What is the most disturbing horror movie ever?
September 1, 2015 2:06 PM Subscribe
What is the most disturbing horror movie, and why do you consider it so?
I'm building a list of the most disturbing horror movies ever made, and I'm wondering if there are any that I've missed. I'm aware of "Chaos" and "Salo" and "High Tension" and the like, but I'm wondering which ones I might have missed.
I am not necessarily looking for gore, but for things that create some sort of existential dread. That feeling of the floor going out from under you ... I suppose "Funny Games" is a good example. Which ones would you add to the list, and why? (Please note that the "Why?" is a crucial part of the question.)
I'm building a list of the most disturbing horror movies ever made, and I'm wondering if there are any that I've missed. I'm aware of "Chaos" and "Salo" and "High Tension" and the like, but I'm wondering which ones I might have missed.
I am not necessarily looking for gore, but for things that create some sort of existential dread. That feeling of the floor going out from under you ... I suppose "Funny Games" is a good example. Which ones would you add to the list, and why? (Please note that the "Why?" is a crucial part of the question.)
Response by poster: Things that come to mind on the top of the list:
Salo
Nekromantik/Der Todesking
Funny Games
Chaos/Last House on the Left
High Tension
Human Centipede trilogy
August Underground
Obviously a few of those are WAY underground and obscure titles, the kind of thing you'd only find in the "Cult Classics" section of the video store. I'm more interested in things that would be more mainstream, but still deeply unsettling.
posted by jbickers at 2:19 PM on September 1, 2015
Salo
Nekromantik/Der Todesking
Funny Games
Chaos/Last House on the Left
High Tension
Human Centipede trilogy
August Underground
Obviously a few of those are WAY underground and obscure titles, the kind of thing you'd only find in the "Cult Classics" section of the video store. I'm more interested in things that would be more mainstream, but still deeply unsettling.
posted by jbickers at 2:19 PM on September 1, 2015
I'd like to nominate "Man Bites Dog" (C'est arrivé près de chez vous) for its narration in the first person by a ruthless and amusing serial killer as he goes about his business. It is the fact that the narrator both wins us over and tries to inculcate us to nature of what he is doing that I found particularly disturbing. It was very well made; I'd never wish to see it again and would not recommend it to any friends.
posted by rongorongo at 2:20 PM on September 1, 2015 [14 favorites]
posted by rongorongo at 2:20 PM on September 1, 2015 [14 favorites]
The Babadook was pretty chilling.
There was almost no gore, but what got to me about this film was the isolation of the main character and her inability to reach out to any for help. And the sense that the central protagonist was made to believe that she would end up doing unspeakable things.
posted by brookeb at 2:26 PM on September 1, 2015 [8 favorites]
There was almost no gore, but what got to me about this film was the isolation of the main character and her inability to reach out to any for help. And the sense that the central protagonist was made to believe that she would end up doing unspeakable things.
posted by brookeb at 2:26 PM on September 1, 2015 [8 favorites]
I would argue that some of the movies you have so far (the Human Centipede Movies, August Underground) are pretty gory and gross, but not terribly sophisticated or designed to inspire existential dread. You might like these better-
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is completely inspired 80's indie horror. The movie just feels evil.
Less viscerally upsetting but extremely well made is Kill List, a hugely entertaining British horror-crime thriller-buddy movie-family thriller mashup, that manages to be endlessly rewatchable while still infused with a distinct creeping dread.
posted by cakelite at 2:27 PM on September 1, 2015 [7 favorites]
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is completely inspired 80's indie horror. The movie just feels evil.
Less viscerally upsetting but extremely well made is Kill List, a hugely entertaining British horror-crime thriller-buddy movie-family thriller mashup, that manages to be endlessly rewatchable while still infused with a distinct creeping dread.
posted by cakelite at 2:27 PM on September 1, 2015 [7 favorites]
I have never seen a movie that had me tense and breathless and scared more than Tarkovsky's Stalker.
I think I was literally sore afterwards from being clenched so hard for 155 minutes.
Ingmar Bergman's Persona made me feel the same way. This one is less horror and more whopping existential dread.
posted by chatongriffes at 2:42 PM on September 1, 2015 [4 favorites]
I think I was literally sore afterwards from being clenched so hard for 155 minutes.
Ingmar Bergman's Persona made me feel the same way. This one is less horror and more whopping existential dread.
posted by chatongriffes at 2:42 PM on September 1, 2015 [4 favorites]
For upcoming films, I've heard some very good things about The Witch, about a devout 17th-century family that encounters some horrible evil when they set out to live alone at the edge of the New England wilderness. Period-accurate language, clothing, music, and mythology, and it's supposed to be highly unnerving.
posted by Rhaomi at 2:43 PM on September 1, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Rhaomi at 2:43 PM on September 1, 2015 [3 favorites]
On the gory/extreme side: Inside (À l'intérieur) might not be new to you. I find it very effective, not least because the protagonist is a pregnant woman. Make sure to get a hold of the uncut version.
Also on the extreme side, you may have heard of the film Martyrs which is quite upsetting and controversial. I think it's one of the more artful and intriguing horror movies I've seen. It's such a difficult watch that I hesitate to recommend it to most people, but you asked for this sort of thing. Don't read anything about it, you can consider everything to be a spoiler. (Also after you see it, we watched it in FanFare and had a good discussion.)
On the psychological, "I don't even know what I'm watching right now, but it's incredibly strange and disturbing" front: The Reflecting Skin.
posted by naju at 2:56 PM on September 1, 2015 [3 favorites]
Also on the extreme side, you may have heard of the film Martyrs which is quite upsetting and controversial. I think it's one of the more artful and intriguing horror movies I've seen. It's such a difficult watch that I hesitate to recommend it to most people, but you asked for this sort of thing. Don't read anything about it, you can consider everything to be a spoiler. (Also after you see it, we watched it in FanFare and had a good discussion.)
On the psychological, "I don't even know what I'm watching right now, but it's incredibly strange and disturbing" front: The Reflecting Skin.
posted by naju at 2:56 PM on September 1, 2015 [3 favorites]
I've seen all the films mentioned so far- and a Serbian film. That's the title "a Serbian film" was by far the worst I've ever seen in terms of horror. I felt dead inside for days. It was awful to watch, I don't want to say why but if you google it and read the reviews you'll quickly read about the worst scene.
posted by pairofshades at 3:14 PM on September 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by pairofshades at 3:14 PM on September 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
Seconding "Man Bites Dog." The person who showed it to me had seen the first half of it, years before, and remembered/recommended it as a (particularly bleak but) pointed comedy.
Yeah....it's not a comedy. Not really. And I too would absolutely never, ever watch it again, nor recommend anyone watch it.
Why? Well it really does give you that "floor falling out from under you" feeling. Through the whole movie you've watched the main character commit various violent acts, but always with a little bit of ironic distance; then, suddenly, one of the crimes gets very up-close, personal, you realize that shit is out of control, then you realize it's been out of control the whole time, then you realize you've been made thoroughly complicit in all of the out of control shit. And then there's a cut and you get a series of more or less still images that will never leave your brain ever again.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 3:35 PM on September 1, 2015 [4 favorites]
Yeah....it's not a comedy. Not really. And I too would absolutely never, ever watch it again, nor recommend anyone watch it.
Why? Well it really does give you that "floor falling out from under you" feeling. Through the whole movie you've watched the main character commit various violent acts, but always with a little bit of ironic distance; then, suddenly, one of the crimes gets very up-close, personal, you realize that shit is out of control, then you realize it's been out of control the whole time, then you realize you've been made thoroughly complicit in all of the out of control shit. And then there's a cut and you get a series of more or less still images that will never leave your brain ever again.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 3:35 PM on September 1, 2015 [4 favorites]
Day Night Day Night
Maybe it's because I'm a New Yorker, but this scared the shit out of me with very little action.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 3:43 PM on September 1, 2015
Maybe it's because I'm a New Yorker, but this scared the shit out of me with very little action.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 3:43 PM on September 1, 2015
Sophie Scholl – The Final Days This is not at all a conventional "horror" movie, but it is deeply disturbing. The script was largely based on Gestapo records.
posted by Carol Anne at 3:53 PM on September 1, 2015
posted by Carol Anne at 3:53 PM on September 1, 2015
The Skin I Live In is not a traditional horror movie but deeply disturbing.
posted by youdontmakefriendswithsalad at 4:29 PM on September 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by youdontmakefriendswithsalad at 4:29 PM on September 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Reading the Wikipedia plot summary for A Serbian Film ruined my entire week when I made that mistake and images from that film still horrify me years afterward despite never having seen a frame of it.
Of the ones I've actually toughed out, Martyrs is probably the harshest.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 4:37 PM on September 1, 2015
Of the ones I've actually toughed out, Martyrs is probably the harshest.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 4:37 PM on September 1, 2015
re: Man Bites Dog -- there are alternate versions that may color your experience of the film. One version omits a particularly disturbing scene in order to avoid being banned in certain countries. This is what I have to remind myself when I read these accounts of watching the movie and contrast it with my own experience watching the movie, which I remembered as a twisted comedy with a heavy ending. I am absolutely certain I saw the version without "the scene" and yes, judging by what I read it would have changed the overall experience.
posted by Hoopo at 4:37 PM on September 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Hoopo at 4:37 PM on September 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
The Guinea Pig Films usually make this list. It was freaky enough Charlie Sheen called the FBI! Lots of gore and depending on your a&p education (or time in a butcher shop...?) They may not be too disturbing, but I sure hate seeing them!
There's also 2008's Deadgirl which kinda soured me on heavy horror. Rape, necrophilia, zombism, just terrible. Similar thoughts on The Woman.
The Babadook though? That's powerfully scary and very watchable. A+
posted by Matt Oneiros at 4:55 PM on September 1, 2015
There's also 2008's Deadgirl which kinda soured me on heavy horror. Rape, necrophilia, zombism, just terrible. Similar thoughts on The Woman.
The Babadook though? That's powerfully scary and very watchable. A+
posted by Matt Oneiros at 4:55 PM on September 1, 2015
Agree with Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. Very immediate and forces you into the heads of both the victims and the killers. I didn't find it quite as disturbing as Funny Games, which I think is by far the most disturbing picture I've ever seen, but very close.
posted by holborne at 5:29 PM on September 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by holborne at 5:29 PM on September 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
The (recently restored and reissued, lucky you) Austrian film Angst shook me up pretty badly.
posted by Merzbau at 5:30 PM on September 1, 2015
posted by Merzbau at 5:30 PM on September 1, 2015
The Woman might be the most upsetting horror film that is actually worth seeing.
For that one, I'd quote Gene Siskel, who pointed out that a movie isn't about what it's "about," It's about how it is about it. This is a movie chockablock with violence against women. But it's made by a feminist-leaning director in collaboration with his female stars.
It's basically 90 minutes of trigger warnings going off like air raid sirens, though.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:41 PM on September 1, 2015 [3 favorites]
For that one, I'd quote Gene Siskel, who pointed out that a movie isn't about what it's "about," It's about how it is about it. This is a movie chockablock with violence against women. But it's made by a feminist-leaning director in collaboration with his female stars.
It's basically 90 minutes of trigger warnings going off like air raid sirens, though.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:41 PM on September 1, 2015 [3 favorites]
The only horror movie that ever truly "disturbed" me was The Human Centipede. And not in a "oh wow that was really creepy/gross/though-provoking" way, but in a "I am turning this off and deleting the file now".
I guess the most disturbing that I watched all the way through would be something like Martyrs or Irreversible (the first half). Slaughtered Vomit Dolls was pretty fucked-up as well but I was on a lot of booze and antidepressants then and The Mighty Boosh was fucked-up at the same time too.
posted by turbid dahlia at 5:45 PM on September 1, 2015
I guess the most disturbing that I watched all the way through would be something like Martyrs or Irreversible (the first half). Slaughtered Vomit Dolls was pretty fucked-up as well but I was on a lot of booze and antidepressants then and The Mighty Boosh was fucked-up at the same time too.
posted by turbid dahlia at 5:45 PM on September 1, 2015
The BBC series Jam I would actually put in the "disturbing/horror" pile as well.
posted by turbid dahlia at 5:46 PM on September 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by turbid dahlia at 5:46 PM on September 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Not a gory film, but maybe Das Weisse Band from Haneke, who also directed Funny Games. I remember a creeping sort of dread from watching that one. Oddly enough, Funny Games had little effect on me.
posted by extramundane at 5:47 PM on September 1, 2015
posted by extramundane at 5:47 PM on September 1, 2015
Not very original but for me it's The Exorcist, everything in that movie is so bleak; sad and evil. It's not what's happening in itself (although it's pretty horrifying), it's the whole atmosphere of it.
But the last thing that truly did terrify me was an episode in the last season of Louie (those who have seen it probably know which one). I know not a movie, but I wasn't expecting it at all and it scared the shit outta me.
posted by SageLeVoid at 6:25 PM on September 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
But the last thing that truly did terrify me was an episode in the last season of Louie (those who have seen it probably know which one). I know not a movie, but I wasn't expecting it at all and it scared the shit outta me.
posted by SageLeVoid at 6:25 PM on September 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
The Gonin had me cowering the corner of my seat, shaking. I should have left the theater, but I was so terrified that I couldn't move.
I came to the film with the wrong idea. A disco owner in a heist film, leading a group of misfits cheating the Japanese mafia? The mismatch between my expectations of a zany but dark comedy and feeling totally blindsided by dread might be the root of what made The Gonin so horrifying to me. Or maybe it is actually the most terrifying movie ever. I keep trying to compose something that can explain why, but don't want to go into detail here and I think that just writing out a scene without the atmosphere doesn't fully explain it. Part of what made it so bad was the way that the mafia retaliated against the members of the heist group by targeting their loved ones (I don't know why, but I believed the relationships more in this movie than in most), which just got worse and built up, and their surprise when it drove the them insane. It was also confusing. How long had that guy's family been dead? Was the little girl playing piano a flashback, while she was already dead? Is he living "normally" with his dead family? Or did he kill them himself after being followed by the hitmen had completely unhinged him? Unfortunately, this confusion made my brain engage with it more than with a straightforward narrative. I guess the core of it was that it was a horror movie that somehow drew me in and made me believe it, while I am usually rather detached from them.
posted by SandiBeech at 6:39 PM on September 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
I came to the film with the wrong idea. A disco owner in a heist film, leading a group of misfits cheating the Japanese mafia? The mismatch between my expectations of a zany but dark comedy and feeling totally blindsided by dread might be the root of what made The Gonin so horrifying to me. Or maybe it is actually the most terrifying movie ever. I keep trying to compose something that can explain why, but don't want to go into detail here and I think that just writing out a scene without the atmosphere doesn't fully explain it. Part of what made it so bad was the way that the mafia retaliated against the members of the heist group by targeting their loved ones (I don't know why, but I believed the relationships more in this movie than in most), which just got worse and built up, and their surprise when it drove the them insane. It was also confusing. How long had that guy's family been dead? Was the little girl playing piano a flashback, while she was already dead? Is he living "normally" with his dead family? Or did he kill them himself after being followed by the hitmen had completely unhinged him? Unfortunately, this confusion made my brain engage with it more than with a straightforward narrative. I guess the core of it was that it was a horror movie that somehow drew me in and made me believe it, while I am usually rather detached from them.
posted by SandiBeech at 6:39 PM on September 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Trouble Every Day.
At a certain point in this film, I started to get this loud buzzing in my ears like I was about to faint, and I had to go lie down in the bathroom with my face pressed against the cold tiles until it passed. Also, Vincent Gallo is in it, he's a disturbing dude.
posted by misfish at 6:43 PM on September 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
At a certain point in this film, I started to get this loud buzzing in my ears like I was about to faint, and I had to go lie down in the bathroom with my face pressed against the cold tiles until it passed. Also, Vincent Gallo is in it, he's a disturbing dude.
posted by misfish at 6:43 PM on September 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
It's not a horror film really, but the Australian movie, "Snowtown", is an absolute gut puncher. It's set in a housing commission area in Adelaide and there's a creeping sense of horror as you see this fellow slowly remove his pleasant knockabout persona and absolutely ravage a family and community, all done in the most natural of ways for people who live with a particular mindset. I watched it during the day and had a beer or two and then went out to mow the yard and I felt so totally surrounded by the prospect of suburban madness that it almost overwhelmed me (which gave me a good reason to stop mowing).
I've been wanting to recommend this movie for ages but it's so bleak and terrifying that I couldn't think of anyone I'd want to disturb like that, until now. Thanks for that!
posted by h00py at 6:56 PM on September 1, 2015 [7 favorites]
I've been wanting to recommend this movie for ages but it's so bleak and terrifying that I couldn't think of anyone I'd want to disturb like that, until now. Thanks for that!
posted by h00py at 6:56 PM on September 1, 2015 [7 favorites]
Oh god yeah, Snowtown (I saw it billed as The Snowtown Murders) is just a bleak and scarring experience.
posted by naju at 7:57 PM on September 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by naju at 7:57 PM on September 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Nthing Henry: PoaSK. And it's been a long time since I've seen it (so not sure if it holds up) but I felt this way with Jacob's Ladder as well.
And not traditional horror movies, but easily the two most disturbing movies I've ever seen are Happiness (with Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Gummo.
posted by triggerfinger at 9:31 PM on September 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
And not traditional horror movies, but easily the two most disturbing movies I've ever seen are Happiness (with Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Gummo.
posted by triggerfinger at 9:31 PM on September 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Idz i Patrz! (Come and See!) is a war film, not a horror film, about the invasion of Belarus during WWII.
But in its imagery, it's tone and it's themes, it is completely horrifying. I watched it and thought about it for weeks afterward. Parts of it are like a fever dream.
Also while we're talking about grimly disturbing films, Threads is one of the darkest films I've ever seen. Just intensely bleak.
posted by Happy Dave at 12:29 AM on September 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
But in its imagery, it's tone and it's themes, it is completely horrifying. I watched it and thought about it for weeks afterward. Parts of it are like a fever dream.
Also while we're talking about grimly disturbing films, Threads is one of the darkest films I've ever seen. Just intensely bleak.
posted by Happy Dave at 12:29 AM on September 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
The Fly. Pretty much all of Cronenberg's body horror stuff, really. I've had shitty health issues forever, so the idea of your own flesh turning against you, that's a little too immediate for me. With The Fly in particular, it's so upsetting to watch as this guy's mind rots along with his body. The transformation is corrupting his mind and turning him evil while it also twists his flesh.
I can't believe nobody has said The Thing yet. The creeping paranoia of that movie is something else, the idea that anybody in the room could be a hideous monster in hiding. The abrupt, twisted transformations also make you feel like anything could happen, there's no telling how weird and grotesque it will get. And there's also the idea that you could even be the monster yourself, and not know it yet. Maybe you've been taken over already, but the creature has all of your memories and your personality and the "you" that you think you are is just a monster using you as a disguise.
It's not in wide release yet, but the horror film Bite is supposedly so upsetting that people are literally puking in the theater. Even if that's just from the gore, that must be some gore! (I suppose it's possible it was all a PR stunt. I still won't ever watch that movie.)
posted by Ursula Hitler at 1:28 AM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
I can't believe nobody has said The Thing yet. The creeping paranoia of that movie is something else, the idea that anybody in the room could be a hideous monster in hiding. The abrupt, twisted transformations also make you feel like anything could happen, there's no telling how weird and grotesque it will get. And there's also the idea that you could even be the monster yourself, and not know it yet. Maybe you've been taken over already, but the creature has all of your memories and your personality and the "you" that you think you are is just a monster using you as a disguise.
It's not in wide release yet, but the horror film Bite is supposedly so upsetting that people are literally puking in the theater. Even if that's just from the gore, that must be some gore! (I suppose it's possible it was all a PR stunt. I still won't ever watch that movie.)
posted by Ursula Hitler at 1:28 AM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
I don't know if this is tame by the standards of other contributors but I would nope out of Old Boy (the Korean version) if anyone suggested another viewing. Rather gory, suspenseful, with a truly messed up and disturbing twist ending that stays with you and makes you wish you could scrub your insides clean again.
posted by like_neon at 1:34 AM on September 2, 2015
posted by like_neon at 1:34 AM on September 2, 2015
I've recently seen The Witch and it was pretty bloody scary.
posted by RubyScarlet at 1:57 AM on September 2, 2015
posted by RubyScarlet at 1:57 AM on September 2, 2015
The Exorcist. The soundtrack alone scares the hell out of me.
posted by persona au gratin at 3:38 AM on September 2, 2015
posted by persona au gratin at 3:38 AM on September 2, 2015
i will be lazy and just make a big list so you can look up unknowns. maybe i am easily unsettled!
tale of two sisters
dumplings
the orphanage
the collector / the collection
frailty
inside
mama
the returned
the woman
pontypool
the girl next door
the signal (2014)
them
the caller (THIS ONE FREAKED ME OUT HARD)
the seasoning house
oculus
dark water
v/h/s v/h/s/2 v/h/s: viral
posted by quiteliterally at 3:45 AM on September 2, 2015
tale of two sisters
dumplings
the orphanage
the collector / the collection
frailty
inside
mama
the returned
the woman
pontypool
the girl next door
the signal (2014)
them
the caller (THIS ONE FREAKED ME OUT HARD)
the seasoning house
oculus
dark water
v/h/s v/h/s/2 v/h/s: viral
posted by quiteliterally at 3:45 AM on September 2, 2015
Men Behind the Sun
I find it disturbing because it's based on real experiments performed on human beings at Unit 731 during WWII.
posted by i feel possessed at 4:17 AM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
I find it disturbing because it's based on real experiments performed on human beings at Unit 731 during WWII.
posted by i feel possessed at 4:17 AM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Begotten.
posted by gucci mane at 4:17 AM on September 2, 2015
posted by gucci mane at 4:17 AM on September 2, 2015
The Tenant is considered more of a psychological thriller than pure horror, but I found it deeply disturbing. Why? I wish I could tell you but I've mentally blocked the entire movie.
posted by Room 641-A at 7:03 AM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Room 641-A at 7:03 AM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
One I haven't seen on here yet: The Sacrament. I wouldn't necessarily call it a "horror movie" but it's one of the very few films I will never watch again. The disturbingness springs from knowing that the events depicted actually occurred at Jonestown, and seeing that happening is one of the worst film-watching experiences I've ever had. The actor who plays the Jim Jones character is amazing as well.
posted by altopower at 7:17 AM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by altopower at 7:17 AM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Cannibal Holocaust and Old Boy are disturbing because actual live animal mutilation and death occurs in each—a large river turtle in the former, an octopus in the latter. I saw CH without realizing it had that scene, but I will never watch Old Boy. Ripping apart an intelligent creature with your teeth to show a fictional character's emotional turmoil is disgusting and immoral.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 7:49 AM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 7:49 AM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
I thought It Follows was amazingly suspenseful and disturbing. It stayed with me for days (no pun intended).
posted by cowboy_sally at 9:04 AM on September 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by cowboy_sally at 9:04 AM on September 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
I found Dead Girl really disturbing. Extremely disgusting too.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 10:02 AM on September 2, 2015
posted by kinddieserzeit at 10:02 AM on September 2, 2015
There's 'disturbing' and then there's 'disgusting'. I have no interest in 'disgusting', so I'll likely never see movies like August Underground and Aftermath and Human Centipede.
But 'disturbing' can be good.
Deadgirl started off with some potential but then it kind of shifted and became highly derivative of the movie Heathers.
I thought that A Serbian Film kinda went for cheap shocks - but, yeah, disturbing. Especially the last couple of minutes.
Irreversible scored high on 'disturbing'. If you like it, you may also want to check out Noe's Into The Void.
I never understood all the fuss about Begotten. It was pretentious and didn't make a whole lot of sense, which might have been disturbing if I'd paid money to see it.
Despite a weak and somewhat predictable ending, Man Bites Dog is really good. I'd recommend the un-cut version.
Martyrs is in a class by itself. I don't want to ruin anyone's appreciation of the film, but - if you're watching it and not getting into it, know that it changes unexpectedly about half-way in.
I thought Hostel was quite good, and (shock!) the sequel Hostel 2 expanded on some of the background of the first movie and was at least as good as the original.
The Descent was pretty intense.
The Divide got to be pretty difficult viewing after awhile. A highly "effective" portrayal of people slowly, excruciatingly losing their humanity.
The Collection is a sequel to The Collector, but the sequel is pretty good as a standalone. If you watch this, it'll be awhile before you drop some E and head out for some clubbing.
Eraserhead.
posted by doctor tough love at 2:28 PM on September 2, 2015
But 'disturbing' can be good.
Deadgirl started off with some potential but then it kind of shifted and became highly derivative of the movie Heathers.
I thought that A Serbian Film kinda went for cheap shocks - but, yeah, disturbing. Especially the last couple of minutes.
Irreversible scored high on 'disturbing'. If you like it, you may also want to check out Noe's Into The Void.
I never understood all the fuss about Begotten. It was pretentious and didn't make a whole lot of sense, which might have been disturbing if I'd paid money to see it.
Despite a weak and somewhat predictable ending, Man Bites Dog is really good. I'd recommend the un-cut version.
Martyrs is in a class by itself. I don't want to ruin anyone's appreciation of the film, but - if you're watching it and not getting into it, know that it changes unexpectedly about half-way in.
I thought Hostel was quite good, and (shock!) the sequel Hostel 2 expanded on some of the background of the first movie and was at least as good as the original.
The Descent was pretty intense.
The Divide got to be pretty difficult viewing after awhile. A highly "effective" portrayal of people slowly, excruciatingly losing their humanity.
The Collection is a sequel to The Collector, but the sequel is pretty good as a standalone. If you watch this, it'll be awhile before you drop some E and head out for some clubbing.
Eraserhead.
posted by doctor tough love at 2:28 PM on September 2, 2015
Last House on Dead End Street really is a great suggestion. It's one of the more incompetent (maybe the most so) movies on this list, and the ineptness makes it all the more effective.
posted by tremspeed at 3:22 PM on September 2, 2015
posted by tremspeed at 3:22 PM on September 2, 2015
Audition. You might mistake the first 1/3rd of the movie for a romantic comedy.
posted by benzenedream at 10:53 PM on September 2, 2015
posted by benzenedream at 10:53 PM on September 2, 2015
The people I know who can watch such things all say A Serbian Film or Martyrs. I can't watch either based on descriptions alone and my partner won't stay in the room until people stop talking about them.
My answer is usually Mike Myers' The Cat in the Hat.
posted by thetortoise at 3:49 AM on September 3, 2015
My answer is usually Mike Myers' The Cat in the Hat.
posted by thetortoise at 3:49 AM on September 3, 2015
Marjane Satrapi's The Voices made a far bigger impression on me than I expected. It was billed as a black comedy, but I'd say it's far more black and less comedy. It may be somewhat tamer than other films on this list, but it left me with a feeling of unease that stayed with me for days after.
posted by Gordafarin at 5:59 AM on September 3, 2015
posted by Gordafarin at 5:59 AM on September 3, 2015
My two suggestions aren't horror films, and they are both seemingly understated and mundane.
The Witchfinder General d. Michael Reeves 1968 for that opening sequence (on imdb as The Conquering Worm.)
Songs From the Second Floor d. Roy Andersson. Both of them have kind of a slow burn after you've had time to realise what you've been seeing.
posted by glasseyes at 10:03 AM on September 3, 2015
The Witchfinder General d. Michael Reeves 1968 for that opening sequence (on imdb as The Conquering Worm.)
Songs From the Second Floor d. Roy Andersson. Both of them have kind of a slow burn after you've had time to realise what you've been seeing.
posted by glasseyes at 10:03 AM on September 3, 2015
Unintentionally horror movies might fit here, or movies not billed as horror.
The Secret of NIMH, Willy Wonka, etc.
posted by talldean at 5:26 PM on September 4, 2015
The Secret of NIMH, Willy Wonka, etc.
posted by talldean at 5:26 PM on September 4, 2015
Dead Ringers
Martin
(during a showing of Dead Ringers at my college in the early 90's, they had to stop the film twice; first because someone had an epileptic fit, and then 30 minutes later a girl in the row behind me passed out and slumped forward onto my seat. The psychological tension in the theater audience was palpable and very, very intense)
posted by Auden at 7:38 AM on September 5, 2015
Martin
(during a showing of Dead Ringers at my college in the early 90's, they had to stop the film twice; first because someone had an epileptic fit, and then 30 minutes later a girl in the row behind me passed out and slumped forward onto my seat. The psychological tension in the theater audience was palpable and very, very intense)
posted by Auden at 7:38 AM on September 5, 2015
Found. It's horrifying, but at the same time is a good coming-of-age story. But I'm not watching it again.
posted by ScarletSpectrum at 8:36 AM on September 5, 2015
posted by ScarletSpectrum at 8:36 AM on September 5, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by cakelite at 2:14 PM on September 1, 2015