A Clockwork Orange (1971)
BBFC Reaction: Passed with a X certificate to the consternation of Government and media alike, but then withdrawn at the request of Stanley Kubrick following death threats to his family. The film wasn't re-released until after his death.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
The Scene: Thuggee priest Mola Ram (Amrish Puri) oversees a human sacrifice in the Temple of Doom.
Look Away When: He plunges his hand through the victim's chestbone and pulls out his still-beating heart.
BBFC Reaction: A hugely controversial PG rating in the States, which led to the creation of the PG-13, in the UK, the censors had a simpler idea: trim the sequence. It remains unavailable in its original form in the UK.
The Passion of the Christ (2004)
The Scene: Jesus Christ (Jim Caviezel) is scourged with a cat-o-nine-tails by Roman soldiers.
Look Away When: Strips of flesh start to fly off Jesus' body.
BBFC Reaction: Uncut - however, the Blu-ray includes "The Passion Recut," which takes out all the nasty torture so that the easily offended can get their spiritual fix.
Funny Games (1997/2007)
The Scene: After being held hostage and tortured by two psychopathic youngsters, Anna (Susanne Lothar or Naomi Watts, depending on the version) shoots one of them.
Look Away When: The second kidnapper rewinds the films to undo Anna's heroic action and regain the upper hand. Oh no.
BBFC Reaction: Nothing to cut. The most disturbing stuff happens off-screen.
Possession (1981)
The Scene: Pregnant Anna (Isabelle Adjani) has a miscarriage in a subway tunnel.
Look Away When: You can no longer bear the intensity of Adjani's meltdown. She certainly couldn't deal with it, attempting suicide after seeing the finished film.
BBFC Reaction: On the 'Video Nasty' list thanks mainly to the later (but less disturbing) scene where Adjani shags the tentacled, monstrous product of her miscarriage. Today, it's uncut.
Audition (1999)
The Scene: Businessman Aoyama wakes up to find that Asami, the woman he's auditioned to be his wife, has trussed him up ready for torture.
Look Away When: She jabs needles under his eyes or when she saws off his foot.
BBFC Reaction: Everything seen in unflinching horror.
Freaks (1932)
The Scene: The titular heroes, performers at a freakshow, turn on the humans who have betrayed them.
Look Away When: The fate of Cleopatra (Olga Baclanova) is revealed: tarred and feathered as 'the human duck.'
BBFC Reaction: Refused certification in 1932 and 1952, both for unpleasantness but also accusations of exploitation of human deformity. It wasn't passed until 1963.
Lilya 4-Ever (2002)
The Scene: Teenage girl Lilya (Oksana Akinshina) is tricked into travelling to Sweden, where she is imprisoned by sex traffickers.
Look Away During: The ghastly montage of sex scenes played on from Lilya's point of view.
BBFC Reaction: Uncut, but just because it's less graphic than some rape scenes doesn't make it any less gruelling.
The Devils (1971)
The Scene: Sister Jeanne (Vanessa Redgrave) is given the remains of the priest Grandier (Oliver Reed), the man she loved but denounced to the authorites for witchcraft, after he has been burnt alive.
Look Away When: In grief and madness, she masturbates with Grandier's charred femur.
BBFC Reaction: Significantly cut by Warner Brothers before being submitted for certification, but still banned by 17 UK local councils. The uncut version has been restored but is still awaiting a British DVD release.
The Human Centipede (2010)
The Scene: Three kidnapped tourists have had their kneecaps surgically removed and grafted anus-to-head in a centipede formation.
Look Away When: The 'head' of the centipede has his first bowel movement.
BBFC Reaction: Too busy keeping down their dinners to cut anything.
