Ultimately, our list represents cinema at its cutting edge, often literally. No matter the content or quality, these films sent shockwaves through the cinematic landscape, leaving a sea of clutched pearls and exhausted censors in their wake. Films both deeply faithful and proudly blasphemous sit side by side thanks to their shared ability to spark religious outrage. You’ll find exploitation and horror, eroticism and perversion. Some of these films are Oscar-winning classics that broke boundaries. Many of the films on this list seem tame by today’s standards.
or at least it was at the time, when cultural watchdogs raised alarms. They contain the most lurid sex scenes, the most gruesome violence, the foulest language. Stubbornly, they persist in our cultural memory – these are the films that feel like gauntlets to run. The most controversial movies of all time don’t go down easy. Looking for some light viewing? Look elsewhere.
