Terrifying Banned Horror Movie Resurfaces on TikTok

More than a decade after its release, a film so terrifying that it was not only dubbed "2011's scariest horror film," but has also been banned in New Zealand, is gaining attention. The 2011 found footage psychological horror film Megan is Missing recently resurfaced on TikTok, but some potential viewers may want to listen to the film's director: "Do not watch the movie in the middle of the night. Do not watch the movie alone."

Although the film has a 60% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, Megan Is Missing is seeped in controversy. The film, written and directed by American filmmaker Michael GoI and based on real-life child abductions, follows two teenagers and best friends, Megan Stewart (played by Rachel Quinn) and Amy Herman (Amber Perkins), who live in North Hollywood, California. After Megan begins talking to a boy she met online, she disappears, with Amy launching an investigation in an effort to find her. The film has received significant backlash for its depiction of sexual violence and brutal imagery, with Megan Is Missing even banned in New Zealand.

"The DVD is classified as objectionable," a spokesperson for the Office of Film & Literature Classification in New Zealand said. "The feature depicts sexual violence and sexual conduct involving young people to such an extent and degree, and in such a manner, that the availability of the publication is likely to be injurious to the public good."

Although the film, which was marketed as an educational movie, is shrouded in plenty of controversy, it has also received plenty of support. Marc Klaas, the father of a 12-year-old girl who was kidnapped and killed in 1993, endorsed the movie.

Any horror fans wanting to check Megan Is Missing off of their watch lists may want to heed Goi's warning. After the film began making waves on TikTok in 2020, Goi, who has since worked on projects including American Horror Story and Salem, warned viewers, "Do not watch the movie in the middle of the night. Do not watch the movie alone." Goi, who noted at the time that he "didn't get to give you the customary warnings that I used to give people before they watched," added, "and if you see the words 'photo number one' pop up on your screen, you have about four seconds to shut off the movie if you're already kind of freaking out before you start seeing things that maybe you don't want to see."