From arthouse classics to controversial masterpieces, these films pushed boundaries while earning critical praise. Join us as we explore cinema that challenges viewers with explicit content while maintaining artistic merit. Warning: This list contains mature themes and discussions of controversial subject matter.
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00:00It's all right. Don't worry, you're in a hospital.
00:03Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for films with explicit or extreme content
00:07that nevertheless possesses artistic merit, cult status, or a fan following.
00:12Cheryl!
00:13Cheryl, there's nothing out there. Trees do not attack people.
00:15Ashley!
00:18Number 10. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
00:20This iconic film from director Tobe Hooper actually doesn't possess much on-screen gore.
00:25That's weird. Wonder if that means something.
00:28That said, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has more than leveled up its reputation as a horror classic
00:34via an atmosphere of oppressive dread, unease, and legitimate fright.
00:38Hooper's film was initially rated X prior to editing,
00:41that earned Texas Chainsaw an R label by the MPAA.
00:49Critics such as Rex Reed singled out this film for its disturbing content and palpably dangerous execution.
00:56The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of those few pictures where the reported conditions on set
01:00can be felt by the audience.
01:03You like this, Dave?
01:04It's a hot, humid, and uncomfortable viewing experience that has scarred filmgoers for generations.
01:15Number 9. The Wild Bunch.
01:17He wasn't known as Bloody Sam for nothing.
01:19If they move, kill them.
01:21Director Sam Peckinpah turned cinematic violence into an art form
01:25with his ultra-stylized, slow-motion shots of bullet squibs and slicing blades.
01:30The Wild Bunch was controversial then and now within the confines of the Western genre,
01:35a film of flawed, realistic protagonists existing in a dying age.
01:39The story here centers just as much upon the relationships of its aging gunfighters
01:43as it does that time-honored tale of one more job.
01:47When you side with a man, you stay with him, and if you can't do that, you're like some animal.
01:51These men know that they likely won't see retirement from a lifestyle
01:54that's slowly becoming a thing of the past.
01:58It can only end with bullets, as Peckinpah sends this Wild Bunch
02:02shuffling off this mortal coil in hails of gunfire and fatalistic dialogue.
02:07You want to come along?
02:10It ain't like it used to be, but, uh...
02:13Adult content within a film doesn't necessarily make it an adult film per se.
02:19I'm so out of love with you. I've got nothing left for you. Nothing. Nothing.
02:23Yet, pictures such as Blue Valentine from 2010 remain controversial due to their inclusion of such scenes.
02:29This is despite critical acclaim given to the direction and screenplay.
02:33The film essentially documents the history of a marriage,
02:36including all of the frank sexuality entailed by that description.
02:40What does even potential mean? What does that mean? Potential? Potential for what?
02:45Yet, looking beyond the sequence of oral sex that initially saddled Blue Valentine with an NC-17 rating,
02:51we have a film that rightfully earned that critical praise.
02:54I can't do this anymore.
02:56This was despite edits that eventually trimmed director Derek Sionfrance's picture
03:01from that rating to an acceptable R.
03:04I love you most of...
03:147. The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover
03:17The United Kingdom possesses a long and storied history of outstanding gangster films,
03:22including this one with quite the unwieldy title.
03:25From now on, anyone who's not properly washed and dressed for dinner is going to have to pay for it.
03:30The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover from 1989 possesses an artistic sensibility to its execution,
03:36one that's juxtaposed against moments of shocking violence.
03:39This is essentially where the NSFW element comes into play,
03:43because The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover isn't an easy film to watch.
03:48A nice bottle of wine.
03:50Very nice.
03:50This is despite the presence of Dame Helen Mirren, who dazzles with a tour-de-force performance.
03:56Tell me what you know!
03:58Still, The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover remains a transgressive film,
04:03a rough watch that nevertheless rewards those willing to sink into its unapologetically rough world.
04:09I don't think I'm going to be so good!
04:11Number 6, Shame
04:12The NC-17 rating has become increasingly rare over the years,
04:16yet there's probably no question that the very topic of 2011's Shame necessitated such a response from the MPAA.
04:24You're my brother.
04:26So what?
04:28I'm responsible for you?
04:29Yes.
04:29Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan deliver bold, unflinching performances in Shame,
04:34with the former unable to control his sexual urges.
04:37The nudity is definitely essential to the plot here,
04:40yet Fassbender's character doesn't receive a glamorized or glossed-over treatment.
04:45Instead, the sex here is explicit, but without control.
04:49What's your longest relationship?
04:52Um...
04:55Exactly.
04:56It's NSFW for sure, but also extremely well done for a film that is, without a doubt, meant for adults.
05:04Whatever.
05:07Number 5, Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer
05:11True crime obsession is nothing new, yet there is absolutely no glamorizing present here within director John McNaughton's Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer.
05:21I'd like to kill somebody.
05:23Say that again.
05:26I'd like to kill somebody.
05:28Must mean you go for a ride on this.
05:30This is a film that showcases the journey of two killers, with a slow and methodical pace,
05:35inching ever closely to that explosive moment of ugly violence.
05:39And, make no mistake, the violence is ugly here in this film.
05:43Did I stutter?
05:44Give me the $50 and get out!
05:46McNaughton utilised the real-life stories of Henry Lee Lucas and Otis Toole as inspirations for Henry.
05:53Michael Rooker is ice cold in the lead role.
05:55Did you really kill your mama?
05:59I guess I did.
06:01Don't let this 80s production date fool you.
06:03There's no fun to be had here with Henry.
06:06Only a critically acclaimed descent into urban death and hell.
06:10I love you, Henry.
06:11I guess I love you, too.
06:17Number 4.
06:17Midnight Cowboy
06:18It was the only X-rated film to take home Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
06:22But, Midnight Cowboy wasn't exactly what that rating entails today.
06:26Well, you want me to stay here tonight. That's the idea, ain't it?
06:29Look, I'm not forcing you. I mean, like, who's forcing you?
06:32This was an era prior to the establishment of NC-17,
06:35with Midnight Cowboy earning its X rating thanks to elements of Frank's sexuality.
06:40Granted, times have changed, yet director John Schlesinger's tale
06:44of a wide-eyed innocent-turned-hustler in late 60s NYC remains compelling.
06:49Listen, I don't even know what your name is. I want to know your name. What is it?
06:52My name's Joe.
06:53Joe! Oh, fabulous!
06:56Leads John Voight and Dustin Hoffman possess a certifiable on-screen chemistry,
07:01while the latter's portrayal of con artist Ratso Rizzo remains an iconic one for the actor.
07:06There you are, you handsome devil, you.
07:08Not bad. Not bad.
07:16We're a cowboy.
07:17Midnight Cowboy is a snapshot of an era,
07:20but also one that should be consumed by any self-respecting cinephile
07:23seeking a balanced artistic diet.
07:26Hey! I'm walking here! I'm walking here!
07:30Number 3. Requiem for a Dream
07:32Have you ever watched a movie that you thought was fantastic, while also being an experience that you never again want repeated?
07:39You notice anything about me, huh? You notice I'm slimmer?
07:43Yeah, I guess you are, Ma.
07:45This is how many moviegoers felt after leaving theatre screenings of director Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream.
07:51This critically acclaimed tale of drug addiction was both realistic and relentlessly depressing.
07:57This seems like a thousand years ago since last summer, man.
08:01It'll be like that again, man.
08:03It also boasted a cast that arrived armed to the teeth with talent.
08:07Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher McDonald, and particularly Marlon Wayans,
08:13all deliver performances of a lifetime, yet this distinctly unglamorous movie of misery remains a challenging watch.
08:20Getting the money is not the problem, Mary.
08:24What is the problem, for Christ's sake?
08:27I don't know what I'm going to have to do to get it.
08:29Number 2. The Evil Dead
08:31The horror genre is beloved by many fans all over the world,
08:34yet the sad truth is that many examples of horror cinema come and go without leaving a lasting mark upon the world of cinema.
08:40Does she keep making those horrible noises?
08:43I don't know!
08:44The Evil Dead, thankfully, is not one of those films,
08:48starting a franchise that's still going strong.
08:51Cheryl?
08:58It's important to remember just how hard The Evil Dead went back in 1981,
09:03delivering practical effects that pushed the envelope in terms of on-screen gore.
09:07The humour that would eventually go on to partially define the franchise,
09:10is absent here.
09:11Hell out of here, right now!
09:12We're actually thankful for that fact.
09:14What we have instead is a horror film that went for broke,
09:17and achieved success on its own terms.
09:20Go on, or we will take you!
09:22Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honourable mentions.
09:26Cannibal Holocaust
09:27Ground Zero for found footage grimness
09:29Perhaps the others are right.
09:31Maybe we shouldn't push our luck.
09:33God knows we've been lucky so far.
09:36Irreversible
09:36Gaspard Noé's unflinching revenge tale.
09:39You shouldn't leave all that.
09:41It's not too late.
09:43Blue is the warmest colour.
09:44A controversial LGBTQIA plus love story.
09:48Why do you cry?
09:49I don't cry.
09:50Why do you cry?
09:52I don't cry.
09:53Bad Lieutenant
09:54Abel Ferrara's transgressive masterpiece.
09:57Forgive me.
09:58But do you have the right?
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10:30Number 1.
10:30A Clockwork Orange
10:31Director Stanley Kubrick was no stranger to critical acclaim,
10:35from efforts such as The Shining and Eyes Wide Shut,
10:38to the transgressive violence of A Clockwork Orange.
10:41It's a stinky world because there's no law nor there anymore.
10:45It's a stinky world because it lets the young get onto the old.
10:49Look, you don't.
10:50This effort from 1971 remains difficult viewing today.
10:54This is despite the flowers laid at the feet of Kubrick's direction,
10:57the film's production design, and the performance of lead Malcolm McDowell.
11:01Happy polylogies.
11:04I had something of a pain in the gulliver, so I had to sleep.
11:07The latter's Alex Delarge serves as our protagonist, but he's anything but likeable.
11:12How are you feeling this morning?
11:13Fine, fine.
11:14Good.
11:15Instead, we follow Delarge's circular journey from psychopath to test patient and back again,
11:20a deliverer of ultra-violence with no hope of being cured.
11:25I've taught you much, my little droogies.
11:27Does the film's reputation for explicit content make you more or less likely to check it out?
11:31Let us know in the comments.
11:33Tell your mother I hate her!
11:36Tell your mother I hate you!
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