initially backed
09:37out of showing the film as controversy shrouded its release. Eventually, the movie reached audiences
09:41despite foreign objections about its assassination plot.
09:43Mr. Arapaport, I am Sook Yong-pak. The Supreme Leader will grant a one-hour interview to Mr.
09:50Skylark from inside North Korea.
09:53Number 9. Early Lovemaking. Ecstasy.
09:55Actress Hedy Lamarr started her career in Europe, where she received a starring role in
09:59the groundbreaking drama, Ecstasy.
10:09The Czech movie features one of the earliest instances of sex in a mainstream feature film.
10:13More specifically, Lamarr takes part in a love scene that shows her face during a climax.
10:18The entire moment is remarkably tame by today's standards.
10:21This didn't stop censors of the time period from banning the movie, which also includes
10:32the performer swimming in the nude. The Hollywood censors at the Hayes office rejected the piece
10:36and several U.S. states prevented screenings.
10:38Number 8. Movie Theater Fire and Glorious Bastards.
10:48Quentin Tarantino's World War II film has plenty of his trademark violence and snappy dialogue,
10:53but the most prominent part is the dramatic ending.
10:55Very talented cameraman, Antonio Magheriti, and Antonio's camera assistant, Dominic DeCocco.
11:03Taking place at a movie theater, the finale corrals Nazi leaders into a premiere event and takes them out.
11:08The owner, Shazana, lights the place on fire, while the titular commandos tear into the baddies with machine guns.
11:13I have a message for Germany.
11:19That you are all going to die.
11:22Hitler's death receives particular attention during the sequence.
11:25The filmmaker's revisionism receives both cheers and boos from critics,
11:28with some feeling it was disrespectful to play around with history.
11:31Others felt that Tarantino was turning Jewish characters into morally questionable humans.
11:35He doubled down on this idea in future projects such as Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,
11:39taking other fictionalized looks at the past.
11:41Oh, I know you.
11:43I know all three of you.
11:46Yeah, Spawn Ranch.
11:48Number 7.
11:49Ending.
11:49Kids.
11:50Larry Clark directed Harmony Corrine's gritty account of teens in New York City entitled Kids.
11:55But like, if you the flower girl, man,
11:57oh man, you're the man.
11:59No one could ever do that again, you know?
12:01It quickly generated controversy for its frank look at sex garnering controversy upon release.
12:06The end features the movie's most graphic scene, which exposes an attacker to HIV.
12:11Jenny, you've tested positive for the HIV virus.
12:14What?
12:15The test isn't 100% accurate.
12:17You should...
12:17I tested positive?
12:18Clark's direction feels too real at times,
12:21playing out the moments with a disturbing authenticity.
12:23Some objected to the film's release.
12:25It was rated NC-17 and required some maneuvering to even be exhibited to the public,
12:29forcing Miramax producers to purchase the rights from Disney in order to release it in its unaltered state.
12:35Number 6.
12:36Water Buffalo.
12:37Apocalypse Now.
12:38Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam epic is known as much for its thrilling storytelling as it is for its troubled production.
12:43Nothing else in the world smells like that.
12:46Come on, Bruce, Bruce, Bruce.
12:47I love the smell of napalm in the morning.
12:52For the climactic sequence between Kurtz and Willard,
12:55the director chooses to juxtapose the action with the ritual sacrifice of a water buffalo.
12:59Coppola merely filmed the ceremony and included it in the final product.
13:02Considering that it was shot in the Philippines,
13:04the film was able to circumvent American laws about animal cruelty.
13:07The scene itself features members of a tribe using a machete in a bloody moment.
13:11This led to organizations such as the American Humane Association denouncing the movie for filming the slaughter.
13:16The horror.
13:22The horror.
13:24Number 5.
13:25Shower.
13:26Psycho.
13:26Alfred Hitchcock's horror classic stars Janet Leigh as a woman on the run.
13:30What are you running away from?
13:34Why do you ask that?
13:36No.
13:38People never run away from anything.
13:40She pulls into the Bates Motel where she takes one final shower before being attacked.
13:44The iconic scene features a slew of quick cuts that avoid any excessive brutality of the moment.
13:49Hitchcock's direction scared numerous viewers and his lead actress,
13:52with Leigh saying that she switched to baths for the remainder of her life.
13:59This doesn't even include an uproar over the misconception that there's nudity.
14:03Other controversial elements include the flushing of a toilet in an earlier shot.
14:07Despite significant worries from censors, the sequence ended up being released as originally intended.
14:16Number 4.
14:17Extended Attack.
14:18Irreversible.
14:19Argentine director Gaspar Noé attracts controversy with almost every film.
14:23His tense and experimental drama Irreversible is no different.
14:35Featuring a harrowing assault as its most consequential sequence,
14:38Monica Bellucci's character runs into her attacker in a sequence that's over 10 minutes long.
14:42The remainder of the movie features fast-paced and chaotic moments leading up to and directly following the horrible crime.
14:54Some consider the project impossible to engage with due to its explicit content,
14:57almost forcing the viewer to look away during its controversial centerpiece.
15:01It reportedly prompted walkouts during its initial release at the Cannes Film Festival.
15:05Number 3.
15:14The Last Temptation of Christ.
15:17Rather than following more traditional tales about Jesus Christ,
15:20The Last Temptation of Christ delves into a more controversial viewpoint of the sacred story courtesy of Nikos Kazantzakis' novel.
15:26If I was a woodcutter, I'd cut.
15:29If I was a fire, I'd burn.
15:30But I'm a heart and I love.
15:32That's all I can do.
15:33The main crux of the film's notoriety stems from its climax,
15:36where Christ is tempted off the cross to live a normal life as a married man.
15:40So if he saved Abraham, son, don't you think he'd want to save his own?
15:45He's tested you and he's happy with you.
15:48Protests surrounded the movie's release as some religious leaders called this blasphemous.
15:52One radical group set fire to a Paris theater for screening the film,
15:56while boycotts were organized in the U.S.
15:58Martin Scorsese's project also received bans that unfairly marked it as an infamous release in the 1980s.
16:04I'm thanking God for bringing you here.
16:11Number 2.
16:12Singing in the Rain.
16:13Clockwork Orange.
16:14Among the most controversial films of the 1970s,
16:17Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Anthony Burgess' novel features copious amounts of violence.
16:22Alex Delarge and his droogs bring anarchy and violence wherever they go.
16:39This includes a disturbing scene where the gang leader provides a haunting soundtrack.
16:42Singin' in the Rain, just singin' in the rain, what a glorious feeling, I'm happy again.
16:53With the use of Singin' in the Rain, the main character's psychopathic tendencies are on full display.
16:58It's one of the sequences that inspired calls for censorship.
17:01In a tragic case of copycat crimes,
17:03several incidents were allegedly influenced by the on-screen acts.
17:06Kubrick was later inspired to take the film out of British theaters
17:09due to its perceived connection to various violent activities.
17:12We were assaulted by a gang of vicious young hoodlums in this house
17:15in this very room you are sitting in now.
17:18I was left a helpless cripple, but for her the agony was too great.
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17:36Number 1. Crucifixion. The Exorcist.
17:41Among the most lauded horror films ever made,
17:43The Exorcist still shocks people to this day.
17:45Well then, let's introduce ourselves. I'm Damien Karras.
17:49And I'm the devil. Now kindly undo these straps.
17:52The production overcame serious setbacks and alleged curses
17:55to create a groundbreaking scary movie.
17:58In a project full of terrifying turns,
17:59there are few images as indelible as the possessed Reagan
18:02stabbing herself with a crucifix.
18:04Her demonic voice and movements only make the sequence more haunting.
18:15It's one of the elements that provoked wild audience reactions in 1973,
18:20including apparent medical emergencies at the site of the plot's darkest moments.
18:24It also involved Ellen Burstyn receiving a serious back injury
18:27after being knocked back by her on-screen daughter.
18:29Through it all, this proves to be one of the more unexpectedly dangerous
18:33and controversial scenes of its kind.
18:35He didn't mention her.
18:36No.
18:38Huh.
18:40He didn't tell you what she did.
18:42He didn't mention her.
18:44Can you think of any other controversial movie scenes?
18:46Let us know in the comments.
18:47How could anyone be filthier than Divine?
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