The 18 most disturbing movies of all time
As Oldboy marks its 20th anniversary, we rank the films that shocked the world, from the merely violent (Funny Games) to the truly depraved (Cannibal Holocaust)
Film Features The Human Centipede 2
In 1983, horror movie maestro David Cronenberg was asked why movie audiences like scary films. His answer was that “most people would prefer to [confront their fears] in a metaphorical way, in a controlled way. They like to go into a dark theatre and confront their own demons and then have the lights come up and be able to walk out afterwards.” That’s as good an answer as any, although we could add that scary, horrific, and disturbing films are emotionally stimulating—even if those emotions are negative—and they allow us to experience terrifying events that would never happen in real life (at least we hope not). But there are some films that are simply so disturbing that one wonders what the psychological or even entertainment benefit could possibly be. The answer is that, well, we like them and that’s reason enough.
The history of film is replete with movies that are considering disturbing, a word that’s normally pretty subjective, but when you check out our ranking of the 18 most disturbing films of all time, you’ll have to agree that movies dealing with rape (Irreversible), torture (Audition), and sadomasochism (Salo, Or The 120 Days Of Sodom) can be too difficult to watch. So while you may not want to binge these films, they’re all so good at making us cringe, scream, or watch between spread fingers, that you have to tip a bloody cap to them.
174 Comments
The Last House On The Left? It’s hilariously stupid. Speed Racer is more disturbing.
Wow, you’re so cool.
Thanks. You’re a good egg.
This site has done this list before, although I thought I rememered Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer on here. Edited – never mind, my browser skipped it.Ah, Salo. I agree with John Waters in that it’s either an art film trying to be exploitation or an exploitation film that wants to be an art film. It’s really slow in parts but it’s also beautifully filmed and done: not the work of an exploitation film maker. It’s definitely it’s own beast.Also, I think Ichi the Killer is more disturbing than Audition, but that’s just me I guess. I’m glad that Serbian film and those crappy SOV fake snuffs from the early ‘00s are not on here.
Im surprised they didn’t include the Seltzer & Friedberg parody, also called A Serbian Film.
I kept waiting for Serbian Film to pop up. I only read a detailed summary of that and it messed me up. No way would I watch it.
I think something like A Serbian Film goes too far into “oh come ON!” territory. Empty misery porn. ETA: And yeah, I think last time a similar list was good movies we never need to see again, but it actually included a few that I would revisit like The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover.
Yes, Ichi the Killer!
What the hell is an Old boy??
not much, what’s Old boy with you?
Nothing much. Just plotting my revenge, but first I need to get out of this apartment!
And then….lunch!
I think it’s like the idiomatic term of endearment “old boy,” which is what friends at the school the principles all attend called themselves. I THINK?
You know the actor from “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” “Sid & Nancy,” and “Darkest Hour?” That was his name as a kid.
Boooooo
It’s a term originally used by alumni of English “public” schools (which are private because reasons) like Eton. Much like with American college fraternities the idea is you are supposed to help your fellow alumni out even in later life.
Oldboy is the only movie on this list I’ve seen.
Same… except my wife and I did watch ‘Last House on the Left’ one night, I think. I don’t really remember it, though, so maybe we just talked about watching it and never did.
Martyrs really stuck with me. I had to watch the last 20 minutes on 1.5 speed, it was an extraordinarily uncomfortable viewing experience.
I watched it on a small portable dvd player in a hotel room with all the lights on. And it still freaked me out for days. It’s an incredible movie. Not for everyone, but an amazing experience. I’m so glad I saw it without too many spoilers.
As someone with no stomach for gore or violence, I may not be entirely qualified to comment, but The Passion of Joan of Arc pierced deeply into my soul and left me unsettled for days afterwards.
No Passion of the Christ? At the time I remember a bunch of 13-14 year old Jesus-bopper girls saying it was the greatest thing they’d ever seen, which I thought was pretty disturbing. (Although it explains a lot about them now a days.)
Different people will process that movie in different ways. To me it was a grueling exploration of what Christ suffered leading up to his crucifixion, but there were moments so over the top and/or on the nose that it broke the suspension of disbelief periodically. (The antisemitic tropes that were used didn’t help matters, either.) I’ve never had a desire to revisit it.Christians calling it the greatest movie EVAR and recounting the number of times they’ve watched are, to me, missing the point even more so than the people calling it the most horrifying torture porn ever made.
Nonsense. Christians calling it the greatest movie ever are getting the point. Masterfully so.
When I saw the movie in its first run, a very young child started crying from somewhere in the audience. I don’t think I could ever forgive that child’s parents. I could barely forgive the person who insisted I accompany them to the film.
*Paul Harvey voice*And that young woman grew up to be… Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Serbian Film seems like an intentional snub here
Agreed. No way they aren’t aware of it. And that’s fine with me.
Because it’s trash. Nothing in that film can be read or taken away from. It’s pointless trash for the sake of it. Every film on this list is at least attempting to say or do something. A Serbian Film is just “hey what if we kill kids on camera lololol”. It’s the 4chan version of an edgy exploitation film.
I never expected to defend that film but I disagree that its purposefully gratuitous transgressiveness was as flippant as you characterize it. If nothing else, and I will grant that it doesn’t present a bottomless reservoir of social commentary, the film was competently directed, shot and edited, and it certainly warrants the label ‘disturbing,’ which is all this fluff piece purports to list. I watched Eden Lake last night and it was pretty disturbing but nothing on the level of Serbian.
Then they should have titled the article “18 Most Disturbing Movies (That Have A Meaning!) Of All Time.
“Nothing in that film can be read or taken away from.”
You might consider reading a review that deals with the history of Serbia, because there is a LOT to take away from that very, very disturbing movie.
But hey, pretend you know all about something you’re completely ignorant about, it’s the American way/
I’m of the humble and not unique opinion that it’s hard to read into it. It’s a casually cruel and twisted movie that does not try to have any depth. When I heard what the authors said it was supposed to stand for, I could not imagine how the audience is supposed to arrive at that interpretation.
I’ve defended it as far (further, in fact) as I am comfortable doing lol… all I can say is if they included Human Centipede, they could have included Serbian.
Fair. Both are movies that I hate, but centipede seems to have a twisted z movie awareness that does not redeem it but makes the idea of it bearable.
I disagree that the movie is ‘hard to read into’.
Even if you know nothing about the political situation in Serbia, Vukmir’s speech all but spells out the main themes of the movie. The fact that people from privileged countries pay to see movies of suffering from places stricken with tragedy in order to feel something in their lives that have gotten too comfortable. As such, all these emotionally fake ‘uplifting’ movies about wars come across as nothing but pandering real-life tragedy for profit and A Serbian Film on a meta level holds itself up as an example of such a movie.
Serbia, in fact, had a wave of such films in the 90s: Underground, Wounds, Pretty Village Pretty Flame and so on… and these kind of movies are what A Serbian Film (notice the title!) is mercilessly criticising.
That’s a valid point that I respect but can’t back up. The choice of ghastly torture inflicted upon, among others, newborns, is so out there, that I always question if they had to go so far to get that point across. Because to me, the outrageous acts of violence that’s are committed, along with the over the top and bad acting, makes the movie impossible to read as anything other than exploitative trash. However, having said that I’m not denying any further reading and the fact that we are having this discussion forces me to acknowledge that the movie can invite nuanced interpretation. I also do not take a puritanical stance on portrayals of violence, oldboy is a favorite movie of mine, that has some choices that can be hard to accept.
“I could not imagine how the audience is supposed to arrive at that interpretation.”
Your lack of imagination is not the error of the filmmakers.
Ichi the Killer and Man Bites Dog also feel like snubs. Two movies I will never watch again.
I had a mini-panic attack watching Bone Tomahawk.
God that movie is incredible and I’ll need at least a decade before I ever watch it again
then you’ll love Brawl in Cell Block 99. I got to learn what “degloved” means.
I learned that from watching gerard’s game.
Learned about degloving from Jimmy Fallon. 🙂
https://www.cnet.com/science/ring-avulsion-happens-to-people-other-than-jimmy-fallon-and-its-horrifying/
If that movie disturbed stay far away from these films. Bone Tomahawk is kids play compared to most of the films listed here.
What a movie.
Last house on the left is the only one’s of these I have seen and I never want to see it again. I love horror, love it but man most of these are movies I know to stay away from.
It’s rough. Just seems too real. The low budget and 70s feel make it that much harder to get through. Probably the most disturbing for me of all these.
I was sick to my stomach as it did real to real and felt to close to the Manson family shit. Yeah, I couldn’t even watch the remake (and didn’t want to). Just makes you feel dirty watching it. Old boy was ruined for me as I heard the ending before I had a chance to watch it.
The hardest part for me was the rape. This was the first time I saw a violent assault like that in a movie. I love horror too but now avoid anything with rape.
One of the worst rape scenes I’ve ever seen is in Hitchcock’s Frenzy. Holy sh*t, the rapist doing his evil while his victim recites the 91st Psalm (until he kills her). I had never cried during a Hitch film before. He could be a sadistic bastard sometimes.
The low budget and 70s feel make it that much harder to get through. Absolutely – that level of production value puts me in mind of documentaries. It’s why Last House and the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre bothered me so much. Not even intentionally, probably, but those movies just look too damn real for me.
I’ve seen a handful of them and yeah, the unifying theme is that while seeing something like Henry probably contributes to my personal history with and knowledge of film in some way, I have no interest in ever revisiting it. Obviously many of these are straight horror, but that movie is the ultimate example of “the banality of evil.”
Yeah when I saw the scene in Henry where they are rewatching a killing on tape (during a horror countdownn) I said hard pass for me. Old boy is one I wanted to see but a horror countdown ruined the end for me and I felt like I should pass on it then. It’s funny a movie like Texas Chainsaw Masscare I can see the beauty in the actual filming and direction of it but not stuff like these.
That’s what’s so rough about the movie as a whole. They just randomly pick victims to attack as a means of venting their frustrations in life. The scene you mention is a great example – broke into a house, beat the shit out of the husband and raped his wife in front of him, their kid comes home and sees what’s happening and they grab him too before he can escape. All this in a just a normal living room.
I do not want to see most of these, but I thought Henry was a very good movie.
I figured it is but I think it would get under my skin.
I enjoy horror, but I’m with you – the level on here is a bit too much for me. That said, amongst the films listed – I would recommend Old Boy, and agree with the writer on it’s “masterpiece status.” Highly recommend.
Shit list for newbs.
How is Tom Green’s magnum opus not on here?
Good choice!
Disturbingly hilarious!
There is zero point to these kind of movies. They’re not ”art.” It’s just fucked up.
Not everyone is so delicate. Old Boy, in particular, is a phenomenal movie.
You’ve never seen the majority of them. Baby.
Art can be fucked up because life can be fucked up. The point of it is catharsis. Fucked up art will always be made and consumed because we’re anxious and neurotic creatures who either experience or worry about horrible things happening. As long as there isn’t real misery inflicted upon people or animals, then it’s much less of an issue than, y’know, actual miserable acts.
Yeah. Not buying it.
Do some reading into the history of the horror film and you’ll understand. There are oodles of academic essays speaking to the value of films like these. Transgression serves a very real purpose when done correctly. Just because you’re too dense to get it doesn’t make it not true.
Well, enjoy the saved money I guess.
Hay no problemo. There’s plenty of Steven Seagal movies waiting for ya, buddy.
Then by all mean, please fuck off and kill yourself.
If that were true they wouldn’t exist nor have an audience for them.Move along.
Life is fucked up. If reality troubles you then stick with Disney.
Not an argument.
If reality doesn’t trouble you, then you might be fucked up.
Oh yes, no point to famously anti-war movie Come And See. And there’s no point at all at showing the horrors of institutionalisation in Titicut Follies. No point at all.
“They’re not ”art.””
Yes they are, fuck you for thinking your opinion is the only one.
Pink Flamingos should be in here. The chicken and the dog doody are as disturbing as anything out there, and it was all done for real.
The chicken scene was not “for real”. It was staged. (You bet your ass that’s the first thing I looked up after watching it.) The turd though . . . .
Sex was staged but the animal abuse was real. The chicken was killed during filming. John has experssed regret over it. They did eat it at least.
i’ll definitely be reading the wikipedia recap for all these
Check out Big Will on YouTube. He does hilarious recaps of all these and more.
i will not be checking anyone out on youtube, thanks
Alright… your loss..
I have seen none of these. I think I’ll keep it that way.
Have you seen ICHI THE KILLER? Both disturbing and hilarious.
The only two I’ve seen on this list is Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer and Audition. That’s enough for me, thank you very much.
Old Boy is disturbing, but it’s so god damn good it’s worth watching at least once
To this day, the Scott Tobias uses that image from Audition as his avatar on social media dating clear back to when he covered it in his New Cult Canon on this site in the good old days
Came here looking for David Lynch’s “Eraserhead”, but was sadly disappointed. Such a disturbing mind-fuck of a film.
Oldboy is an amazing film, but it isn’t the most disturbing of the Vengeance Trilogy. Oldboy is a gut punch, but Lady Vengeance will rip your guts out. And a Japanese movie called Visitor Q is another one that definitely belongs on this list.
Audition is one of my all-time favorite movies. It’s the only film I can think of where the tragic backstory makes the villain more terrifying as opposed to more sympathetic.
The best part is how even-handed the first half is, playing it like a straight romantic comedy and not betraying that it’s a horror film until just the right moment. I feel like a lot of directors would be too excited about the horror part and would flub the romantic comedy part. Shows what a master Miike truly is.
This seems like one of a small group of movies that were sort of “made for an audience that does not actually exist”. I haven’t seen it so I’m curious: is the first half really made as if it is not a horror movie, and more to the point, has anyone ever accidentally seen it because they thought it was a romcom? My other example is The Truman Show, which is made as if what’s happening is a mystery to the audience, but in reality everyone knows the deal going in — and I mean on first release, they weren’t cagey about it at all.
Audition kind of falls in that category, yeah. All the trailers spoil that Asami is insane, and the DVD cover gives away the ending. And the first sign that she’s a killer is given away by the end of the first act.
But still, Miike plays the romantic comedy aspect completely straight in all the scenes that require it. If you watched them in a vacuum without knowing what the movie is about, you wouldn’t think twice. Like the Truman Show, the audience is let in on something the main character doesn’t know.
“This seems like one of a small group of movies that were sort of “made for an audience that does not actually exist”.
Just because a movie isn’t made specifically for your tastes does not mean that an audience doesn’t exist.
Stop being a child and maybe try to understand that different people like different things.
playing it like a straight romantic comedy and not betraying that it’s a horror film until just the right momentI wish that were true. The biggest flaw of the film for me was the creepy cutaways that give the game away. I think it did need something to give a slight sense of unease, but it’s way too blatant.
I saw Patton Oswalt workshopping a bit about Audition a few times, back when it came out. The premise was “ever watch an insipid romcom and wish someone would stab the lead in the eyes with needles? Be careful what you wish for.”
A Serbian Film?I’ve never seen it but I know weirdo’s that are into disturbing shit films and they all say A Serbian Film was sickening.
No mention of Hostel? That’s the one that made me ill. No fake monsters there, just real sickos in a story that just could happen.
Human Centipede II: Full Sequence is far more disturbing than the first movie. The first movie is extremely tame by comparison. I’m surprised that The House That Jack Built isn’t on here, too.Personally I’ve always found Tusk to be insanely disturbing, but I understand it might not live up to these rankings for most people.
Not only horror movies can be disturbing, Neil Labute’s The Shape of Things was a good movie, I don’t think I would want to watch it again though.
Not sure that they fit this list*, but possibly add Possession (1981) and Eraserhead (1977).*I find a couple of these films not so much disturbing as just plain gross.[edit] Though “just plain gross” would still fit under disturbing I guess.
Andrzej Żuławski’s Possession is so underrated and should definitly be on this list. It works on so many levels beyond just “shock”
Isabelle Adjani declined her Best Actress win at Cannes for the film, saying it should never be released and was “psychological pornography”…enough said?
The beach scene in Under The Skin left me so disturbed while Scar Jo watched on as the family drowned. It made you feel so helpless.
The baby left crying on the beach, fucked me up for days…
Ahh, the bi-annual “Most disturbing” list by AV Club. It seems they came across some new ones to add, thus cutting out some of the more obvious ones. Kudos, AV Club. What will you ‘uncover’ in the next six months for the next iteration?
So this is a Horror list, because a disturbing movie list without “A Clockwork Orange” is a very incomplete list.
Honestly “A Clockwork Orange” is pretty tame compared to most of these. I think this list is meant to rate magnitude of on-screen provocation. “Clockwork,” while a masterpiece, is fairly allusional; it doesn’t actually show a lot of the violence, or the graphic outcome.
Compared to the list presented, A Clockwork Orange is Bambi.
The first Saw is pretty disturbing, and captured the horrified imaginations of the whole world basically.One of Hereditary/Midsommer could be on here.
No love for Thriller: A Cruel Picture?
I just had to say hi to anyone who brings this movie up. Got this movie 20 years ago from some weirdo selling DVDs in Chicago on Division 20 years ago.
I knew about it through listening to Quentin Tarintino talk about inspirations behind “Kill Bill.” It’s not a film I recommend to people unless you are into pretty depressing stuff or rape-revenge flicks, but the last third of the movie is all “revenge” and pretty cool.
Surprised not to see Melancholie der Engel on this list
It seems like a total miss that Gasper Noe’s film “I Stand Alone” isn’t also on here. It’s an amazing and brutal movie that definitely leaves a mark. There aren’t a lot of movies that make you realize that the “happier ending” is the one where the main character has sex with his daughter. (The movie has 2 endings).Also, the documentary “Animal Love” by Ulrich Seidl. Jeeeez.
About ten years ago I decided to check out films which I’d avoided because I’d heard they were so disturbing, including Salo, Eden Lake, I Saw The Devil and Last House and a few others on this list, and it basically broke my brain. After Salo I couldn’t watch one second more of such films and it put me off conventional horror as well, to the extent that for about a month all I watched were Pixar / Disney / Dreamworks animation. Even now I don’t have the fondness for horror that I once did, I seem to be okay with films with a supernatural aspect (so enjoyed Talk To Me, but hated The Lodge), I thought I was made of sterner stuff but it’s become very apparent that isn’t the case.
If you think Salo is a ‘horror film’, there’s clearly something wrong with you.
I mean, there clearly is something wrong with me, and the therapists I’ve met haven’t really been able to give me any long term help, but all I remember of Salo was that it was vicious, cruel and sadistic movie, where those in positions of power made the lives of their victims unbearable, so if that’s not a horror film what would you say it is? (This is a genuine question by the way, because even though it explores a lot of others ideas, to me it still falls under the horror genre).
some films I’ve never heard of on here. Eden Lake, Come and See and Titicut Follies, Frontier(s) and Inside are all new to me. The others tend to be well represented on these lists. I have only seen Oldboy and Antichrist myself. oh wait, I have Possessor confused with Possession 1981. I’ve not heard of it either. Will look up . . .or not. . .
Eh, these are nothing. Try to get through the Futurama episode about Fry’s dog…I dare you.
damn you…. damn you to hell…
See, now I’m crying.
Guinea Pig: Flowers of Flesh and Blood is infamous. It deserves a place of honor on this list.
“isn’t an enjoyable experience”…feels like it could sum up most of these (bar Old Boy, which is fucking amazing). And so, I’ll give them a miss, thanks. Especially the animal killing ones (which includes Haneke).
Most disturbing movie I’ve ever seen in theaters was Gaspar Noe’s Climax a couple of years back. Really engrossing dance scenes, but when that punch is spiked all fucking hell breaks loose.
No love for E. Elias Merhige’s “Begotten”?
The film itself just looks like it’s falling apart before your eyes and it’s a pretty quick watch!
It’s quite interesting you’re mentioning the “hammer meets a penis” scene of Antichrist and not the “scissors meet a clitoris” one, which is way nastier imho.
To be fair, both are truly horrifying. But yes… the latter was worse.
As far as real life horror, Gladiator Days starts out with a stomach turning video showing a guy being stabbed 67 times (not shown in this clip). It’s kind of a snuff film. That scene might’ve been removed since I saw it.
There’s also a movie called The Bridge, where they set up long range cameras on the Golden Gate Bridge, and just wait for people to jump off.
I also found Gummo really disturbing.
I’ve gotta hand it to AVC: Titicut Follies is an inspired number one. Undoubtedly one of the most upsetting movies ever made. Saw it at a rep screening years ago, knowing only that it was a Frederick Wiseman film, and, uhhh… Jesus Christ. Pretty fucked up!
I admit, I had no idea what was coming up as their #1. I assumed it would be something like A Serbian Film, or Hostel or some stupid torture-porn dreck. I’ve seen a decent number of the films on the list (most, in fact) but had never even heard of Titicut Follies… to be honest, not sure I even want to find out any more. A film of real people abusing actual mentally ill patients just isn’t something that I feel I need to see. For any reason.
Without saying anything that happens, it’s a mixture of treatment, the banality of dysfunctional bureaucracy, and the incredibly restrained filmmaking that Wiseman is known for. You don’t forget any part of it.
On the one hand, I’m sorely disappointed A Serbian Film isn’t on the list. On the other, no one should be tempted to ever watch that movie.
Good list. And yes, as others note, how can “A Serbian Film” not make an appearance? I wanted to gouge my eyes out after that one. As for Von Trier, yes “Antichrist” is fucked up, but I thought “The House That Jack Built” was vulgar – just Von Trier using the serial killer genre to jerk himself off with. The whole sequence with the lady and her sons was too much.
I’ve seen most of these movies, including the top ones, but I think the most disturbing movie I’ve ever seen is “Happiness.” It’s not disturbing in a gross out kind of way, it’s not a particularly graphic, nor violent movie, but the subject matter and how they portray it is disturbing in the truest sense of the word. That movie left me with an icky feeling that no kind of visual effect has ever given me.
Happiness was the first movie that came to mind for me, as well. And honestly, I think it’s a great movie (the cast is amazing), just one that I don’t need to rewatch too often.That opening scene with John Lovitz and Jane Adams does a great job setting the tone for the movie: uncomfortable, heartbreaking, and then triumphant in a way that makes your skin crawl.
Not on the list and not a “horror movie”, but I remain haunted by Hard Candy and just thinking about it fucks me up all over again. Some people find it cathartic but I just find it horrifying and entirely disturbing.
I’m a big fan of these kind of films. I’ve seen 15 out of the 18, would strongly recommend 14 of them (HUMAN CENTIPEDE is really pretty awful) own 9 on physical media and would consider two and maybe three some of the top 100 greatest films of all time. The ones I think are really conspicuously absent are the Jacopetti and Prosperi semi-documentaries: Mondo Cane, Africa Addido, Farewell Uncle Tom etc. They are PROFOUNDLY immoral and EXTREMELY DISTURBING, but also gorgeously made. It seems most people have completely forgotten about them.
Requiem for Dream is quite disturbing to watch. I struggled to get through it, not because of excessive gore as in a horror movie, but to the was that addiction broke the four main characters. The most difficult was seeing Ellen Burstyn given electroshock therapy. I wanted to stop watching at that point.
I remember watching Requiem in the cinema and when the lights came back on I felt great pain as my body released out of the clench that it had been in for the final 20 minutes of the film. The first time I re-watched it, that same body response was there. It’s a brilliant, but painfully visceral, film. Everyone in the cast is phenomenally good. Say what you want about Aronofsky now, but that was pure excellence start to finish.
“Say what you want about Aronofsky now”I’m not sure what this means – maybe I’m misreading what you’re saying here? His later/recent films probably aren’t as good as Pi or Requiem, but he continues to be a talented, interesting, challenging filmmaker. It’s not like he turned into Brett Ratner.
Agreed, and as a perv I will admit to enjoying Julia Roberts and the SFX wiz who gave her boobies in Erin Brokovich, but Ellen Burtsyn absolutely slayed in Requiem For A Dream. Burtsyn is one of those “good-but-never-great” actors who just happened to get a role Roberts would run away from and just occupied the character. It’s a mesmerizing performance.
And it wasn’t even close to being close of a match. But Requiem is way too raw and real for the typical Academy Awards voter. Pity that.
This!
Oldboy, Henry, and Irreversible are the only three I’ve seen on this list, and while the first was a great story of misguided revenge, the last was maybe my worst movie experience ever. Starting out with five minutes of goofy rotating camerawork and droning music was literally sickening, and then having the villain get away with it was too, too much. Yes—very artistic! Yes—piss off for anyone who convinced me to watch it. Just a hateful, hateful movie.
(“Oh, but you just didnd’t UNDERSTAND it!”)
Yeah, piss off.
In the Realm of Senses, should be at least an honorable mention just for the audacity
Dang, I scored 13/18. Most of the one’s I’ve not seen I’ve also not heard of. Aside from Human Centipede which I always thought looked and sounded stupid, so I never bothered.Hey at least I was reminded of “Inside”. I remembered the movie but could not for the life of me recall the name.
I really hated Inside because, despite some great camerawork, it just struck me as an empty-headed slasher movie. I can only guess it gets its reputation from a) being French, b) it’s admittedly disturbing premise and c) its XTREEEEEM!!! gore. Otherwise it’s just another one of those horror movies where the characters act like idiots because otherwise the running time would be less than feature length. (The movie is barely over 80 minutes.)
Only seen Oldboy, Antichrist, and Come and See. No interest in the rest of them.
No Requiem For A Dream? No Man Bites Dog? No A Serbian Film? Is Human Centipede all that more disturbing than the extra-sick Human Centipede: Full Sequence?
I accurated predicted 12 out of 18 movies that made the cut. Did Mr. Newby not understand the assignment beyond namechecking the usual suspects?
The Poughkeepsie Tapes is a glaring omission here, but a good list nonetheless.
Apostle (2018 Netflix)) should be here. Holy sh*t, I can’t believe I sat through that. Evans has barely made anything noteworthy, but that was memorable (and very cinematic). Also some disgustingly literal torture porn.I think The Witch deserves an honorable mention too. Missing was pretty disturbing, imo, but maybe not enough for others. Also Joe, with Nic Cage. The casual violence could send one into an existential funk.
rampage not being on here is a mistake
The curb stomp scene from American History X disturbed me for days.And the entire movie Kids.
Yes, Funny Games. Glad to see it on here because it’s fucked up. Also District 9 belongs.
Gummo and Happiness could be on here as well. While not as graphically violent as the other mentions, the banality of horrifying things depicted effectively kept me from checking out anything else from those directors.
I’ve seen a few on this list, but no movie has disturbed me more than Compliance. Everything from the antagonist’s MO to the other characters’ willingness sickened me so much.
How is A Serbian Film not on here. That film is #1 by a mile.
A glaring omission is Alice (1988), the stop-motion animated film using decomposing, maggot infested skeletal animals as the cast by Jan Svankmajer. Definitely one of the more disturbing things I’ve ever seen.
One of the most disturbing films I’ve ever seen is a little-known one called SEEKING WELLNESS: SUFFERING IN FOUR MOVEMENTS. It’s just a series of vignettes on human suffering:First one has masked perpetrators massacring the patients of a burn ward; the whole thing is seen through security camera footage.Second story has a divorced dad who’s clearly mentally unbalanced spending Christmas with his kids. It’s sad and pathetic to watch, up until Dad pulls out a gun and then it puts you in a vice grip. I had to look away, it’s that horrible.Third story has a depressed guy who’s given up on life wanting to give himself cancer and die; the end result is haunting.Fourth vignette is set at a college lecture and it’s really just a continuation of the third.It’s been a while since I’ve seen it, so I’m probably misremembering details. What I do remember is feeling very, very uncomfortable watching it. The low budget and lack of polish just makes it seem all the more real.I’m actually just sharing it here because I really want to know if someone else has seen it.
Only 21 people on Letterboxd have.
So, no one?
This is a list that is hard to beat, and I am not eager to complete this list (even harder, the older I get).
I think there might be a place here for A Serbian Film, someplace.
A friend of mine would put Requiem for a Dream on the list, but I just found it depressing. IMHO you gotta have Never Let Me Go on a list like this.
No ‘A Serbian Film’, no list.
There were some “disturbing movie iceberg” charts going around a few years ago that went well beyond this stuff.
This seems like a landmine listicle more so than a lot of others, because boy are masofilm buffs loud.
The House That Jack Built deserves a seat here.