- 4 months ago
From vomit-inducing gore to shocking sex scenes, these films had audiences heading for the exits in droves! Join us as we examine the most controversial movies that caused massive walkouts. Whether they were too graphic, too slow, or simply too disturbing, these cinematic experiences pushed viewers beyond their breaking points and into the lobby.
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00:00If one of you tries to quit on me, I'll pay a bonus of a thousand dollars to the man that kills him.
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the worst cinematic misfires
00:11that had theatergoers running away in droves.
00:14I'm not moving! No! Fine! Fine! Fine! I'm staying right here! Good.
00:20Either because they were too graphic, too boring, or due to something else entirely.
00:25Number 50, Cuso.
00:27What are you doing here?
00:28You had said you had some issues with your trans-dimensional roommates,
00:31so I wanted to make sure that that was going okay.
00:33In 2017, multi-hyphenate Flying Lotus added a new title to his resume,
00:38Director of Gross Out Body Horror.
00:40The rapper-turned-filmmaker sought to make the most squirm-inducing movie ever,
00:45and he certainly came close.
00:46Do you have a macaroni product to charge?
00:51What?
00:51H-I-D?
00:52No, no, no, no, look.
00:53Robalepin?
00:54Cuso is such an assault on the senses,
00:57multiple audience members left during its debut at the Sundance Film Festival.
01:01You can't really blame them either.
01:03I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
01:05As a post-apocalyptic splatter film,
01:14Cuso's anthology structure amps up the gore
01:16until even jarred diehards will be reaching for a barf bag.
01:20It's easy to understand why an unprepared audience would not be able to make it through.
01:24The worker ants, they'll suffocate the queen in a hot, f***ing, pulsing f*** ball.
01:33Number 49, Babylon.
01:35Exploring the roar part of the Roaring Twenties,
01:39Babylon tracks Hollywood's transition from silent films to full-on audio.
01:43Do you miss the silence?
01:49No.
01:50Although it seems like most people did not make it to the sound part,
01:54Babylon's opening act is the epitome of sex, drugs, and rock and roll,
01:58featuring enough crude content to make anyone clutch their pearls.
02:01It doesn't let up much either,
02:03and the sheer excess scared off a good chunk of moviegoers partway through.
02:11While Babylon has been reappraised for its thoughtful examination of Hollywood's history,
02:16it's clear it partied way too hard for general audiences.
02:19Oh, Natalie, look at them.
02:21Oh, who knows what she might do?
02:22She's from Jersey, you know.
02:25Number 48, Poor Things.
02:27Emma Stone on the big screen is an enticing enough pitch to bring almost anyone out to the multiplex.
02:32Let us touch each other's genital pieces.
02:35Uh, no, no.
02:36In this case, though, they probably should have done their research on Yorgos Lanthimos.
02:41The director is known for pushing the envelope, and Poor Things is no exception.
02:45Without divulging too much, we'll just say that Stone's character gets awfully freaky awfully fast.
02:56The unwavering stream of R-rated content was enough to send the uninitiated straight to the exit sign.
03:02At the very least, the good reactions outweighed the bad,
03:06and Stone took home her second Oscar for the role.
03:08I have adventured it and found nothing but sugar and violence.
03:12It is most charming.
03:13I am fine.
03:14Number 47, The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael.
03:18What, can we come in, mate?
03:19Yeah.
03:19Yeah.
03:20I'm telling you.
03:22Another day, another controversial film prompting walkouts at a film festival.
03:27This time, it's The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael,
03:30whose tale of adolescent violence did not sit well at Cannes.
03:33While the movie is chock-full of unsavory moments,
03:36it was a specific scene involving a girl's plight that caused the most drama.
03:40Reportedly, several members of the Cannes audience left during this part and didn't bother returning.
03:45The director defended the graphic scene in a post-screening Q&A,
03:49but that hasn't helped the great ecstasy of Robert Carmichael from living on in infamy.
03:54Number 46, The Woman.
03:55If we're judging horror films based on which left the most visceral impact,
04:00then this one takes the cake on principle alone.
04:03Its screening at the Sundance Film Festival left one viewer so disturbed,
04:06he went on a screaming tirade about it.
04:08This film ought to be confiscated, burned.
04:11There's no value in showing this to anyone.
04:13Parts of it are immortalized on film, too.
04:16In his defense, The Woman is not for the fate of heart at all.
04:20The titular unnamed lead goes through some truly unspeakable horrors,
04:28and the camera does not shy away from any of it.
04:31Although, for a scary movie, that kind of reaction is pretty effective marketing.
04:36Number 45, Straw Dogs.
04:39Sobering social critique or anti-feminist fantasy?
04:42It's an age-old debate for straw dogs,
04:44and unfortunately, most viewers in 1971 landed on the latter.
04:48I suggest you get out of the way of the windows.
04:51I also suggest you turn the rest of the light down upstairs.
04:54Do we have any wire?
04:55I told you I won't help you!
04:57The film's hyper-violent story is full of interesting ideas,
05:00but many found them moot given the treatment of its leading lady Amy,
05:04specifically in a scene where she's tormented by a pair of vicious men.
05:08Get out!
05:10Reviewers have spent actual decades
05:12deconstructing the ins and outs of Straw Dogs' water cooler moment.
05:16But regardless of their verdict,
05:18viewers at the time were having none of it,
05:20and said as much by leaving before the credits.
05:22This is where I live.
05:25This is me.
05:29I will not allow violence against this house.
05:31Number 44, Taxi Driver.
05:34Even one of the greatest films ever made isn't safe from audience backlash.
05:38As anyone who's seen Taxi Driver knows,
05:40it's not exactly a peaceful movie,
05:43especially in the climactic shootout.
05:44Ironically, the excessive carnage it's known for today
05:48is precisely why Taxi Driver got booed at the Cannes Film Festival.
05:52You heard that right.
05:53Taxi Driver.
05:54Booed.
05:55You talking to me?
05:56Well, then who the hell else are you talking?
06:00You talking to me?
06:02Evidently, critics were not happy about the film's explicit nature,
06:05and many of them voiced that by outright leaving the screening.
06:08They were clearly missing out, though,
06:10and anyone who stayed was treated to one of cinema's greatest crime dramas.
06:14God, are you square?
06:16Hey, I'm not square.
06:17You're the one that's square.
06:18You're full of s***, man.
06:19Number 43.
06:21The Lion King.
06:22Remember who you are.
06:26You are my son.
06:28Disney movies are as innocent as it gets, right?
06:30Well, that's what most parents in the 90s thought, at least.
06:33They gathered their kids, bought tickets,
06:35and strolled into the theater expecting fun for the whole family.
06:38What they got instead was a soul-crushing death scene
06:41as Mufasa falls into the stampede.
06:43Long live the king.
06:49Allegedly, some parents found the Lion King's tragic twist
06:55too dark for their children and left mid-screening.
06:58You gotta get up.
07:01Dad.
07:02We gotta go home.
07:04They didn't even make it to Hakuna Matata.
07:07We can't fault them too much, though.
07:09Mufasa's death definitely traumatized us all as children.
07:12See? He admits it.
07:14Murder.
07:15Number 42.
07:17Under the Skin.
07:17Artistic and thought-provoking are not always the same as crowd-pleasing.
07:22It's the curse of Hollywood,
07:23and Under the Skin is one of the biggest victims.
07:26On the one hand,
07:27you had critics hailing its mysterious sci-fi narrative as gripping and poetic.
07:31On the other,
07:32you had some viewers literally walking out halfway through because it was so slow.
07:36What's that?
07:37I answer that too, my name.
07:39Of your name?
07:40Yeah.
07:40What's your name?
07:41Andy.
07:42Andy, no.
07:43Nice to meet you.
07:43Nice to meet you too.
07:44Under the Skin is definitely an acquired taste,
07:46and despite Scarlett Johansson's outstanding leading performance,
07:50the script proved too heady for general audiences.
07:53It's a shame because if you like real existential sci-fi,
07:56Under the Skin is the best there is.
07:59Number 41.
08:00The Wild Bunch.
08:01When do you think you say, Mr. Jackson?
08:02We'll be sure we'll appreciate a little liquor money for tonight.
08:04There won't be any tonight.
08:06You go after them in 10 minutes.
08:09Get them.
08:09Get Pike and you'll be rich.
08:11In the midst of the Vietnam War and considerable political unrest,
08:15a gun-slinging crime western probably wasn't the escapism people were looking for.
08:19But the Wild Bunch persisted,
08:21refusing to flinch away from the high-octane action,
08:23controversy be damned.
08:25And boy was there controversy.
08:27Be old damn well I shot this one.
08:28Look at the size of that hole.
08:30You just dig out that bullet and see if it ain't my odd six.
08:33Several found the movie's abundant use of force to be in poor taste.
08:36Apparently, a group of nuns didn't even make it past the opening scene before calling it quits.
08:41Don't feel bad for the Wild Bunch, though.
08:43It's nice and cozy in its place among the best westerns ever made.
08:47Nothing but you egg-sucking, chicken-stealing gutter trash with not even 60 rounds between.
08:52Number 40.
08:53Alien.
08:54The legendary chestburster scene is etched into the brains of moviegoers for a reason.
08:59It's just that scary.
09:00What's the matter?
09:01The food ain't that bad, baby.
09:05You chill for a time?
09:06Back in the late 70s, it may have even been too scary.
09:10A few reports claim that certain viewers were so disturbed by the baby xenomorph,
09:14they became physically ill and had to leave the showing.
09:17We certainly believe it.
09:19Even compared to modern films, the practical effects in this alien scene remain second to none.
09:24That is one of the many reasons it is oh so satisfying to see Ripley send them all to a galaxy far, far away.
09:30Number 39.
09:38Who am I to you?
09:39At a time when grisly stories dominated Indian cinema, this movie delivered the exact opposite, a musical rom-com.
09:50While the movie would go on to become a record-shattering staple of Indian filmmaking, initial audiences were taken aback by the bubbly tone.
09:57With a runtime over three hours long, who am I to you wasn't exactly a low commitment option either.
10:04After learning some viewers were tapping out early, they removed two songs to tighten the pace.
10:08When the film became a phenomenon, they were added back in, ensuring everyone got to experience the full soundtrack in all its glory.
10:22Number 38.
10:31The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
10:33They take the head and they boil it, except for the tongue.
10:38And they scrape all the flesh away from the bone.
10:41The first time Leatherface revved up on the big screen elicited every kind of negative reaction imaginable.
10:46People were crying, screaming, getting sick, and yes, even leaving the theater in utter terror.
10:52There's really no way to overstate how intense the Texas Chainsaw Massacre was at the time.
10:57He don't like it, ain't that right. You're just a cook. Shut your mouth.
11:02It was marketed as being based on a true story, and nearly released with an X rating.
11:07In fact, it barely saw a wide release at all, with censors and even full countries banning it left and right.
11:14Given the strong reactions, they may have had the right idea.
11:22Number 37.
11:25Inherent Vice.
11:26What would a nice, clean girl like me do with you?
11:29Well, you could, uh, bring your soap and clean my feet.
11:34Most people who show up for a Paul Thomas Anderson film know what they're getting themselves into.
11:39But when even cinephiles found this one too dense, it was clear casuals never stood a chance.
11:44Inherent Vice is an ambitious, complicated film that dances between so many stories and tones,
11:50it's not always clear what you're supposed to be feeling.
11:54Dr. Rudy, I'm back.
11:57You're not Dr. Rudy.
11:59You're not Dr. Rudy.
12:01It makes you wonder if its heaps of critical acclaim were worth alienating mainstream moviegoers,
12:06who were frequently confused and ended up bailing.
12:08Maybe if Inherent Vice had played to that audience a bit more,
12:12it wouldn't have wound up a box office bomb.
12:14Listen, I'm sorry about last night.
12:18You?
12:20Why should you be sorry?
12:23Weird.
12:25Number 36.
12:26The Human Centipede First Sequence.
12:28We start with cutting the ligamentum patella,
12:35the ligaments of the kneecaps.
12:37Forget audiences.
12:38This movie is so grotesque,
12:40actresses were walking out of the audition room.
12:43If that's how gross it read on the page,
12:45you can only imagine the gut-wrenching reactions once it was actually filmed.
12:49Well, it is called The Human Centipede.
12:51You can probably guess how things went.
12:53Two pericellative grafts are prepared
12:56and lifted from the underlying tissue.
13:01The film's crazy premise attracted a lot of media attention,
13:04but when those people showed up in theaters,
13:06they had to immediately leave or risk losing their lunch.
13:10Most artists would be devastated by that news,
13:12but something tells us that is exactly what The Human Centipede was going for.
13:16Yeah! I did it!
13:21Number 35.
13:22Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
13:24Let it go, Mooram.
13:26You are in a position unsuitable to give orders.
13:30Torture, face-melting, and human sacrifice.
13:33No, this is not a horror film.
13:35It's an Indiana Jones movie,
13:37and somehow it was only rated PG.
13:39Parents thought it was safe for all ages,
13:41and made it all the way to the theater before realizing their mistake.
13:44It's a thuggy ceremony.
13:47They're worshipping colleagues.
13:48The early departures and overall backlash was so intense,
13:52director Steven Spielberg was forced to address it,
13:54and so was the movie business as a whole.
13:56Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is one of several films
13:59credited with ushering in the PG-13 rating,
14:02in hopes parents would not be surprised like this again.
14:05We are her children.
14:08We pledge our devotion to her with an offering of flesh.
14:13Number 34, Reservoir Dogs.
14:15Baby, you keep talking like a b***h,
14:17I'm gonna slap you like a b***h.
14:18Come on, man!
14:21Warning, this movie is not for those with squeamish stomachs.
14:25These thieves trade in the currency of violence,
14:27profanity, and even more violence.
14:29The film makes sure you know it, too.
14:31Ever listen to Kay Billy's Super Sounds of the 70s?
14:34Even though Reservoir Dogs received raves
14:37from those who did manage to sit through it,
14:39the high body count reportedly scared off a lot of seated viewers.
14:42Not just everyday moviegoers, either.
14:45Even the iconic horror director Wes Craven had to step out for some air.
14:48Can we pick our own colors?
14:50No way, no way.
14:51Try it once, it doesn't work.
14:53You get four guys, we're all fighting over who's gonna be Mr. Black.
14:56Yeah, this one is just something else.
14:58It's a tough film to watch even today,
15:00so we can only imagine what it was like in the 90s.
15:04Number 33.
15:05Wild at Heart.
15:13Test screenings may very well have saved this movie.
15:16By director David Lynch's recollection,
15:19a torture scene in the film caused about 80 people to walk out of an early cut.
15:23Lynch stuck to his guns and kept it in the film for the second test screening,
15:27only for another 100 to run off.
15:29The one-two punch finally convinced him to give the scene another pass in the editing room.
15:33Reggie!
15:36Show him now.
15:43While Wild at Heart's sexual content and blunt brutality still drew plenty of ire,
15:48the theatrical version at least didn't have people running for the doors.
15:51It's the little things that count.
15:53Oh god, sailor.
15:55That's the night my sweet daddy died.
15:57I know, sugar.
15:59Number 32.
16:01Cats.
16:01You're a cat by its soul.
16:03He's got soul.
16:04I've got plenty of soul.
16:06This musical adaptation is an odd one.
16:09It's not overly graphic,
16:11lewd,
16:11distasteful,
16:12or anything like that.
16:13It's just bad.
16:14I'm a 25-pounder,
16:16or I am a founder,
16:18and I'm putting on weight
16:19every day!
16:20Not even in a so-bad-it's-good way either.
16:23No,
16:242019's Cats is just unwatchably bad full stop.
16:28The movie was a total dumpster fire at the box office,
16:30and those who did show up were thrown off by the horrible performances
16:34and indefensible special effects.
16:36Jennifer Hudson's rendition of Memory is a high point,
16:46but data suggests there weren't many people left in the theater to see it.
16:49For our money,
16:50just check out the stage production instead.
16:53Number 31.
16:54Terrifier 2.
16:55It takes a lot for an independent movie to break into the mainstream,
16:58and Terrifier 2 did it with pure, unfiltered bloodlust,
17:02also known as Art the Clown.
17:03His big-screen rampage turned even the biggest horror buffs
17:09into quivering scaredy-cats.
17:11But honestly,
17:12those who walked out were lucky.
17:13The poor chaps who stayed risked fainting or getting sick.
17:20Sir.
17:23If you're gonna put that in your mouth,
17:24you gotta pay for it.
17:27Purportedly,
17:28emergency services were even called for one screening.
17:31While no one expected a movie called Terrifier 2,
17:33to be Sunshine and Butterflies,
17:35it really should've come with a disclaimer.
17:37Watch at your own risk.
17:42Number 30.
17:43Joker Folia 2.
17:44Forget your troubles,
17:46come on,
17:47get happy.
17:50Better chase all your cares away.
17:54Sing hallelujah,
17:56come on,
17:57get happy.
17:57Get happy.
17:58Many sequels don't achieve the same success as the first installment,
18:02either at the box office or with critics and audiences.
18:05But this follow-up to 2019's hit Joker received a backlash beyond just being a disappointing sequel.
18:11Many ticket buyers didn't know that the film is a musical,
18:14and they were not happy when they found out.
18:16So you're saying it's not about us?
18:18It is,
18:19but we're singing for them.
18:22That's why we're here, honey.
18:24Oh,
18:25because I got the secret suspicion that we're not giving the people what they want.
18:29Even people who enjoy musicals were frustrated by the execution of the numbers.
18:33Folia 2's attempts to subvert and deconstruct typical comic book tropes
18:37also angered fans of the original Joker.
18:39It proved too much for many in the audience.
18:50Number 29,
18:52Crimes of the Future.
18:53So, darling,
18:54can you wake up?
18:57Who's here?
18:59It's just me.
19:01It's Caprice.
19:03Did you sleep?
19:04I think this bed
19:09needs new software.
19:12Directed by David Cronenberg,
19:14this sci-fi horror film got a polarizing reception when it premiered at Cannes.
19:18Earning both mass departures and a seven-minute standing ovation,
19:22the film is set in a future in which human biology has drastically changed.
19:26Performance artist Saul Tenser has the ability to grow new organs,
19:30and he and his partner Caprice do a stage routine
19:32that includes surgically removing the organs.
19:35Our records indicate that you've been producing random and novel bodily organs for some years,
19:40but that you've had them consistently removed.
19:46Who wouldn't?
19:50You'd be surprised.
19:51Who would be surprised?
19:53They're basically tumors, right?
19:55Who would want to keep them?
19:56It only gets weirder from there,
19:58with Tenser's ability becoming a point of arousal for some characters.
20:01Let's just leave it at that.
20:03Suffice it to say,
20:04this dark satire on cosmetic surgery is hard to stomach.
20:08No pun intended.
20:10The woman, Tim Lin,
20:11she's especially creepy.
20:16I thought she was rather attractive.
20:19In a bureaucratic way.
20:21Number 28.
20:23L'Aventura
20:23Time has been kind to this drama directed by Michelangelo Antonioni,
20:27which has become a critical darling and one of the most influential arthouse films.
20:31However, at the time, it received outright boos at Cannes.
20:35The film follows Anna and her friend's trip to Rome to meet her boyfriend Sandro.
20:39When Anna mysteriously disappears,
20:41Sandro and her friend Claudia investigate.
20:43No doubt,
20:44the film's slow pacing and lack of adherence to cinematic conventions divided early audiences.
20:49The movie's ending also led to disappointment.
20:51Still,
20:52L'Aventura consistently ranks high on best film lists,
20:55including Sight & Sound's top 10 greatest films ever made.
20:59Number 27.
21:00Blue is the warmest color.
21:01This controversial coming-of-age love story had not only many in the audience leaving,
21:25but also scandals breaking.
21:26Based on a graphic novel,
21:28The film follows introverted high schooler Adele as she falls in love with aspiring painter Emma
21:32and the couple's ups, downs, and eventual break-up.
21:52The long, intimate scenes, however, caused major controversy,
21:56and not just for their explicitness.
21:58Lesbian audiences were reported laughing at the unrealistic scenes,
22:02feeling they bordered on the ridiculous.
22:04The author of the graphic novel, Jules Marot, also disapproved,
22:08calling the love scenes, quote,
22:09brutal and cold.
22:11The film went on to win the Palme d'Or,
22:13and it has many fans,
22:15but the controversy still continues.
22:26I don't know what I'm talking about, but I don't want to start talking about the details,
22:28but I don't want to start talking about the details.
22:29I don't want to justify myself from who I am.
22:32There are some things I don't want to tell you.
22:34Number 26.
22:36Baskin.
22:36Five police officers answer a call to an abandoned building.
23:00It's a simple premise that belies the real ordeal of watching this Turkish film,
23:05directed by Can Evreno.
23:07Baskin takes body horror to its limits,
23:09including gnarled hands, squishy intestines, and meat on hooks.
23:14Lots of it.
23:15We won't go into any further detail.
23:17Suffice it to say,
23:29the extreme gore prompted a big chunk of the audience to flee,
23:33from its uncomfortable prologue to its final twist.
23:36The audience exodus didn't hurt the film's home box office ultimately,
23:39but for those with weak stomachs,
23:42there's a good reason to stay away.
23:47Hello!
23:49There's no one there!
23:51Who are you?
23:52Who are you?
23:53Number 25.
23:54The brown bunny.
23:55Bunny looks so small still.
23:59She's had that bunny rabbit a long time.
24:04That's the cutest bunny.
24:08Where do you live now?
24:10I live in Los Angeles.
24:12Daisy and I live together in Los Angeles.
24:14Um, they have a small house.
24:17Directed by and starring Vincent Gallo,
24:20this film about a motorcycle racer on a cross-country trip
24:23premiered at Cannes to a lot of jeering.
24:25The film overall received mixed reviews and outright pans.
24:29Why the fuss?
24:30There is an explicit sex scene performed by actress Chloe Sevigny
24:33on Gallo that was controversial,
24:35as it appeared to be completely unsimulated.
24:38I'm glad.
24:39I got your note.
24:46I have to use the bathroom.
24:47There was also a very public feud between Gallo and critic Roger Ebert.
24:51Ebert panned the movie as the worst that ever premiered at Cannes,
24:55and Gallo responded with insults.
24:57Since then, the brown bunny has gained a bit of a cult following.
25:00Even Ebert revised his opinion when he saw the re-edit,
25:03All's Well That Ends Well.
25:05Can I help you, bud?
25:06Can I sit on your lap?
25:19Can I touch you?
25:21Number 24, The Neon Demon.
25:23What about you?
25:26What about me?
25:27Are you food?
25:35Or are you sex?
25:41She's dessert.
25:43A 16-year-old aspiring fashion model gets her big break in LA,
25:46only to get sucked into a nightmarish situation rife with abuse and even murder.
25:51Directed by Nicholas Winding Refn,
25:52this satire of the beauty and fashion industry proved to be a mixed bag for audiences.
25:57You're still here.
25:59How did it go?
26:02It went good.
26:05It was great, actually.
26:07Did he say anything?
26:11My agency said if the pictures turned out good, he might consider him for an editorial.
26:15The film premiered to an overwhelmingly negative reception at Cannes,
26:19with boos, walkouts, and even outright yelling at the screen.
26:22Some critics also felt the blend of social commentary and supernatural horror did not gel as well as it should.
26:29Either way, it proved too much to bear for a lot of people.
26:33Sauron doesn't let just anyone walk his collection.
26:36I don't think I'm his type.
26:39Why not?
26:40You're very masculine.
26:45I bet they made you do the casting.
26:49I didn't have to.
26:50I just come in and choose what I want to wear.
26:53Number 23, Crash.
26:54You recognize her?
26:57That's Gabrielle.
27:01You saw right outside the door there.
27:03No, not that one.
27:05The other crash.
27:06Another entry from Provocateur director David Cronenberg.
27:09This Canadian erotic film follows a couple in an open marriage,
27:12who are aroused by recounting their extramarital encounters.
27:16This culminates in husband James having an affair with car crash victim Helen,
27:19and developing a unique fetish for car wrecks in general.
27:22You had sex with all those men in cars?
27:25All men in cars?
27:28Yes, I didn't plan it that way.
27:30You have to see it to believe it.
27:32Indeed, those who saw it could not believe it.
27:35Storming out of the theater.
27:37The graphic sex scenes were undoubtedly part of the reason.
27:40But perhaps Cronenberg's clinical direction was also alienating.
27:44Your mileage may vary.
27:45No pun intended.
27:47I'm sure we see this again in slow motion.
27:51Closer, I mean.
27:52And a tale.
27:54We can watch another tape.
27:56You brought lots of tapes.
27:57No, no.
27:58I know this tape.
28:00I know this tape.
28:01Number 22.
28:02A Serbian film.
28:03This is an exploitation horror film to end all exploitation horror films.
28:21Aging, adult film star Miloš agrees to a starring role in an arthouse film.
28:26But he soon discovers the film has horrific themes, which include drugs and shocking violations of a physical and sexual nature.
28:33A Serbian film's transgressive imagery was so difficult to watch that it was banned in several countries.
28:45Some critics even consider it the most disturbing movie ever made.
28:48The film's director defended the film as a political allegory.
28:52But one thing's for sure.
28:54It's an allegory that will haunt anyone who sees it.
28:57Number 21.
29:11The House That Jack Built
29:13It's just so damn humiliating.
29:18You know, being forced to stand out there.
29:22Exposed.
29:24Time and time again have to be put in these situations.
29:29I don't know why.
29:30Directed by Lars von Trier, this horror film about a serial killer named Jack premiered at Cannes to massive outrage and controversy.
29:38It follows Jack on a journey through hell, during which he recounts his years of disgusting deeds.
29:43There is the killing of human beings, which is hard to stomach as it is.
29:47The scene depicting animal cruelty triggered a storm of consternation as well.
29:51You're not just gonna leave me here?
29:53In fact, yes, that is kind of what I was thinking.
29:55I'm sure there'll be another serial killer passing by who can give you a lift back to Sonny's.
30:05That is, unless he decides to kill you first.
30:09Riley Keough's character's mutilation also led to several audience members departing.
30:14The ending was satisfying for some of those who stayed, but cold comfort for others.
30:19Hit the road, Jack.
30:20You call that screaming?
30:24Help!
30:24Help!
30:28Help!
30:29Yes!
30:30Help!
30:31There's a murderer in the building!
30:34It's Mr. Sophistication!
30:37Number 20.
30:37Caligula.
30:39If they were good men, how could their beloved emperor find them guilty?
30:42Do the words erotic historical drama get you excited?
30:46No.
30:46Unfortunately for this film, its strange concept was not the only thing it had working against it.
30:52They were appalled.
30:53I do hope so.
30:57In spite of featuring performances from Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren, and Peter O'Toole,
31:02a part for which he was praised, the film was heavily criticized for its violence and for featuring unsimulated sex throughout.
31:09If you're wondering who specifically walked out of this one, the answer is Roger Ebert himself, who described the film as, quote,
31:17sickening, utterly worthless, shameful trash.
31:21Although considered a cult classic by some, the film is still divisive to this day.
31:25Let them hate me, so long as they fear me.
31:29Number 19.
31:31Fight Club.
31:32The first rule of Fight Club is, you do not talk about Fight Club.
31:36The second rule of Fight Club is, you do not talk about Fight Club.
31:42If Fight Club is anything, it's provocative.
31:45It bizarrely manages to strike a balance between pavement-level grounded and borderline absurd,
31:51all while deftly telling the story of a man who's been pushed over the edge of societal norms to break with reality.
31:57A movie like that's pretty weird, and needless to say, not everyone got it.
32:07As if that wasn't bizarre enough, the scenes of raw animalistic violence,
32:12and something about getting covered in human fat, were enough to push people over the edge.
32:17Fight Club's awesome, it's just not for everyone.
32:20The things you own, end up owning you.
32:22Number 18.
32:24The Revenant.
32:25Where is it?
32:27Leo worked hard for his Oscar, and Alejandro G. Iñárritu is a genius,
32:32but The Revenant is pretty much just two and a half hours of a guy trying not to die.
32:36It's a harrowing journey that explores the limits of a man,
32:40and how far he'll go to not only survive, but also to take revenge.
32:45It has a couple of scenes that are hard to watch,
32:47but the real kicker is the bear attack scene,
32:49which, like the rest of the film, strives for realism in the most gut-wrenching fashion possible.
32:54For some, watching a bear rip into Leonardo DiCaprio was just too much.
33:06Number 17.
33:08The Walk.
33:08Why?
33:10That is the question people ask me most.
33:12In 1974, Philippe Petit performed the daring feat of walking on a high wire between the two towers of the World Trade Center.
33:19The 2015 film, The Walk, tried to capture this feat, and to do so, shot the film in IMAX 3D.
33:26All right, you get him.
33:27I got your back.
33:28Okay.
33:28The cinematography expertly captured the sensation of tightrope walking a quarter mile above the ground,
33:35which, while impressive, is not what some audience members were expecting.
33:39Those who were not wholly comfortable with heights found the movie to be a tough watch,
33:43with many reporting motion sickness as the feat was performed.
33:47I'm going to hang a high wire between the two towers of the World Trade Center and work on it.
33:54Number 16.
33:56The Tree of Life.
33:57Tell us a story from before we can remember.
34:00At the 2011 Cannes Film Festival,
34:02The Tree of Life was met with both boos and applause,
34:05and went on to win the festival's illustrious Palme d'Or award.
34:09Needless to say, critics were divided.
34:19As were audiences.
34:21One of the film's stars, Sean Penn,
34:23stated that he did not find the same beauty and emotion in the final film
34:26as he did in the script,
34:28in no small part thanks to the film's convoluted narrative.
34:31While ambitious, and by some accounts a masterpiece,
34:34many audience members just wanted a movie they could sit down with some popcorn and enjoy.
34:38It could be better.
34:39In telling the story of Jesus dying for the sins of humanity,
34:53the passion of the Christ is understandably brutal.
34:57Mel Gibson's desire to bring to life the suffering endured by Christ was off-putting to some audiences,
35:02as it spares no details with the lashing,
35:05the beating,
35:05the crown of thorns,
35:07and the crucifixion itself.
35:16One woman actually experienced a fatal heart attack while watching the climactic scene of the film.
35:21Needless to say,
35:22if you were looking for something to compliment your Sunday school lesson,
35:25this might not be it.
35:26For now it was lovely music that came to my aid.
35:41Back in 1971,
35:42audiences were not ready for the maniacal breed of ultra-violence
35:46that Alex and his droogs offered up in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange.
35:49If it wasn't the savage beating,
35:51the vicious fights,
35:52or assaults,
35:53audiences were severely put off by the stylization that some critics might argue glamorizes such violence.
36:04Those who stayed to watch the end of the film were rewarded with a discussion of free will
36:08and humanity's baser instincts in a modern society,
36:11but it was understandably a little much for some.
36:14I've learned my lesson, sir.
36:15I've seen now what I've never seen before.
36:19I'm cured.
36:20Praise God.
36:21I'm the filthiest person alive.
36:25That's who I am.
36:27John Waters created Pink Flamingos as his first entry into his trash trilogy
36:31with the tagline,
36:33an exercise in poor taste.
36:35This now cult film was an ode to the counterculture of its day
36:38and made a deliberate effort to push its audience as far as it could.
36:42We might be in the mood for a barbecue.
36:45Get what I mean?
36:46A human barbecue.
36:47The film focuses on a drag queen known as,
36:50quote,
36:51the filthiest person alive.
36:54We'll see who's the filthiest person alive.
36:57We'll just see!
36:59If the nudity and profanity wasn't enough to throw an audience's day off,
37:02those who stayed to the end got to see the main character eating,
37:06well, you'll actually have to see that for yourself.
37:08The response to Swiss Army Man at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival was sort of a two-part process.
37:23At first, screenings of the surrealist comedy had to turn audiences away from packed viewing rooms.
37:28That is, until the film actually started.
37:31Then, it became more of a challenge to keep audiences in their seats,
37:34as many decided that a film starring Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame
37:38as a farting corpse was just too much for them to handle.
37:41To be fair, there has also been positive critical appraisal of Swiss Army Man,
37:46but that mattered little to audience members who preferred to hit the bricks.
37:49Lars von Trier is no stranger to cinematic controversy,
38:01and the arthouse horror flick Antichrist is one such example.
38:05Why he decided scenes where both Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg
38:08have their nether regions altered in particularly gruesome fashion
38:12were absolutely necessary is anyone's guess.
38:15Audiences and critics varied between obsession and repulsion
38:18at the end results of von Trier's work,
38:20with many screenings of the film being notable for members of the audience
38:23just not being able to handle the horror Antichrist said on screen.
38:27Apparently not.
38:28Number 10, 127 Hours.
38:37127 Hours was a biopic from Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle
38:40about canyoneer Aaron Ralston,
38:42who became headline news for a harrowing situation
38:45that left him trapped for days between a rock and a hard place.
38:48The film came to a head during a pivotal scene
38:50where Ralston, played by James Franco,
38:52is forced to amputate his arm in order to free himself from a huge boulder.
38:58This rock...
38:59This rock has been waiting for me my entire life.
39:04The scene is extremely graphic and sent many audience members into a panic,
39:09with some theaters reporting vomiting and fainting.
39:12This is something you might expect from a horror film,
39:14but maybe not so much from a film that was marketed as, quote,
39:17a triumphant true story.
39:19Do you have a phone?
39:20Yes, but no signal.
39:23You should stop and rest.
39:24Number 9, Raw.
39:28The French-Belgian horror film Raw raised eyebrows
39:31with its realistic and disturbing portrayal of on-screen cannibalism.
39:35The film describes the descent into madness of a vegetarian college student
39:39who is hazed and forced into eating raw rabbit.
39:41It's after this traumatic incident that she develops a taste for violence and human flesh,
39:46and it's these scenes that reportedly sent audiences into physical panic,
39:50with some becoming ill in the theater,
39:53passing out or otherwise running the hell away
39:55from what was clearly a successfully horrific film.
40:05Number 8, Pulp Fiction.
40:07You know what they call a quarter pound of a cheese in France?
40:11No.
40:12Tell them, Vincent.
40:13Royale with cheese.
40:14Today, fans of Quentin Tarantino have grown to expect
40:18and appreciate the filmmaker's relationship with on-screen violence.
40:21This wasn't exactly the case back in the early 90s,
40:23as evidenced by the powerful response
40:25to one of Tarantino's early features, Pulp Fiction.
40:28Some audiences, perhaps unused to Tarantino's stylized vision
40:31and emphatic violence,
40:33ended up walking out of theaters in protest.
40:35You will know my name is the Lord
40:38when I lay my vengeance upon thee.
40:41The film was even booed
40:43at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival by audiences
40:45who felt that it wasn't deserving of the Palme d'Or,
40:48the festival's highest honor.
40:50Number 7, Irréversible.
40:52Gaspard Noé is like many other directors on this list,
40:55in that he's unafraid of exploring
40:56even the most disturbing of subject matters
40:59within his search for artistic expression.
41:01Case in point,
41:01The brutal and unflinching assault scene
41:04in Noé's 2002 film, Irréversible,
41:06which had audiences around the world
41:08walking out of screenings.
41:10The film,
41:10which is also full of physical violence
41:12and offensive language,
41:13even reportedly featured the presence of infrasound,
41:16a lowered frequency
41:17that is said to subconsciously induce fear,
41:20tension, and nausea.
41:21All of these aspects make Noé's Irréversible
41:23a film that definitely is not for the squeamish.
41:26Number 6, Freaks.
41:32You'll have to hurry.
41:33We haven't much time.
41:35Featuring circus performers with real deformities,
41:38this pre-code film from the 30s
41:40was originally 90 minutes long,
41:42but the studio viewed the film
41:43as too shocking to be released.
41:46Oh, gee.
41:48Isn't it cute?
41:50What is it?
41:51A girl.
41:52Oh, boy, that's great,
41:54and it's gonna have a beard.
41:55If you're hoping we're gonna have
41:57some juicy footage from the extended cut here,
41:59sorry,
42:00that footage is by all accounts gone forever.
42:03In spite of the extensive cuts,
42:05some audience members
42:05were still unable to stomach the content.
42:08Sure, by today's standards,
42:09it may not seem like it's that big of a deal,
42:11but in 1932,
42:13you can rest assured,
42:14this film caused quite the stir.
42:16Why should they laugh at you?
42:18Most big people do.
42:20They don't realize I'm a man
42:22with the same feelings they have.
42:25Number 5,
42:26Saving Private Ryan.
42:27Keep those actions clear.
42:30We'll see you on the beach.
42:32Saving Private Ryan is now regarded
42:34as one of the greatest war films of all time
42:36due to its harrowing depiction
42:38of the realities of World War II.
42:40The opening scene of soldiers landing on Omaha Beach
42:43was so visceral and anxiety-inducing,
42:45it overwhelmed some viewers
42:47to the point of walking out of the cinema,
42:49particularly veterans.
42:50These scenes were so striking,
42:57they actually caused a PTSD hotline
43:00to become overwhelmed with calls.
43:02Whereas so many films in this genre
43:04strived for technical and cinematic achievement,
43:06Saving Private Ryan was entirely focused
43:08on portraying the horrors of war,
43:10and it's this realism that left some viewers
43:12in a deep state of trauma and grief.
43:14Seventy years.
43:16That's the first time I talked about it.
43:19To your family?
43:20To your friends?
43:21It was too hard.
43:22And I didn't want to bring it home to my family.
43:24Number 4, Mother.
43:26Nonsense.
43:26No, no.
43:27Oh, it's late.
43:28Stay the night.
43:29No, I couldn't.
43:30Please, we'd enjoy the company, right?
43:34Yes, of course.
43:35Mother was destined to be divisive,
43:37although perhaps neither director Darren Aronofsky
43:40nor star Jennifer Lawrence
43:41could have predicted exactly
43:42how split audiences would be on the film.
43:44Although some fans and critics
43:46lauded Mother as a challenging yet bold triumph,
43:49other screenings of the film
43:50were marred by walkouts and complaints.
43:52Stop it!
43:54No, stop it!
43:56No!
43:59No!
44:00Some audience members even went so far
44:02as to demand refunds
44:04for their unpleasant experience,
44:05a move which perhaps mirrors Aronofsky's desire
44:08to provoke better than any actual scene
44:10in the finished product.
44:12Do you hear that?
44:13That is the sound of life.
44:14That is the sound of humanity.
44:16Number 3, Cloverfield.
44:18You still filming?
44:19Yeah.
44:19People are going to want to know
44:21how it all went down.
44:23There are many different reasons
44:24why people walk out of movies,
44:26some of which have absolutely nothing to do
44:28with the film's content.
44:29Take Cloverfield, for example,
44:31a throwback to old-school monster movies
44:33with a very modern twist.
44:34The found-footed shooting style.
44:37What the hell was that?
44:38I don't know.
44:38Something else.
44:39Also terrible.
44:40Many audience members
44:42were actually enjoying Cloverfield
44:43during its big-time box office opening
44:45back in 2008,
44:46but still found themselves
44:48searching for the door
44:49before the film's destructive climax.
44:51This was due to the often shaky
44:52and jarring camera work
44:54that comes part and parcel
44:55with the found-footage style,
44:56an approach that left many moviegoers
44:58physically ill and nauseous.
45:00Is this thing on?
45:01Look out!
45:01Babe, it's on my camera.
45:02I don't know if it's the on button
45:03or the zoom button.
45:04Number 2.
45:05The Blair Witch Project
45:06This is a very long day.
45:08It's a very wet,
45:10very long day.
45:11The Blair Witch Project
45:13had the perfect amount of parameters
45:14to make it successful.
45:15First off,
45:16the film's viral marketing
45:17gave it a massive groundswell of hype
45:19before it even hit screens in 1999.
45:22Once audiences did catch a glimpse
45:23of The Blair Witch Project, however,
45:25it made national news again.
45:27This time for reports of audiences
45:28walking out of the theater
45:30or becoming physically ill.
45:31Oh my god,
45:32what the f*** is that?
45:34Dude!
45:34What the f*** is that?
45:36Many audiences weren't used
45:38to the found-footage style
45:39of filmmaking back in the late 90s
45:41or the dizzying effect it can have,
45:43not to mention the fact
45:44that many fans were also scared
45:46witless by the film's overall execution.
45:48So, call this one a win-win.
45:50That's your motivation!
45:53Please stop.
45:54Before we continue,
45:55be sure to subscribe to our channel
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46:05make sure you go into your settings
46:06and switch on notifications.
46:10Number 1.
46:11The Exorcist
46:12How long are you planning
46:13to stay in Reagan?
46:15Until she rots
46:16and lies stinking in the earth.
46:18We come now
46:18to The Granddaddy of Them All,
46:20the massive horror hit
46:22that sent audiences screaming
46:23and into a panic
46:24back in 1973.
46:26Audiences around the world
46:27cried,
46:28fainted,
46:29screamed,
46:29and ran out of theaters
46:31that were screening
46:31director William Friedkin's
46:33satanic classic,
46:34with some proclaiming the film
46:35to just be pure evil.
46:37Do something,
46:38please help her!
46:39Maybe it's the combination
46:44of The Exorcist's
46:45amazing special effects,
46:47music and cinematography,
46:48or perhaps the occult themes
46:50and religious allegory
46:51contained within the film
46:52make it so scary.
46:53Whatever the reason,
46:54The Exorcist
46:55absolutely terrified audiences
46:57and remains a startling example
46:59of the power of film.
47:02Which controversial film
47:04had you running from the theater?
47:05Let us know
47:06in the comments down below.
47:09So do something.
47:15We're going to get vivo
47:16and then we're going to be
47:17at the very minute
47:18close to the police.
47:26Bye-bye.
47:28.
47:31.
47:36.
47:36.
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