
Although never officially banned by any government, the disturbing and realistic content of The Poughkeepsie Tapes – which depicts torture, brainwashing, and stalking – led MGM to shelve the film for almost ten years, earning it a reputation as a banned movie. Originally scheduled for release in February 2008, director John Erick Dowdle’s mockumentary was pulled after its premiere at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. It wasn’t widely available until 2014 when it was briefly released on DirecTV’s VOD service, only to be removed again. Eventually, it received a home release in 2017 and became more widely available on streaming platforms starting in 2020. Currently, those who dare to watch it can stream The Poughkeepsie Tapes on Prime Video, where it became available on April 1st.