50 Most Controversial Movie Posters Of All Time

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By published

The one-sheets that caused outrage

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Sex And The City 2 (2010)

The Poster: Sarah Jessica Parker strides through the deserts of Abu Dhabi, resplendent in whatever bling was fashionable that season.

The Controversy: Banned in Israel, not because of its Arabian content but because the title features the word 'Sex.' Presumably, Sex Lives Of The Potato Men met the same fate.

Scar (2007)

The Poster: This 3D horror made a big deal out of its then-rare gimmick, mimicking the "blood flying off the screen" from a facial knife wound.

The Controversy: The ASA upheld two complaints that the image glorified knife crime and ordered that it couldn't be used again.

This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006)

The Poster: Kirby Dick's documentary about cinema censorship took an appropriately taboo-busting approach to advertising by branding a naked woman's ass.

The Controversy: Never officially banned (the ad wasn't submitted to the MPAA, for obvious reasons) but vetoed by several major newspapers. The outdoor version also had to amend the ass to comply with Clear Channel regulations.

The Last Exorcism (2010)

The Poster: Nell Sweetzer (Ashley Bell) proves she's possessed by contorting her body into an unnatural shape.

The Controversy: The ASA enforced a ban after complaints that the image made it appear the girl had suffered a sexual assault.

Thirst (2009)

The Poster: Park Chan-wook's vampire flick chose a different type of shock tactic for its ad campaign, showing its priest anti-hero engaged in some very un-priestly behaviour.

The Controversy: It was obvious from the lady's legs akimbo pose that she was naked, so Korean censors chopped off the offending limbs.

Camp Hell (2012)

The Poster: A retitled re-release of failed 2010 thriller Camp Hope , capitalising on the newfound fame of actor Jesse Eisenberg.

The Controversy: Eisenberg filed a lawsuit for misrepresentation, on the grounds that his appearance is merely a cameo which he agreed to do as a favour to the filmmakers.

Wound (2010)

The Poster: This New Zealand horror about incest sold its grim vision with an image of full-on, WTF? surrealism.

The Controversy: The movie's website proudly claims that this poster was banned, presumably either because of the crotch gun or because of the overall creepiness.

Bamboozled (2000)

The Poster: Spike Lee's satire about Hollywood racial stereotyping took the provocative step of reclaiming historical images of racism like minstrels for its ad campaign.

The Controversy: Pundits not in on the joke accused poster designer Art Sims of racism, until they realised that Sims, Lee's long-term colleague, was himself African-American.

The Hangover Part 2 (2011)

The Poster: The Wolf Pack wakes up in Bangkok. Amongst many surprising developments, Stu (Ed Helms) has a face tattoo modelled on the one Mike Tyson has.

The Controversy: Tattoo artist S. Victor Whitmill, who designed the famous motif for Tyson, took exception to the film's appropriation of his work and took Warner Bros to court for copyright infringement. The case was later settled out of court.