Creating a series and producing it takes immense effort, time, and money. But when such creation gets stopped, it greatly affects the production team. That said, in the past few years, many series especially Horror ones have been canceled due to explicit and controversial scenes. Some banned Horror series and movies that were posted to other streaming platforms like YouTube ended up traumatising people. If you’re curious about some of those banned titles, we’ve got you.
Here are some banned Horror series and episodes that didn’t air because they were either grotesque or dumb to watch. Stream at your own risk.
8 Banned Horror Series and Episodes
Ghostwatch
Imagine watching a docu-series that looks super real and you tend to believe the crew is telecasting the scenes live. Then after a few episodes, the series presents horrific and sinister scenes causing you to believe that the crew is in big trouble. This is exactly what happened back in 1992. When BBC creators aired Ghostwatch as a Horror mockumentary they didn’t expect people to take it seriously. They believe the viewers will analyse and realise that the series is scripted.
However, many viewers were severely affected and BBC had to release an apology and scrap the whole show due to its psychological harm. If you watch the mockumentary now in 2023, obviously it’ll feel comedic but from the shoes of the people in the 90s, it’d be darn terrific.
Scooby Doo Project
Cartoon Network aired Scooby Doo Project as a parody of The Blair Witch Project without proper boundaries. The creators crossed limits, forgetting that it is a channel for children, and shot a story based on police finding missing teens that were too scary to watch. Initially, the TV show received a good welcome and even won the Annie Award but just after that, poof, it vanished. The project never aired after that and it hasn’t been searched by many due to the negative effect it had on children.
I mean, aren’t cute dolls and characters not enough for Cartoon Network? Why did they even think of such a plot when clearly children would have become so scared?
The X Files Episode “Home”
The X-Files to date stands as the top Horror TV series that features various controversial topics and scenes. From violent scenes to gore pictures, the series has way too much to offer for Horror fans. Shockingly, one particular episode from this series was pulled off and banned for being too disturbing. Let’s be clear, all the episodes of this series are disturbing and shocking. Imagine how worse that particular episode would have been if the director took it down.
The episode was titled Home and was the first episode in that show to have received the MA rating and a warning. If you’re curious to watch it, you can find it on YouTube.
The Passage
Vampire-based series aren’t a new thing but not every release makes a cut. Coming under the latter category, The Passage which started off well failed to impress the people. The tale of blood-sucking creatures from a modern perspective shows the life of Amy, who becomes the test subject of a project that tries to find a disease’s cure.
During this process, Amy’s journey seems a bit unusual which ultimately leads to an unexpected finale. The series was cancelled due to its obscene scenes as well as the boring plot. It’s also banned in some countries.
Hannibal Episode “Oeuf“
Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal worked excellently from the year 2013 to 2015. Starring Mads Mikkelson as Hannibal Lecter, the series set a new standard for TV shows. While the inappropriate series received positive feedback for staying true to its genre, one particular episode was banned by the creator himself as it portrayed children in a gore scenario. Since the episode was about to be released right after the tragedy that happened in the Sandy Hook Elementary School, Fuller decided to call it off for it could trigger people.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Episode “Earshot”
TV shows’ plot coinciding with real-life events isn’t a new thing. Take the Simpsons for example. Almost half of the world’s mysteries are predicted on the show which makes one wonder whether the show is predicting or is guiding. Likewise, the famous Horror show Buffy the Vampire Slayer encountered such a coincidence.
One of their episodes called Earshot followed the story of Buffy overhearing a student planning something terrible. Then Buffy and her friends find out about the rifle that particular student had. This episode was banned because just when it was about to air, a tragic school shooting happened in Columbine High School.
Marianne
When a Horror author Emma decides to kill the main character of her book so she could end her writing career, things turn sinister. One of Emma’s friends tells her that her mother thinks she is one of the book’s characters. From then on, many characters from Emma’s book emerge causing her distress and tragedy. The French series worked well but it was cancelled right after its first season for its painful imageries.
Joseon Exorcist
When the first episode aired, it received amazing critics for the stunning art design, cast, and set-up of the plot. But certain South Koreans were super pissed with the portrayal of their history in a disturbing demeanor. After causing a ruckus and a big drama, sadly Joseon Exorcist was cancelled with just two episodes.
Is there any other show that you feel is worth the ban? Let us know about it in the comment section.
Also read: 5 Sexy Horror Movies That Will Give You the Chills and the Feels: Ragini MMS, Pearl and More