No Easter Fun In Germany: The Banned Films And Public Pleasures Of Silent Holidays

Almost 700 films – and other pleasures – are outlawed for public consumption in Germany at Easter and other religious holidays. Here’s the full list of the forbidden fruit.

It’s easy, when scoffing at the moral panics and religious hysteria that grips the USA and Britain over matters of sex, blasphemy and violence, to see the rest of the civilised world (or Europe at least) as a haven of sanity from such nonsense. But of course, that’s not true. Most European countries have their own moralising campaigners and politicians who seek to clamp down on sexual freedom either because of religious sensibilities or a misguided interpretation of feminism. France, Spain, Sweden and even the Netherlands have felt the heavy hand of the censorial gripping ever further in recent years. This is, sadly, a global trend.

In Germany, things are especially strange. Germany does not seem like a particularly prudish country. German porn is notable for its unrelenting kinky grubbiness on a level that other countries have rarely matched and the country has a longstanding tolerance of public nudity and sex work. You might think that this nation, at least, was pretty chilled out and not under the religious cosh. Well, think again.

In Germany, so-called ‘silent holidays’ – those with a Christian nature like Easter – are considered to be sombre and serious times of contemplation and religious devotion. You might think that Easter is a nice four-day weekend in which you can let your hair down, party, unwind at resorts and public attractions and generally make the most of a rare extended period away from work. Germans are encouraged to think differently. And by ‘encouraged’, I mean forced under penalty of law to forgo many innocent pleasures during these holidays.

What sort of pleasures? Well, dancing for one. 12 out of 16 German federal states entirely forbid public dancing on Good Friday, while the other four have partial bans. In Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, the ban runs from Maudy Thursday to Easter Sunday, with music in bars also banned lest it gets the toes a-tapping. So good luck if you fancied a night out at the Frug A-Go-Go Beir Keller. Even Berlin bans dancing from 4am to 9pm and these bans apply to everyone, even pagans who might have just cause to be peeved at being unable to celebrate their own religious days that have been appropriated by Christians.

Also banned are sporting events, gambling and circuses. You can, however, go to the movies. Hurrah! But maybe don’t celebrate too soon.  There is a list of almost 700 movies that cannot be shown in cinemas on Good Friday in case they upset Christians. This list was compiled by the Ministry of Culture and is not some ancient hangover from the dictatorial past –  it came into force in 1980. As with all such lists, it’s wildly random – after all, how can you pick 700 movies from the history of cinema? What isn’t on the list is almost as fascinating as what is on it, though the general theme seems to be anything that is a bit action-packed (hence the large amounts of westerns and martial arts titles), sex comedies, religiously offensive films and movies that encourage laughter or other frowned-upon pleasures. German productions are somewhat over-represented but the entire world of cinema can be found on the list. Over the years, the number of films banned began to slow down and ground to a complete halt in 2015. However, the list still exists and is enforced with different degrees of enthusiasm in different regions.

Why such delicate Christians can’t simply stay at home and leave others to do as they wish is a question that no one ever answers, though, of course, it is simply down to a desire to control others and impose their own ideals and beliefs on the rest of the world.

If you are looking for a movie to watch as an act of symbolic rebellion against the religious dictators of Germany, here is a full – or as full as we can find – list of the forbidden movies in chronological order.

Die Minderjährige – Alfred Tostary, 1921
Viktoria und ihr Husar (Victoria and Her Hussar) – Richard Oswald, 1931
Es leuchten die Sterne – Carmine Gallone, 1935
Petersburger Nächte – E.W. Emo, 1935
Amphitryon – Aus den Wolken kommt das Glück – Reinhold Schunzel, 1935
Königswalzer – Herbert Maisch, 1935
Mädchenräuber – Fred Sauer, 1936
Der Raub der Sabinerinnen – Robert A. Stemmle, 1936
Savoy-Hotel 217 – Gustav Ucicky, 1936
Der Kaiser von Kalifornien (The Emperor of California) – Luis Trenker, 1936
Blinde Passagiere – Fred Sauer, 1936
Truxa – Hans H. Zerlett, 1937
Fridericus – Johannes Meyer, 1937
Zu neuen Ufern (To New Shores) – Douglas Sirk, 1937
Der zerbrochene Krug – Emil Jannings & Gustav Ucicky, 1937
Die Fledermaus – Paul Verhoeven, 1937
Gasparone – Georg Jacoby, 1937
La Habanera – Douglas Sirk, 1937
Es leuchten die Sterne – Hans H. Zerlett, 1938
Ich Liebe Dich – Herbert Selpin, 1938
Narren im Schnee – Hans Deppe, 1938
Tanz auf dem Vulkan – Hans Steinhoff, 1938
Das unsterbliche Herz (The Immortal Heart) – Veit Harlan, 1939
Der Florentiner Hut – Wolfgang Liebeneiner, 1939
Kitty und die Weltkonferenz – Helmut Käutner, 1939
Kongo-Express – Eduard von Borsody, 1939
Rosen in Tirol – Géza von Bolváry, 1940
Hauptsache glücklich! – Theo Lingen, 1941
Quax, der Bruchpilot – Kurt Hoffmann, 1941
Cat People – Jacques Tourneur, 1942
Die Feuerzangenbowle – Helmut Weiss, 1944
Die Frau meiner Träume – Georg Jacoby, 1944
Opfergang – Veit Harlan, 1944
Der Mann im Sattel – Harry Piel, 1945
Gilda – Charles Vidor, 1946

Quax in Afrika – Helmut Weiss, 1947
Jour de fête – Jacques Tati, 1949
Der Untertan – Wolfgang Staudte, 1951
Crosswinds – Lewis R. Foster, 1951
Man in the Saddle – André de Toth, 1951
Decision Before Dawn – Anatole Litvak, 1951
The Brigand – Phil Karlson, 1952
The Crimson Pirate – Robert Siodmak, 1952
Jonny rettet Nebrador – Rudolf Jugert, 1953
Die Blume von Hawaii – Géza von Cziffra, 1953
Bei Dir war es immer so schön – Hans Wolff, 1954
Masterson of Kansas – William Castle, 1954
Animal Farm – Jon Hala and Joy Bachelor, 1954
Die Frau des Botschafters – Hans Deppe, 1955
The Trouble with Harry – Alfred Hitchcock, 1955
Königswalzer – Viktor Tourjansky, 1955
Der Kongreß tanzt – Franz Antel, 1955
IA in Oberbayern – Hans Albin, 1956
Die wilde Auguste – Georg Jacoby, 1956
Lo Spadaccino Misterioso (The Mysterious Swordsman) – Sergio Grieco, 1956
Kleines Zelt und große Liebe – Rainer Geis, 1956
Durch die Wälder durch die Auen – G.W. Pabst, 1956
Max und Moritz – Norbert Schultze, 1956
Hotel Allotria – Ludwig Bender, 1956
Salzburger Geschichten – Kurt Hoffmann, 1957
Frauen sind für die Liebe da – Hans H. König, 1957
Die Zürcher Verlobung – Helmut Käutner, 1957
Vater, unser bestes Stück – Günther Lüders, 1957
Das Glück liegt auf der Straße – Franz Antel, 1957
Die große Chance – Hans Quest, 1957
Schön ist die Welt – Géza von Bolváry, 1957
Junger Mann, der alles kann – Thomas Engel, 1957
Casino de Paris – André Hunenbelle, 1957
The Sad Sack – George Marshall, 1957
Mästerdetektiven lever farligt – Olle Hellbom, 1957
Vacanze a Ischia (Holiday Island)  – Mario Camerini, 1957
Ein Stück vom Himmel – Rudolf Jugert, 1958
Scampolo – Alfred Weidenmann, 1958
The Rickshaw Man – Hiroshi Inagaki, 1958
Mon Oncle – Jaques Tati, 1958

Pezzo, capopezzo e capitano (Cannon Serenade) – Wolfgang Staude, 1958
Petersburger Nächte – Paul Martin, 1958
Der schwarze Blitz – Hans Grimm, 1958
Piefke, der Schrecken der Kompanie – Wolfgang Wehrum, 1958
Helden – Franz Peter Wirth, 1958
Die Sklavenkarawane – Georg Marichka, 1958
Scala – total verrückt – Erik Ode, 1958
Nick Knattertons Abenteuer – Hans Quest, 1959
Some Like It Hot – Billy Wilder, 1959
Freddy, die Gitarre und das Meer – Wolfgang Schleif, 1959
Don’t Give Up the Ship – Norman Taurog, 1959
Liebe, Luft unde lauter Lügen – Peter Beauvais, 1959
Die ideale Frau – Josef von Báky, 1959
Liebe verboten – Heriaten erlaubt – Kurt Meisel, 1959
Der Löwe von Babylon – Johannes Kai & Ramón Torrado, 1959
Die Gans von Sedan – Helmut Käutner, 1959
Carthage in Flames – Carmine Gallone, 1960
Freddy und die Melodie der Nacht – Wolfgang Schleif, 1960
The Absent-Minded Professor – Robert Stevenson, 1961
Il conquistatore di Corinto (The Centurion) – Mario Costa, 1961
One, Two, Three – Billy Wilder, 1961
Die Fledermaus – Géza von Cziffra, 1962
Max der Taschendieb – Imo Moskowicz, 1962
La Guerre des boutons – Yves Robert, 1962
L’Œil du Malin (The Third Lover) – Claude Chabrol, 1962
Tales of Terror – Roger Corman, 1962
King Kong vs Godzilla – Ishirō Honda, 1962
The Fury of Achilles – Marino Girolami, 1962
Er kanns nicht lassen – Axel von Ambesser, 1962
The Conquest of Mycaene – Giorgio Ferroni, 1963
Der Würger von Schloss Blackmoor (The Strangler of Blackmoor Castle) – Harald Reinl, 1963
Charleys Tante – Géza von Cziffra, 1963
The Comedy of Terrors – Jacques Tourneur, 1963
A Fistful of Dollars – Sergio Leone, 1964
A Shot in the Dark – Blake Edwards, 1964
The Lion of Thebes – Giorgio Ferroni, 1964
A Hard Day’s Night – Richard Lester, 1964

Der Schut (Yellow Devil) – Robert Siodmak, 1964
Mary Poppins  – Robert Stevenson, 1964
Blood for a Silver Dollar  – Giorgio Ferroni, 1965
Durchs wilde Kurdistan – F.J. Gottlieb, 1965
The Liquidator – Jack Cardiff, 1965
For a Few Dollars More – Sergio Leone, 1965
Tante Frieda: Neue Lausbubengeschichten – Wener Jacobs, 1965
Die Söhne der großen Bärin – Josef Mach, 1966
Django – Sergio Corbucci, 1966
Batman – Leslie H. Martinson, 1966
In Frankfurt sind die Nächte heiß – Rolf Olsen, 1966
Texas, Adios – Ferdinando Baldi, 1966
Le Grand Restaurant – Jacques Besnard, 1966
Das Geheimnis der gelben Mönche (Target for Killing) – Manfred R. Köhler, 1966
One Million Years B.C.  – Don Chaffey, 1966
Navajo Joe – Sergio Corbucci, 1966
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – Sergio Leone, 1966
Daisies – Věra Chytilová, 1966
The Fearless Vampire Killers – Roman Polanski, 1967
Wanted – Giorgio Ferroni, 1967
Django, Kill – Giulio Questi, 1967
Bonnie and Clyde – Arthur Penn, 1967
Oscar – Édouard Molinaro, 1967
God Forgives… I Don’t – Giuseppe Colizzi, 1967
The Producers – Mel Brooks, 1967
Blackbeard’s Ghost – Robert Stevenson, 1967
Ich spreng’ Euch alle in die Luft – Rudolf Zehetgruber, 1968
The Lost Continent – Michael Carreras, 1968
Die Nichten der Frau Oberst – Erwin C. Dietrich, 1968
Le Tatoué – Denys de La Patellière, 1968
Night of the Living Dead – George A. Romero, 1968
Le gendarme se marie – Jean Girault, 1968
Death on a High Mountain – Fernando Cerchio, 1969
The Brain – Gérard Oury, 1969
Helga und die Männer – Die sexuelle Revolution – Roland Caemmerer, 1969
Eine Nervensäge gegen alle – Ralf Gregan, 1969
Hibernatus – Édouard Molinaro, 1969
Sabata – Gianfranco Parolini, 1969
Die liebestollen Dirndl von Tirol – Franz Antel, 1969
Zorro marchese di Navarra – Franco Montemurro, 1969
Carry On Up the Jungle – Gerald Thomas, 1969
M*A*S*H* – Robert Altman, 1970
Mark of the Devil – Michael Armstrong, 1970

Rangers: attacco ora X – Roberto Bianchi Montero, 1970
Pornografie in Dänemark – Michael Miller, 1970
Josefine Mutzenbacher – Kurt Nachmann, 1970
L’Homme orchestre – Serge Korber, 1970
Black Angels – Laurence Merrick, 1970
When Women Had Tails – Pasquale Festa Campanile, 1970
Le Gendarme en balade – Jean Girault, 1970
Liebesmarkt in Dänemark – Wolfgang Bellanbaum & Günter Vaessen, 1971
The House That Dripped Blood – Peter Duffell, 1971
They Call Me Hallelujah – Giuliano Carnimeo, 1971
Traffic – Jacques Tati, 1971
Viva la muerte – Fernando Arrabel, 1971
Der neue heiße Sex-Report – Was Männer nicht für möglich halten (Swinging Wives) – Ernst Hofbauer, 1971
Carnal Knowledge – Mike Nichols, 1971
The Case of the Scorpion’s Tail – Sergio Martini, 1971
Bay of Blood – Mario Bava, 1971
Trinity Is Still My Name – Enzo Barboni, 1971
Rudi benimm dich! – F.J. Gottlieb, 1971
Sonne, Sylt und kesse Krabben – Jerzy Macc, 1971
Harold and Maude – Hal Ashby, 1971
¡Viva la muerte… tua!’ – Duccio Tessari, 1971
It Can Be Done, Amigo – Maurizio Lucidi, 1972
Fritz the Cat – Ralph Bakshi, 1972
King Boxer (Five Fingers of Death) – Jeong Chang-Hwa, 1972
Moonchild – Alan Gadney, 1972
Laß jucken, Kumpel! – Franz Marischka, 1972
Crime Boss – Alberto De Martino, 1972
The Italian Connection – Fernando Di Leo, 1972
The Getaway – Sam Peckinpah, 1972
Docteur Popaul – Claude Chabrol, 1972
Trubel um Trixie – F.J. Gottlieb, 1972
Hausfrauen-Report 4.Teil – Eberhard Schröder, 1972
Hausfrauen-Report International (Housewives on the Job) – Ernst Hofbauer, 1973
Love in 3-D – Walter Boos, 1973

The Demons – Jess Franco, 1973
The Crazies – George A. Romero, 1973
Horror Rises from the Tomb – Carlos Aured, 1973
Super Kung Fu Kid – Joseph Kong Hung, 1973
Vengeance of the Zombies – León Klimovsky, 1973
Schlüsselloch-Report (Teenage Intimacies) – Walter Boos, 1973
Enter the Dragon – Robert Clouse, 1973
Die Hosen des Ritters von Bredow – Konrad Petzold, 1973
The Adventures of Rabbi Jacob – Gérard Oury, 1973
The Fighting Fists of Shanghai Joe – Mario Caiano, 1973
Heidi, Girl of the Alps – Isao Takahata, 1974
La Ragazzina (Monika) – Mario Imperoli, 1974
Les Valseuses – Bertrand Blier, 1974
It’s Alive – Larry Cohen, 1974
Le Trio Infernal – Francis Girod, 1974
Flavia the Heretic – Gianfranco Mingozzi, 1974
Emmanuelle – Just Jaekin, 1974
Gone in 60 Seconds – H.B. Halicki, 1974
Flesh Gordon – Michael Benveniste and Howard Ziehm, 1974
Slaughter in San Francisco – Lo Wei, 1974
The Marseille Contract – Robert Parrish, 1974
Anche gli angeli tirano di destro – Enzo Barboni, 1974
The Return of the Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe – Yves Robert, 1974
La Novizia – Giuliano Biagetti, 1975
Loaded Guns – Fernando Di Leo, 1975
Supervixens – Russ Meyer, 1975
Death Race 2000 – Paul Bartel, 1975
Jagdrevier der scharfen Gemsen – Hubert Frank, 1975
The Devil’s Rain – Robert Fuest, 1975
The Teenage Prostitution Racket – Carlo Lizzani and Mino Giarda, 1975
The Rocky Horror Picture Show  – Jim Sharman, 1975
Coonskin – Ralph Bakshi, 1975
La Bête – Walerian Borowczyk, 1975
The Ultimate Warrior – Robert Clouse, 1975
White Fang and the Hunter – Alfonso Brescia, 1975
The Best of Shaolin King Fu – Chan Sui-Pang, 1976
Natale in casa d’appuntamento – Armando Nannuzzi, 1976
À nous les petites Anglaises! – Michel Lang, 1976
Himmel, Scheich und Wolkenbruch – Dieter Böttger, 1976
The Cop in Blue Jeans – Bruno Corbucci, 1976
La Dottoressa sotto il lenzuolo (Under the Sheets) – Gianni Martucci, 1976
Scandal in the Family – Marcello Andrei, 1976
Jack the Ripper – Jess Franco, 1976
Die Rache der Ostfriessen – Walter Boos, 1976
Meet Him and Die – Franco Prosperi, 1976
Assault on Precinct 13 – John Carpenter, 1976
La padrona è servita – Mario Lanfranchi, 1976
Eaten Alive (Death Trap) – Tobe Hooper, 1976
Shaolin Iron Finger – Wang Hung-Chang, 1977
Men of the Hour – Chen ming-Hua, 1977
Griechische Feigen (The Fruit is Ripe) – Sigi Rothemund, 1977

Liebesgrüße aus der Lederhose 3: Sex-Express in Oberbayern – Gunter Otto, 1977
Jabberwocky – Terry Gilliam, 1977
Breaker! Breaker! – Don Hulette, 1977
The Invincible Armour – Ng See-Yuen, Lee Doo-yong, 1977
Death Duel – Chor Yeun, 1977
The Island of Dr Moreau – Don Taylor, 1977
The Kentucky Fried Movie – John Landis, 1977
A Man Called Blade – Sergio Martino, 1977
The Iron-Fisted Monk – Sammo Hung, 1977
Bröderna Lejonhjärta – Olle Hellbom, 1977
Fight for Your Life – Robert A. Endelson, 1977
Mil caminos tiene la muerte – Rafael Villaseñor Kuri and Javier Durán, 1977
The Sentimental Swordsman – Chor Yuen, 1977
Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals – Joe’D’Amato, 1977
The Incredible Melting Man – William Sachs, 1977
The Two Assassins of Darkness – Ting Chung, 1977
Flush – Andrew J. Kuehn, 1977
Shaolin Kung Fu Master – Huang Feilong, 1978
Primitives (Savage Terror) – Sisworo Guatama Putra, 1978
The 72 Desperate Rebels – Lin Bing, 1978
Shaolin Master and the Kid – Lin Fu-Ti, 1978
Liebesgrüße aus der Lederhose 4. Teil – Lass knacken, Willy! oder Die versaute Hochzeitsnacht – Gunter Otto, 1978
Game of Death – Robert Clouse, 1978
The Proud Youth – Sun Chung, 1978
Emanuelle and the White Slave Trade – Joe D’Amato, 1978
It Lives Again – Larry Cohen, 1978
Bruce Lee in New Guinea – Yang Chi-yao, 1978
La mujer de la tierra caliente – José María Forqué, 1978
Durchs wilde Kurdistan – Harry Walther, 1978
Animal House – John Landis, 1978
Das Lustschloß im Spessart – Walter Krüttner, 1978
Militant Eagle – Hsu Hsia and Chia Chih Li, 1978
Halloween – John Carpenter, 1978
Enter the Game of Death – Joseph Kong Hung, Choi Wu-Hyeong and Lam Kwok-Cheung, 1978
Incredible Kung Fu Mission – Chang Hsin-Yi, 1979
Bruce the Super Hero – Bruce Le, 1979
Drunken Arts and Crippled Fist – Tang Ti, 1979

Phantasm – Don Coscarelli, 1979
Tourist Trap – David Schmoeller, 1979
Mad Max – George Miller, 1979
Killer Nun – Giulio Berruti, 1979
Five Kung Fu Daredevil Heroes – Chang Cheh, 1979
The Kung Fu Instructor – Sun Chung, 1979
Dance of the Drunk Mantis – Yuen Woo-ping, 1979
Strategy for a Mission of Death – Luigi Batzella, 1979
King Frat – Ken Weiderhorn, 1979
The Story of the Drunken Master – Ngai Hoi-Fung, Wu Pang, 1979
Dove vai se il vizietto non ce l’hai? – Marino Girolami, 1979
Caligula – Tinto Brass, 1979
Monty Python’s Life of Brian – Terry Jones, 1979
Cantonen Iron Kung Fu – Charles Lee Chiu, 1979
Manaos – Alberto Vázquez Figueroa, 1979
Don’t Go in the House – Joseph Ellison, 1979
The 36 Deadly Styles – Joseph Kuo, 1979
L’infermiera nella corsia dei militari – Mariano Laurenti, 1979
Killerfish – Antonio Margheriti, 1979
1941 – Steven Spielberg, 1979
Seven Steps of Kung Fu – Wang Chungkuang, Ting Chung, 1979
Death Duel of Kung Fu – William Chueng Kei, 1979
Terror Express – Ferdinando Baldi, 1980
Die Nichten der Frau Oberst (Secrets of a French Maid) – Erwin C. Dietrich, 1980
Little Rascals with Kung Fu – Ching Liang Kwan, 1980
An Old Kung Fu Master – Ho Meng-Hua, Yu Cheng-Chun and Ching Liang Kwan, 1980
Spetters – Paul Verhoeven, 1980
Emanuelle: Queen of Sados – Ilias Mylonakos, 1980
Eaten Alive – Umberto Lenzi, 1980
Killer Constable – Kuei Chih-Hung, 1980
Gefangene Frauen (Island Women) – Erwin C. Dietrich, 1980
Alien 2 – Sulla terra (Alien Terror) – Ciro Ippolito, 1980
Humanoids from the Deep – Barbara Peeters, 1980

Friday the 13th – Sean Cunningham, 1980
The Nude Bomb – Clive Donner, 1980
The Long Riders – Walter Hill, 1980
The Master – Tony Lou Chun-Ku, 1980
Bruce, King of Kung Fu – Bruce Le and Darve Lau, 1980
Can’t Stop the Music – Nancy Walker, 1980
Used Cars – Robert Zemeckis, 1980
Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie – Tommy Chong, 1980
Prom Night – Paul Lynch, 1980
Anthropophagous – Joe D’Amato, 1980
The Last Hunter – Antonio Margheriti, 1980
Love in First Class – Salvatore Samperi, 1980
Schulmädchen-Report 13. Teil: Vergiß beim Sex die Liebe nicht – Walter Boos, 1980
The Octagon – Eric Karson, 1980
Der Kurpfuscher und seine fixen Töchter – Franz Marischka, 1980
The Big Brawl – Robert Clouse, 1980
Sechs Schwedinnen von der Tankstelle – Erwin C. Dietrich, 1980
Terror Train – Roger Spotiswoode, 1980
Le Coup du parapluie – Gérard Oury, 1980
The Long Good Friday – John Mackenzie, 1980
Taxi Zum Klo – Frank Ripploh, 1980
The Boogey Man – Ulli Lommel, 1980
Julchen und Jettchen, die verliebten Apothekerstöchter (Come Play with Me 3) – Erwin C. Dietrich, 1980
Two Champions of Shaolin – Chang Cheh, 1980
Nightmare City – Umberto Lenzi, 1980
Any Which Way You Can – Buddy Van Horn, 1980
The Outing (Scream) – Byron Quisenberry, 1981
Scanners – David Cronenberg, 1981
Ach du lieber Harry – Jean Girault, 1981
Demonoid – Alfredo Zacarias, 1981

The Funhouse – Tobe Hooper, 1981
Game of Death 2 – Ng See-Yuen, 1981
Hot Bubblegum – Boaz Davidson, 1981
Love Camp – Christian Anders, 1981
Friday the 13th Part 2 – Steve Miner, 1981
Happy Birthday to Me – J. Lee Thompson, 1981
Dead & Buried – Gary Sherman, 1981
History of the World Part One – Mel Brooks, 1981
Stripes – Ivan Reitman, 1981
The Chinese Stuntman – Ho Tsung-Tao, 1981
Alles im Eimer – Ralf Cregan, 1981
Heavy Metal – Gerald Potterton, 1981
An Eye for an Eye – Steve Carver, 1981
An American Werewolf in London – John Landis, 1981
Pour la peau d’un flic – Alain Delon, 1981
The Horror Star (Frightmare) – Norman Thaddeus Vane, 1981
The Evil Dead – Sam Raimi, 1981
Southern Comfort – Walter Hill, 1981
Galaxy of Terror – Bruce D. Clark, 1981
Just Before Dawn – Jeff Lieberman, 1981
Halloween II – Rick Rosenthal, 1981
Porky’s – Bob Clark, 1981
La dottoressa preferisce i marinai – Michele Massimo Tarantini, 1981
Buddy Buddy – Billy Wilder, 1981
Dawn of the Mummy – Frank Agrama, 1981
Der Mann im Pyjama – Christian Rateuke, 1981
Mad Max 2 (The Road Warrior) – George Miller, 1981
Kursaison im Dirndlhöschen – Alois Brummer, 1981
Piratensender Powerplay – Sige Rothemund, 1982
The Beast Within – Philippe Mora, 1982
Death Wish II – Michael Winner, 1982
Banana Joe – Steno, 1982
The Beach Girls – Bud Townsend, 1982
Conan the Barbarian – John Milius, 1982
Basket Case – Frank Henenlotter, 1982
Cat People – Paul Schrader, 1982
Forbidden World – Allan Holzman, 1982

Q The Winged Serpent – Larry Cohen, 1982
Ninja in the Dragon’s Den – Corey Yuen, 1982
The Thing – John Carpenter, 1982
The Last American Virgin – Boaz Davidson, 1982
The Challenge – John Frankenheimer, 1982
Zapped – Robert J. Rosenthal, 1982
Forced Vengeance – James fargo, 1982
Querelle – Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1982
Fast Times at Ridgemont High – Amy Heckerling, 1982
Friday the 13th Part 3 – Steve Miner, 1982
Class of 1984 – Mark L. Lester, 1982
The Junkman – H.B. Halicki, 1982
Waidmannsheil im Spitzenhöschen – Jürgen Enz, 1982
Tenebre – Dario Argento, 1982
Das Gespenst – Herbert Achternbusch, 1982
Xtro – Harry Bromley Davenport, 1982
48 Hrs – Walter Hill, 1982
Ein dicker Hund – Franz Marischka, 1982
Attila flagello di Dio – Castellano and Pipolo, 1982
Stark Raving Mad – George Hood, 1983
Tornado (Last Blood) – Antonio Margheriti, 1983
Fanny Hill – Gerry O’Hara, 1983
Die Insel der blutigen Plantage (Escape from Blood Plantation) – Kurt Raab, 1983
The 4th Man – Paul Verhoeven, 1983
Monty Python’s Meaning of Life – Terry Jones, 1983
Private Manoeuvres – Tzvi Shissel, 1983
Lone Wolf McQuade – Steve Carver, 1983
Still Smokin – Tommy Chong, 1983
Christine – John Carpenter, 1983
A Woman in Flames – Robert Van Ackeren, 1983
Chained Heat – Paul Nicholas, 1983
The Man with Two Brains – Carl Reiner, 1983
The New Barbarians – Enzo G. Castellari, 1983
Yellowbeard – Mel Damski, 1983
Porky’s II: The Next Day – Bob Clark, 1983
Der Kleine – Klaus Lemke, 1983
Sechs Schwedinnen auf der Alm – Paul Grau, 1983
Joy – Sergio Bergonzelli, 1983
Das Mikado-Projekt – Torsten Emrich, 1983
Hysterical – Chris Bearde, 1983
Flotte Biester auf der Schulbank – Jan Apfeld, 1983
Dirndljagd am Kilimandscharo – Franz Marischka, 1983

First Name: Carmen – Jean-Luc Godard, 1983
Revenge of the Ninja – Sam Firstenberg, 1983
Le marginal – Jacques Deray, 1983
Sunshine Reggae auf Ibiza – Franz Marischka, 1983
Amity 3-D – Richard Fleischer, 1983
Raiders of Atlantis (The Atlantis Interceptors) – Ruggero Deodato, 1983
Sudden Impact – Clint Eastwood, 1983
The Woman with the Red Hat – Tatsumi Kumashiro, 1984
Emmanuelle IV – Francis Leroi, 1984
Didi – Der Doppelgänger – Reinhard Schwabenitzky, 1984
Children of the Corn – Fritz Kiersch, 1984
The Evil That Men Do – J. Lee Thompson, 1984
The Ice Pirates – Stewart Raffill, 1984
Police Academy – Hugh Wilson, 1984
Up the Creek – Robert Butler, 1984
Friday the 13th: the Final Chapter – Joseph Zito, 1984
Super – Adolf Winkelmann, 1984
Firestarter – Mark L. Lester, 1984
Jungle Warriors – Ernst Ritter Von Theumer, 1984
Streets of Fire – Walter Hill, 1984
Ghostbusters – Ivan Reitman, 1984
Bachelor Party – Neal Isreal, 1984
Cheech & Chong’s The Corsican Brothers – Tommy Chong, 1984
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension – W.D. Richter, 1984
Ninja III The Domination – Sam Firstenberg, 1984
Exterminator II – Mark Buntzman, 1984
The Hills Have Eyes Part 2 – Wes Craven, 1984
Crimes of Passion – Ken Russell, 1984
Double Trouble – Enzo Barboni, 1984
Joyeuses Pâques – Georges Lautner, 1984
The Terminator – James Cameron, 1984
Im Himmel ist die Hölle los – Helmer von Lützelburg, 1984
Didi und die Rache der Enterbten – Dieter Hallervorden and Christian Rateuke, 1984
Brazil – Terry Gilliam, 1985
Missing in Action 2: The Beginning – Lance Hool, 1985
Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning – Danny Steinmann, 1985
Porky’s Revenge – James Komack, 1985
Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment – Jerry Paris, 1985
Crimewave – Sam Raimi, 1985
9 Deaths of the Ninja – Emmett Alston, 1985
The Return of the Living Dead – Dan O’Bannon, 1985
Code of Silence – Andrew Davis, 1985
The Titan Find (Creature) – William Malone, 1985
Up Your Anchor – Dan Wolman, 1985
Red Heat – Robert Collector, 1985

Day of the Dead – George A. Romero, 1985
The Protector – James Glickenhaus, 1985
Fright Night – Tom Holland, 1985
American Ninja – Sam Firstenberg, 1985
Streetwalkin’ – Joan Freeman, 1985
Invasion U.S.A. – Joseph Zito, 1985
Commando – Mark L. Lester, 1985
Silver Bullet – Daniel Attias, 1985
Miranda – Tinto Brass, 1985
House – Steve Miner, 1985
Death Wish 3 – Michael Winner, 1985
A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge – Jack Sholder, 1985
Drei gegen drei – Dominick Graf, 1985
Sky Pirates – Colin Eggleston, 1986
3:15 – Larry Gross, 1986
Müllers Büro – Niki List, 1986
Highlander – Russell Mulcahy, 1986
Heilt Hitler! – Herbert Achternbusch, 1986
Police Academy 3: Back in Training – Jerry Paris, 1986
Cobra – George P. Cosmatos, 1986
Top Gun – Tony Scott, 1986
Down By Law – Jim Jarmusch, 1986
Raw Deal – John Irvin, 1986
Christina – Joe D’Amato, 1986
Aliens – James Cameron, 1986
Vamp – Richard Wenk, 1986
Maximum Overdrive – Stephen King, 1986
Cobra Mission – Fabrizio De Angelis, 1986
The Fly – David Cronenberg, 1986
Night of the Creeps – Fred Dekker, 1986
Avenging Force – Sam Firstenberg, 1986
Weekend Warriors – Bert Convy, 1986
Heartbreak Ridge – Clint Eastwood, 1986
Little Shop of Horrors – Frank Oz, 1986
Assassination – Peter R. Hunt, 1987
The Stepfather – Joseph Ruben, 1987
Outrageous Fortune – Arthur Hiller, 1987
Rage of Honor – Gordon Hessler, 1987
Hard Ticket to Hawaii – Andy Sidaris, 1987
The Big Bang – Picha, 1987
Evil Dead 2 – Sam Raimi, 1987
Anguish – Bigas Luna, 1987

Police Academy 4: Citizens On Patrol – Jim Drake, 1987
Les Patterson Saves the World – George T. Miller, 1987
Extreme Prejudice – Walter Hill, 1987
Creepshow 2 – Michael Gornick, 1987
Malone – Harley Cokeliss, 1987
American Ninja 2: The Confrontation – Sam Firstenberg, 1987
Young Love: Lemon Popsicle 7 – Walter Bannert, 1987
Double Target – Bruno Mattei, 1987
Death Wish 4: The Crackdown – J. Lee Thompson, 1987
Predator – John McTiernan, 1987
Robocop – Paul Verhoeven, 1987
The Lost Boys – Joel Schumacher, 1986
Masters of the Universe – Gary Goddard, 1987
Hellraiser – Clive Barker, 1987
Revenge of the Living Dead Girls – Pierre B. Reinhard, 1987
Fatal Beauty – Tom Holland, 1987
Brain Damage – Frank Henenlotter, 1988
Young Guns – Christopher Cain, 1988
Bloodsport – Newt Arnold, 1988
Skeleton Coast – John ‘Bud’ Cardos, 1988
The Dead Pool – Buddy van Horn, 1988
The Unholy – Camilo Vila, 1988
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood – Carl John Beuchler, 1988
Ghosthouse – Umberto Lenzi, 1988
Pumpkinhead – Stan Winston, 1988
Phantasm II – Don Coscarelli, 1988
Akira – Katsuhiro Otomo, 1988
Police Story 2 – Jackie Chan, 1988
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master – Renny Harlin, 1988
Lair of the White Worm – Ken Russell, 1988

Child’s Play – Tom Holland, 1988
Watchers – Jon Hess, 1988
The Fly II – Chris Walas, 1989
The ‘Burbs – Joe Dante, 1989
Police Academy 6: City Under Seige – Peter Bonerz, 1989
Pet Sematary – Mary Lambert, 1989
Marquis – Henri Xhonneux, 1989
Wilt – Michael Tuchner, 1989
Food of the Gods II – Damien Lee, 1989
Road House – Rowdy Herrington, 1989
No Holds Barred – Thomas J. Wright, 1989
Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills – Paul Bartel, 1989
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan – Rob Hedden, 1989
Lock Up – John Flynn, 1989
Meet the Feebles – Peter Jackson, 1989
Gummibärchen küßt man nicht – Walter Bannart, 1989
Blind Fury – Phillip Noyce, 1989
The Punisher – Mark Goldblatt, 1989
Salute of the Jugger – David Webb Peoples, 1989
Shocker – Wes Craven, 1989
Tango & Cash – Andrei Konchalovsky, 1989
Die Toten Hosen: 3 Akkorde für ein Halleluja – Trini Trimpop, 1989
Internal Affairs – Mike Figgis, 1990
The Rookie – Clint Eastwood, 1990
Tremors – Ron Underwood, 1990
Milou en Mai – Louis Malle, 1990
No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers – Lucas Lowe, 1990
Dark Angel – Craig R. Baxley, 1990
Hard to Kill – Bruce Malmuth, 1990
Night Breed – Clive Barker, 1990
Spontaneous Combustion – Tobe Hooper, 1990
Swordsman – Tsui Hark, 1990
Cry Baby – John Waters, 1990
Zapped Again – Doug Campbell, 1990
The Guardian – William Friedkin, 1990

Tales from the Darkside: The Movie – John Harrison, 1990
King of New York – Abel Ferrara, 1990
Another 48 Hrs – Walter Hill, 1990
Gremlins 2: The New Batch – Joe Dante, 1990
Robocop 2 – Irvin Kershner, 1990
The Adventures of Ford Fairlane – Renny Harlin, 1990
Flesh Gordon Meets the Cosmic Cheerleaders – Howard Ziehm and Doug Frisby, 1990
Navy Seals – Lewis Teague, 1990
Darkman – Sam Raimi, 1990
Delta Force 2 – Aaron Norris, 1990
Death Warrant – Deran Sarafian, 1990
Marked for Death – Dwight H. Little, 1990
Fire, Ice & Dynamite – Willy Bogner, 1990
Night of the Living Dead – Tom Savini, 1990
Kickboxer 2: The Road Back – Albert Pyun, 1991
The Last Boy Scout – Tony Scott, 1991
Wedlock – Lewis Teague, 1991
Timebomb – Avi Nesher, 1991
Scanners 2: The New Order – Christian Duguay, 1991
Naked Tango – Leonard Schrader, 1991
Ricochet – Russell Mulcahy, 1991
The Taking of Beverly Hills – Sidney J. Furie, 1991
The People Under the Stairs – Wes Craven, 1991
Tokyo Decadence – Ryû Murakami, 1991
Liebesgrüße aus der Lederhose 7 – Kokosnüsse und Bananen  – Gunter Otto, 1992
Reservoir Dogs – Quentin Tarantino, 1992
Romper Stomper – Geoffrey Wright, 1992
German Fried Movie – Uwe Boll and Frank Lustig 1992
Sleepwalkers – Mick Garris, 1992
Mo’ Money – Peter MacDonald, 1992
Diggstown – Michael Ritchie, 1992
Man Bites Dog – Benoît Poelvoorde, Rémy Belvaux and André Bonzel, 1992
Innocent Blood – John Landis, 1992
Lotta på Bråkmakargatan – Johanna Hald, 1992
Barschel – Mord in Genf? – Uwe Boll and Frank Lustig, 1993
Excessive Force – Jon Hess, 1993
Hard Target – John Woo, 1993
True Romance – Tony Scott, 1993
Lotta 2 – Lotta flyttar hemifrån – Johanna Hald, 1993
Robocop 3 – Fred Dekker, 1993
Raw Justice – David A. Prior, 1994
New Nightmare – Wes Craven, 1994
A New Love in Tokyo – Banmei Takahashi, 1994

Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight – Ernest R. Dickerson, 1995
United Trash – Christoph Schlingensief, 1996
Barb Wire – David Hogan, 1996
The Frighteners – Peter Jackson, 1996
Scream – Wes Craven, 1996
Dobermann – Jan Kounen, 1997
Scream 2 – Wes Craven, 1997
Ring – Hideo Nakata, 1998
Jane Austen’s Mafia! – Jim Abrahams, 1998
Blade – Stephen Norrington, 1998
Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl – Katsuhito Ishii, 1998
Vampires – John Carpenter, 1998
Ravenous – Antonia Bird, 1999
Lake Placid – Steve Miner, 1999
Supernova – Walter Hill, 2000
Anatomy – Stefan Ruzowitzky, 2000
Romeo Must Die – Andrzej Bartkowiak, 2000
Turn It Up – Andrzej Bartkowiak, 2000
Mortal Transfer – Jean-Jacques Beineix, 2001
Lammbock – Christian Zübert, 2001
The Pool – Boris von Sychowski, 2001
The Salton Sea – D.J. Caruso, 2002
Queen of the Damned – Michael Rymer, 2002
Irreversible – Gaspar Noé, 2002
FearDotCom – William Malone, 2002
The Ring – Gore Verbinski, 2002
My Little Eye – Marc Evans, 2002
Jackass: The Movie – Jeff Tremaine, 2002
28 Days Later – Danny Boyle, 2002
The Hot Chick – Tom Brady, 2002
Darkness Falls – Jonathan Liebesman, 2003
Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd – Troy Miller, 2003
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre – Marcus Nispel, 2003
Der letzte Lude – Stephen Manuel, 2003
Freddy vs Jason – Ronny Yu, 2003
Legend of The Evil Lake – Lee Kwang-hoon, 2003
Born to Fight – Panna Rittikrai, 2004
The Devil’s Rejects – Rob Zombie, 2005
Hostel – Eli Roth, 2005
Underworld: Evolution – Len Wiseman, 2006
Silent Hill – Christophe Gans, 2006
Beerfest – Jay Chandrasekhar, 2006
Jackass Number Two – Jeff Tremaine, 2006
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning – Jonathan Liebesman, 2006
Hannibal Rising – Peter Webber, 2007
Saw IV – Darren Lynn Bousman, 2007
Pineapple Express – David Gordon Green, 2008
My Bloody Valentine – Patrick Lussier, 2009
The Last House on the Left – Dennis Iliadis, 2009

Crank: High Voltage – Brian Taylor and Mark Neveldine, 2009
Thirst – Park Chan-wook, 2009
Gamer – Brian Taylor and Mark Neveldine, 2009
Jennifer’s Body – Karyn Kusama, 2009
A Nightmare on Elm Street – Samuel Bayer, 2010
We Are What We Are – Jorge Michel Grau, 2010
The Expendables – Sylvester Stallone, 2010
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale – Jalmari Helander, 2010
Priest – Scott Stewart, 2011
Final Destination 5 – Steven Quale, 2011
Bendeyar – Joel Leang, 2011
Die Wahrheit der Lüge – Roland Reber, 2011
New Kids Nitro – Steffen Haars and Flip van der Kuil, 2011
Bachelorette – Leslye Headland, 2012
Wanderlust – David Wain, 2012
The Child – Zsolt Bács, 2012
Wolf Creek 2 – Greg McLean, 2013
Bad Grandpa – Jeff Tremaine, 2013
Illusion – Roland Reber, 2013
Bad Grandpa.5 – Jeff Tremaine, 2014
The Farewell Party – Sharon Maymon and Tal Granit, 2014
Dumb and Dumber To – Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly, 2014
The D Train – Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel, 2015
Hitman: Agent 47 – Aleksander Bach, 2015
Vacation – John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein, 2015

You can check out the full German language list here: https://www.spio-fsk.de/media_Content/3224.pdf

In the UK meanwhile, Monty Python’s Life of Brian is returning to cinemas in Easter 2023, including venues in some of the towns that banned the film – usually sight unseen – on its original release, a petty bit of moralising power trippery that pretty much did for the whole idea of local councils overriding the BBFC as people realised both the arrogance of elected local officials telling them what they could or couldn’t see and the impotence of such bans, with coach trips to neighbouring towns being organised by people who wanted to make their own minds up about the film. While local councils have occasionally flexed their muscles since on controversial films – most notably Westminster with David Cronenberg’s Crash – the 1970s obsession with banning BBFC-approved films after encouragement from The Festival of Light and other pressure groups generally became a thing of the past after this, especially as home video eventually rendered this particular bit of small-time politician self-importance irrelevant anyway.

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