7 The Hunt (2020)

Directed by Craig Zobel, The Hunt is a satirical thriller that shows rich, White elites “hunting” the poor and downtrodden as part of a sport. The movie found itself in the middle of various controversies and widespread resentment as soon as the reports about its plot got out. Universal first pulled down all the promotional campaigns after there were cases of mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso in Texas.

Critics were of the view that the movie might add to the already negative atmosphere with its extremely violent scenes. The movie got itself into another storm when The Hollywood Reporter pointed out that the people being hunted in the movie are called “Deplorables.” This had even President Trump criticizing it and terming it very dangerous. The studio then postponed the release date of the movie until further notice. (source)

8 Mother (2017)

With Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem on the helm, Mother, a psychological flick directed by Darren Aronofsky, evokes a heart-wrenching response in its viewers. The film, which is gory and garish to say the least, has earned itself an “F” CinemaScore. The film was booed by the audience when it was premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2017. The film is clearly a case of a director turning into a loose cannon and taking it too far.

Though the entire movie makes for a visceral experience, it’s the last section of the film which really takes its toll on the viewers’ psyche. Towards the end, the character of Lawrence is mercilessly beaten, and stills of bruised Lawrence were later used for promotion receiving criticism for monetizing violence towards women. Aronofsky later clarified that the movie serves as an allegory to all the wrong humans have done to the planet Earth. (source)

9 Cruising (1980)

With Al Pacino in the leading role, director William Friedkin’s Cruising is a story of a cop who goes undercover in the Manhattan’s S&M gay world to uncover a psychopathic killer. Adapted from a novel of the same name, the movie was widely criticized for stigmatizing gay movements. The shooting of the film and its promotion were regularly interrupted by gay-rights protesters.

The plot of the film refuses to delve deeper into its central character’s sexual ambivalence and resorts to caricaturish depictions of gay people. The film lacks the right perspective needed to deal with such a subject matter. Many critics have noted that the film is one of the worst depictions of homosexuality. (source)

10 Crash (1996)

Based on a novel of the same name by J G Ballard, David Cronenberg’s psychological thriller follows a group of symphorophiliacs who get aroused by car crashes. The film received divergent reviews from the critics. While few applauded the film for daring to go into unprecedented territory, others condemned it for its portrayal of graphic, sexual acts that were triggered by violence or tragic events.

Dailies like The Daily Mail and The Evening Standard mounted aggressive campaigns to ban the movie in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the film was released in two versions with NC-17 and R ratings, respectively. In Italy, people were so offended by the film’s plot that they demanded Cronenberg to return his Cannes award. (source)