Rejoice in the NSFW! Let's Take a Look at 10 of the Best Banned Movie Posters of All Time

Movie posters can be a beautiful thing. We all have certain ones that fall into our personal greatest of all time lists that we will gladly hang on our walls... The following, however, I would suggest putting away before grandma comes to visit.

Here are a couple of movie posters the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and their international equivalents deemed as a wee bit inappropriate.

1. Shame (2011)

Reason For The Ban

The 2011 Steve McQueen-directed film starring Michael Fassbender as a man suffering from a sex addiction released to an immense amount of controversy surrounding its themes. The scandalous Hungarian poster was banned in Hungary for its font that resembles semen.

2. Sin City: A Dame To Kill For (2014)

Reason For The Ban

Nipples... Oh Eva Green. Your attractiveness is simply too much for some. The MPAA disapproved of the above poster for the following:

“for nudity — curve of under breast and dark nipple/areola circle visible through sheer gown.”

NIPPLES! WON'T SOMEBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN?!

3. Zack And Miri Make A Porno (2008)

Reason For The Ban

Okay this one could be confusing if you're only looking at the top half of the poster... The elated joy on Elizabeth Banks' face and not-really-sure-what-to-call Seth Rogen's reaction as they were receiving oral sex caused the MPAA to ban the Kevin Smith-directed flick in the United States because of the "sexually suggestive imagery." Smith commented on the decision by stating,

"When you've got the word 'porno' in the title, naturally, the marketing materials are gonna be scrutinized more closely by the MPAA. I understand they've got a job to do, but c'mon... this image isn't that dirty, they're both fully clad."

4. The Road to Guantanamo (2006)

Reason For The Ban

The 2006 docu/dramatization The Road To Guantanamo starring Riz Ahmed chronicled the horrors three British-Muslims experienced as they were held in Guantanamo for two years without a charge. The MPAA deemed the above poster as too violent so the final poster is simply of the detained hands.

See The Final Poster Below:

Reason For The Ban

The movie poster for the 2011 film adaptation of the novel directed by David Fincher, starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, originally featured a topless Mara with her nipple rings slightly covered by the release date and Craig's arm cradling her chest.

The original-original poster featured a completely topless Mara (nipple rings in tow) with the release date located on the bottom of the poster.

Click here to view an imgur mirror of the above mentioned #NSFW poster.

6. The People Vs. Larry Flynt (1996)

Reason For The Ban

The biological drama about the life of Hustler magazine publisher, Larry Flynt surely would have brought along controversy regardless of its movie poster... However the poster certainly didn't help and it was banned in the United States for the sexual content and imagery of Woody Harrelson depicted as a crucified being. In response to the decision, the filmmakers and stars were not very happy to say the least, with Harrelson telling The Washington Post in 1996,

"There is no single image you can look at and say, `That's obscene'... And now we use this other poster, which I don't think is nearly as colorful or interesting or really says it as well."

See The Poster Used In The United States Below:

7. Saw II (2005)

Reason For The Ban

... "Because it's yucky!" The sequel to the James Wan-directed hit Saw came out a year following its predecessor and the MPAA decided its poster with two severed fingers "is unacceptable under Advertising Administration standards." The final version of the poster showcased only the fingers and earned over $147 million at the box office.

See The Final Version Below:

8. Ali G Indahouse (2002)

Reason For The Ban

Sacha Baron Cohen's Ali G character made his film debut in the 2002 film, Ali G Indahouse and its original poster, with G's hand hovering over a woman's bare buttocks, was banned by the UK's very own MPAA, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

In an interview with The Guardian in 2002, ASA's director general Christopher Graham stated the following about the poster,

"This poster clearly caused serious offence to many who saw it and we have acted promptly to ensure that the image is taken down and stays down."

9. I Spit On Your Grave (2010)

Reason For The Ban

The movie poster for the 2010 remake of the controversial 1978 cult film about a woman who takes revenge against a group of men who brutally raped her was met with a ban from the MPAA. The poster depicted a woman holding a bloodied knife following a sexual assault and resembled the poster for the original 1978 film.

See The Poster For The '78 Film Below:

10. Teeth (2007)

Reason For The Ban

You know, if you squint really hard it kind of looks like an insect. The UK poster for the horror-comedy about a woman who suffers from "vagina dentata", AKA Vagina Teeth, depicted an x-ray of a woman's body with a wee bit of extra teeth located in her vaginal area. Such a depiction was deemed inappropriate by the ASA thus, the poster was banned.

Source: Methodshop.

What Are Some Of Your Favorite Banned Movie Posters?