Spanish film officials have banned the latest gruesome Saw movie from cinemas by giving it the same rating as explicit porn films.

The new picture, the sixth in the Saw franchise, revives the hunt for gory serial killer Jigsaw and features scenes of graphic violence as the body count rises.

The gruesome scenes have disturbed bosses at the Spanish Culture Ministry's Film Institute, who have made the unprecedented move of handing the film an 'X' rating. The classification means the picture will miss out on a nationwide release - as there are only eight theatres in the country which are licensed to show 'pornographic' material.

The decision has infuriated the movie's distributors at Buena Vista, who have lodged an appeal against the rating.

The Saw franchise, which stars Tobin Bell, has been particularly successful in Spain, with the last two movies earning more than $6 million at the box office.