The 15 Most Disturbing Movies Ever Made
We recently took a look at the 10 most disturbing books of all time, and it seemed natural enough to do a movies counterpart. We here at PopCrunch completely regret this decision. While there are certainly some depressingly disturbing books, there’s just something so much more visceral about seeing something grotesque on screen. As we researched this topic we realized that there’s an endless supply of torture porn and sick movies out there; this list could have easily been a top 50. Instead we’ve kept it to 15, with selections from different disturbing “genres” if you will. You’ll have your obvious torture filled movies on the list, but we also have movies that run the gamut of weirdness, from suburban twistedness to mainstream psychological horror that just happened to be really well done. We normally finish the openers to these by saying that we hope you enjoy the list, but that doesn’t seem appropriate here. You’d almost certainly be a better person to not watch all of these selections.
(**Spoiler Note** Although most of these films are old, we’ve still done our best to avoid spoilers that would ruin the plots of any of the movies listed. The ones that have plots to ruin at least.)
15. Threads
Threads actually wasn’t a feature film. It was a BBC mini-series that aired in 1984 that detailed in excruciating detail the after effects of a nuclear war between the United States and Russia that escalated to include the UK. The movie follows two families as they all basically die for various reasons (medical, economic, etc.) in the months and years following the attack, culminating in the devastating conclusion that showed a UK with a completely broken civilization where kids can’t even read just thirteen years after the bombs dropped.
Re-reading the above paragraph I realize my words really aren’t doing justice to how incredibly bleak Threads is, you really need to watch the movie to get the full effect. Luckily, (or not depending on how you want to look at it) the full film is on Google Video.
14. Requiem For A Dream
The book version of Requiem was included in our disturbing books roundup, but the movie might be the rare adaptation that actually packs a more devastating punch. The film had top notch talent involved, from director Darren Aronofsky to actors Ellen Burstyn, and Jennifer Connelly, and that’s not even mentioning the beautiful, haunting score penned by Clint Mansell. The anti-drug message is a little goofily over the top, but it’s still horrible watching people go all the way down the rabbit hole. Like most of the movies on this list, Requiem for a Dream doesn’t have a ton of replay value, and yet I’ve somehow still managed to see this four times. Each time has made me feel pretty somber for at least a day or two, and I also usually manage to kick the heroin habit for like two weeks. Thanks Darren A.!
13. Last House On The Left
It’s easy to forget now that he’s determined to make a bunch of crappy PG-13 movies (and endless Scream sequels), but there was a time when Wes Craven was kind of a badass. Back in the 70’s Craven directed some genuine classic horror movies, and the best of the bunch was probably Last House On The Left. The film is pretty non-stop with torture and gore, and even today is pretty shocking, especially when you reflect upon the fact that the movie was made all the way back in 1972. Last House was pretty controversial, having been banned in the UK for years. A remake was recently released, but it should go without saying that you are better off checking out the original (if you’re so inclined).
12. Hard Candy
Hard Candy isn’t a horror film at all, and it doesn’t rely on blood to get a rise out of the audience. It actually could have been performed as a play without losing much of it’s power, something that couldn’t be said about any other film on this list. I won’t spoil the plot too much, except to say that the film is extremely uncomfortable throughout, and it’s fair (although perhaps controversial) to say that both of the movie’s characters are monsters, to different degrees. Men in particular will cringe spectacularly at one particular scene (those that have seen Hard Candy will know instantly what I’m talking about).
11. Jacob’s Ladder
I first saw Jacob’s Ladder alone in a dark room in the middle of the night, and if I recall there wasn’t much sleep to be had once I finished. The movie features tons of disturbing imagery as Tim Robbins spends the film in a nightmare-ish state where you’re never really sure exactly what is going on. Director Adrian Lyne used a film technique in which an actor is recorded waving his head and body around at a low frame rate, resulting in pure nightmare fuel when played back at normal speeds.
10. Irreversible
Irreversible is a French movie presented in non-chronological fashion. Specifically the movie contains thirteen scenes and starts at the end of a night, going backwards to the beginning. The film is particularly famous for a Monica Belluci rape scene that is extremely graphic and just goes on … and on … and on, clocking in at over nine minutes. That might not sound horribly long, but you will think otherwise when viewing. Still one of the most graphic and intense things I’ve ever seen in a film.
9. Happiness
Director Todd Solondz is an odd duck, and while Happiness isn’t the only disturbing movie he’s ever made, I would definitely say it wins the title for most. Unlike most of the movies on this list, the cast of Happiness is relatively star studded and includes Philip Seymour Hoffman, Laura Flynn Boyle, Jon Lovitz as well as Jane Adams and Dylan Baker, names you might not instantly recognize but whose faces you’ll definitely know.
The plot, without going into too many specifics, involves three sisters and their extended families. The movie seemingly centers on a child molester (a scene where he discusses his psychosis with his son is one of the most cringe inducing things I have ever seen), but has many sub-plots including Philip Seymour Hoffman having a fetish for making bizarre obscene phone calls . There’s no happy ending here, just a pit of suburban despair that will stick with you for years.
8. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is a 1986 low budget film shot for just $110,000 and is, as the title would indicate, about a serial killer’s crime spree and eventual education of another killer. This is well covered ground, but Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer still manages to get to you by showing Henry to be completely and utterly without empathy. There’s a realness here that most slasher movies lack, and the critical response to the movie reflects that. It’s even certified fresh at Rotten Tomatoes with an 88% rating, an achievement these sorts of movies rarely attain.
7. I Spit On Your Grave
The 70’s had a lot of gory horror, and one of the best examples is probably I Spit On Your Grave, a movie centered around a woman’s rape and eventual revenge. The rape sequence rivals Irreversible’s in length and intensity, but the rapists certainly do get what they have coming to them, in all sorts of brutally graphic ways. The bathtub scene in particular will stick with you. I Spit On Your Grave was banned in many countries and was censored for many years in the US. Roger Ebert called the movie “a vile bag of garbage…without a shred of artistic distinction,” and further said that “Attending it was one of the most depressing experiences of my life.”
6. Cannibal Holocaust
Cannibal Holocaust really is one of the most controversial films ever made. It has a long history of being banned just about everywhere, and the director was arrested in Italy and charged with making a snuff film – that’s how realistic some of the deaths and dead bodies are in Cannibal Holocaust, the local magistrate couldn’t believe the scenes weren’t real. Cannibal is one of the best examples of Italian horror/exploitation, and while you might think certain cultures are a little strange (Japan!) Italy certainly has some weird stuff going on to have produced some of the films they produced in the 70’s and 80’s. While the director obviously didn’t really kill any of his actors or actresses there are several genuine acts of animal cruelty in the film, including the very real killing of a large sea turtle. This has caused Cannibal Holocaust to be banned in several countries even to this date.
5. Audition
Audition is still one of the weirder movie watching experiences I’ve ever had. I popped it in honestly expecting horror and mayhem, and instead got some sort of bland romantic drama for the first half of the movie. But it eventually took a 180 into insanity with one of the most visceral endings I have ever seen. Takashi Miike could have filled several spots on this list (think Ichi the Killer or Oldboy, amongst others), but instead I decided to just pick what I think is his most disturbing, which to me was most definitely Audition.
4. Eraserhead
Much like Takashi Miike, David Lynch could easily occupy several spots on a list like this. In our eyes however, Erasherhead narrowly edges out the rest of his oeuvre to be the most disturbing Lynch film of all time, and one of the most disturbing movies of all time period. Eraserhead is about a printer named Henry Spencer who has a deformed baby with his girlfriend who soon leaves him, forcing him to take care of the bizarre creature on his own. The pacing of the movie and it’s use of white noise both contribute to the immense feeling of dread that clings to you the entire time you are watching it, and like most Lynch films the entire thing is so confusing and dreamlike that you are never sure exactly what is happening, leading to a feeling of disorientation. If you are actively seeking out disturbing movies Eraserhead should be pretty high on your list. It will give you a weird night, but there won’t be too much mental scarring, something I can’t necessarily say about the top three coming up on our list.
3. Salo
Salo is another movie based on a book that made our most disturbing books list, and I’ll just reprint what was said about the book here, as it also applies to the movie only x10:
The 120 Days of Sodom was a work by Marquis de Sade, who had to have at least one work on this list. The book deals with four wealthy men who want to have the ultimate orgy. To accomplish this they seal themselves away with a bunch of young men and women. The sex quickly turns sadistic and matters quickly turns to humiliation, pain, and killing. Pretty much every debased and bizarre sexual fetish is explored in detail in the book, with much of the work crossing lines that even today would be declared obscene in many parts of the US.
Salo the film actually has a viewpoint, showcasing in extreme detail the lack of morality of fascists, an opinion that may have gotten director Pier Paolo Pasolini murdered shortly before the film’s release. And yes, that’s a Criterion Collection cover you see up there, making this one of the more distinguished films on the list, a fact that might be hard to believe following an actual viewing.
2. Nekromantik
Nekromantik is a 1987 German horror movie that centers on a character named Rob Schmadtke who works for a cleaning company that cleans up crime and death scenes. But this isn’t an early Sunshine Cleaning, because Rob likes to take the corpses home and have sex with them, something you might have guessed from the movies title. It’s not just Rob though, he has a girlfriend who if anything is more enthusiastic about necrophilia than her boyfriend. Copious amounts of blood, gore, and outrageousness are pretty much guaranteed to have you reaching for the stop button on your DVD remote control over and over and over, and if you can actually make it through the entire film you have a stronger stomach than I. In a saner world this would be the most disturbing movie ever made, but alas we still have one to go.
1. August Underground Mordum
August Underground’s Mordum is a direct to DVD movie that was released in 2003. I genuinely feel sorry for anyone that has seen it, as I’ve seen short scenes and wanted to pour Listerine in my eyes to feel clean again. Most of the movies on this list stick with you, but most have value as well, either by making social commentary, or if nothing else helping to understand the time in which they were made. I suppose it’s possible August Underground’s Mordum has some sort of merit, but try as I might I can’t imagine what it might be.
The movie is a simulated snuff film that is ostensibly about a love triangle between two men (one of whom is the film company’s owner) and a woman. There’s really no plot to speak of though, the movie is shot with a handheld camera to enhance the faux-reality of it all and, much like porn, any plot is just there as a vehicle to get the viewer to the “good stuff”. Which in August Underground’s Mordum’s case includes infanticide, pedophilia, necrophilia, and lots and lots of extremely graphic and brutal murder. The movie literally has no reason to exist, except perhaps to show off the special effects capabilities of the production company. I am extremely liberal and anti-censorship and while I wouldn’t go so far as to make an exception for August Underground’s Mordum I definitely think the world would be a better place without it existing.
So yeah, I wouldn’t actually recommend watching it. Seriously, unless you want to mentally scarred. But that being said, it easily tops our list of most disturbing movies ever made. I genuinely hope there’s nothing out there worse.
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On June 9th 2009, John | We Have Contact wrote:
Great list. I’ve seen a few of them, and there are many on here that I can honestly say I will never see, mainly for the reasons you give in the last film on the list. While “disturbing” can be a very powerful tool, the gratuitous stuff doesn’t sit with me.
Then again, maybe that is what makes a movie truly distrubing. Who knows?
On June 9th 2009, Sherry wrote:
Never seen any of them and actually never heard of most of them. I do miss Old School Wes Craven though, I’ll have to check that one out.
I’d add Hostel to this list. That movie was totally effed in the head (yet strangely I couldn’t stop watching).
Another one along the lines of I Spit on Your Grave is an indie film called A Gun For Jennifer about a girl turned vigilante after she’s mugged and raped her first night in NYC. It was actually pretty good, too bad they had trouble getting distribution for it.
On June 9th 2009, ocsibrm wrote:
“Takashi Miike could have filled several spots on this list (think Ichi the Killer or Oldboy, amongst others)”
Miike didn’t make Oldboy. Park Chan-wook did.
On June 9th 2009, Jack Harrison wrote:
I don’t want to see anything more disturbing than Eraserhead, which is another reason I have passed on all of Michael Moore’s flicks.
The sound track from Eraserhead alone is enough to drive one over the edge.
On June 9th 2009, Kevin wrote:
I would’ve liked to have seen Tideland on this list. It was viscerally disturbing while not being overtly gory. The entire flick doesn’t give you a moment’s respite from the message they’re hammering home.
On June 9th 2009, David D. wrote:
Really, August Underground’s Mordum is nothing compared to the soulcrushing enormity that is Patch Adams.
On June 9th 2009, Bob wrote:
It’s funny for a cinema chicken (I’m mainly just a bit on the squeamish side) like me, but I always find reading these kind of lists interesting. There’s also obviously good/fun disturbing and bad and/or no fun disturbing – several of the films on this list are on my permanent “never watch but always read about” list, though the very last one is actually new to me…I didn’t even like reading about that one! However, I’m a pretty big admirer of David Lynch and don’t have a problem watching even “Eraserhead,” though it’s also got slow spots. “Disturbing” is obviously in the eye of the beholder.
Also, one factional matter, Takashi Miike didn’t direct “Old Boy” (which I sat through with no problems, though it is kind of relentlessly violent at times). That was Korean director Chan-wook Park.
On June 9th 2009, Jebus wrote:
Takashii Miike didn’t have anything to do with Oldboy. That was Chan Wook-Park.
On June 9th 2009, mastodan wrote:
Oldboy has nothing to do with Takashi Miike … or Japan for that matter.
Good list, though.
On June 9th 2009, The Great Geek Manual » Geek Media Round-Up: June 9, 2009 wrote:
[...] these really The 15 Most Disturbing Movies Ever Made? I suppose if you rule out the gore of slasher flicks, they might be. Personally, though, I [...]
On June 9th 2009, WEGGLES wrote:
I’ve seen mordum. It’s truly awful. Don’t seek it out for shits and giggles. :[
On June 9th 2009, Jon wrote:
The most disturbing scene of video I’ve ever seen was an Internet clip of Men Behind the Sun – http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093170/ / http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men_Behind_the_Sun
(It fully manages to convey the horror at What Really Happened in its subject matter.)
On June 10th 2009, Russell Yazbeck wrote:
Just added Audition, Hard Candy, and Henry to my netflix. I already have Jacob’s ladder on there, can’t wait to see that.
Of course requiem is an amazing movie. Usually after watching a disturbing movie once it is no longer disturbing but not with Requiem, that movie stays with you.
Also, Happiness. I couldn’t even believe my eyes and ears after watching that movie. I was pretty fucking disturbed but I can’t wait to see it again!
Oh what about Gummo? That’s a pretty disturbing film.
On June 10th 2009, Paul wrote:
No “Gummo”?
On June 10th 2009, Japan Cinema wrote:
As a person who reviews movies on his blog I can tell you that Visitor Q is waaayyy more disturbing than Audition. Good list though.
On June 10th 2009, Count Vardulon wrote:
I’ve never been sure what’s supposed to be so disturbing about Hard Candy. A bad man is tortured and murdered by a jerk. Yawn.
It’s not like this is Death and the Maiden and there’s any suspense about whether he deserves what he’s getting. We know from minute one what he’s a paedophile – so who cares what happens to him?
@mastodan – Well, it’s god *something* to do with Japan – it is based on a manga, after all.
On June 10th 2009, Max Hollywood wrote:
I’m surprised 8mm wasn’t an honorable mention. “When you dance with the devil, the devil doesn’t change. The devil changes you.”
On June 11th 2009, Torley wrote:
Agree about Men Behind the Sun. And what about The Girl Next Door (the Jack Ketchum-based one)? Gigli? Kidding on that last one.
On June 11th 2009, BadBoyBubby wrote:
Where is my film? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106341/
On June 11th 2009, David wrote:
I would add “Feed”, instead of Hard Candy, for instance.
On June 11th 2009, Chainsaw wrote:
Good list, but was surprised to see “Funny Games” omitted. Having seen several of the movies on this list, I’d say that none of them approach “Funny Games” for really shocking and disturbing you on a psychological level — beyond blood and gore.
On June 11th 2009, Moe Martínez wrote:
Never seen Sam Peckinpah’s “Straw Dogs”…
On June 11th 2009, james tracy wrote:
You missed “Night and Fog.” It’s 15 minutes long, and once you see it you will literally never be the same.
It’s a documentary about what happened in 1945 when the Allied forces found the camps.
Graphic does not begin to describe what that movie contains.
On June 11th 2009, John Nichols wrote:
I think this is missing The Tennant and Rosemaries Baby. Polanski knows how to do it
On June 11th 2009, Skully wrote:
I think any John Waters movie could be in here, they are quite disturbing.
On June 12th 2009, Maki wrote:
mastodan: “Oldboy has nothing to do with Takashi Miike … or Japan for that matter.”
Yes, the movie was directed by Chan-Wook Park. But it is based on a manga by Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi. So it has something to do with Japan after all.
On June 12th 2009, Mark in Vancouver wrote:
It’s a reasonable list, and many of the films are quite disturbing, it’s true. I’d remove Jacob’s Ladder, which has irritating special effects, as well as Tim Robbins. Eraserhead is certainly disturbing on its first viewing, but it’s quite a funny movie, too. I wouldn’t have added it to this list.
Titicut Follies (1967) is a documentary that is far more disturbing than much of the fiction nominated here. I was far more disturbed from my first viewing of 28 Days Later (2002) than I was by any of the gawdawful Italian shockers – Mondo Cane and all of its grandchildren should be pushed into an incinerator. Not out of censorship, but because they wasted too many people’s cinema time.
I’m guessing the compiler of this list forgot Alejandro Jodorowski’s El Topo (1970) and Santa Sangre (1989) – both of which cross every social taboo with gusto. Either film makes Happiness seem like a pleasant picnic.
Stan Brakhage’s The Act of Seeing with One’s Own Eyes (1971) is a slow and meditative look at a post mortem in real time. Certainly disturbing.
Even the single deleted Playboy scene from Apocalypse Now seems way beyond the movie, Happiness!
My list would also include:
The Tenant (1976)
The Vanishing [Spoorloos] ( 1988)
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) – even though it’s badly made, it is still very hard to watch…
Crash (1996)
As for Salo, the Criterion Collection has released a new edition that is worth grabbing if you can find it at your local. It is certainly a disturbing film, but second and third viewings reveal far more sophistication than shock value. It is a difficult film, but worth “swallowing” a second time.
Was Pink Flamingos (1972) left off this list because it’s funny?
On June 12th 2009, Peril wrote:
I’ve seen Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire… the idea that there’s a MORE disturbing David Lynch movie out there doesn’t exactly surprise me, but it does terrify me.
On June 12th 2009, gareth wrote:
Great list. I think Man Bites Dog should be in there and somewhere near the top though. Ooooh, and Dancer in the Dark.
On June 12th 2009, SA wrote:
A movie that sticks with you, is a good movie in my opinion, and this list has many of them. Can’t wait to see more, and glad you have Todd Solondz on here.
On June 12th 2009, urotsukidoji wrote:
Should I seek professional attention if I’ve seen 14 of the 15 already?
Your description of August Underground Mordum does not encourage me to make it 15.
Great list…seriously. Nice work.
(Oh, one vote for Cronenberg’s Dead Ringers for your top 16 list.”
On June 12th 2009, daan wrote:
I miss:
Repulsion (Polanski)
Un chien Andalou (Bunuel)
On June 12th 2009, trollkind wrote:
Missing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_Bites_Dog_(film)
“He then ventures into apartment buildings explaining how it is more cost-effective to attack old people than young couples because the former have more cash at home and are easier to kill.”
and Ichii is far more disturbing than Audition.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drawing_Restraint_9
“The Occidental Guests passionately strip flesh from each other during the storm” comes to mind too.
Or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetsuo:_The_Iron_Man
“In one of the film’s most controversial sequences, the man discovers his penis has mutated into a gargantuan power drill. This is how his terrified girlfriend meets her demise.”
Heck, this could easily bea Top 30 or 50.
On June 12th 2009, Jake wrote:
Nice list, but I’d have added Gummo, Men Behind the Sun (which is probably top3 worthy)
On June 12th 2009, alexander delarge wrote:
“On June 9th 2009, mastodan wrote:
Oldboy has nothing to do with Takashi Miike … or Japan for that matter.”
…except that it’s based on a japanese manga..
On June 12th 2009, Vlad wrote:
My favorite is definitely jackobs ladder
On June 12th 2009, Sik wrote:
A movie that deserves to be on that list is Ken Park. In the top 5.
On June 12th 2009, Brian wrote:
I love these kinda movies, and have seen most of them listed, but none are really disturbing to me…. yeah some provide a creepy feeling, but once you watch crazy shit online, like people actually dying, a movie isnt scary.
On June 12th 2009, bent wrote:
a French movie called Angst (1983) pops up on these kinds of lists a lot: a well shot and acted tale of going over the edge, much like most of the movies on this list. It has absurdist gore and a long necro scene that is more a personal test to watch than entertainment.
On June 12th 2009, TMB Jeff wrote:
The Chekist
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103949/
Disturbing and depressing. The relentless executions and knowing this is what went on in the post-revolutionary Soviet Union makes this film stay with you for a while.
On June 12th 2009, Boy Kulot wrote:
The shotgun murder scene in the original version of Funny Games was probably the hardest thing I’ve watched, unable to turn away despite the indescribable, soul crushing pain the onscreen characters must be going through. No dialogue, no sound effects – just a death metal track and a silent scream that goes on and on.
On June 12th 2009, scarred for life wrote:
just watched the first 20 mins of mordum, and really, really wish that I hadnt now. thanks, popcrunch, for scarring me for life. :[
On June 12th 2009, Jim wrote:
Terrific list, but no Guinea pig movies? We couldn’t get Flower of Flesh and Blood up there? That movie was deemed to be too screwed up even for the Japanese…
On June 12th 2009, Orniz wrote:
Nice list, and I’ve even seen most of them and they some of them would also be on mine. I also would have had Man bites dog, it’s just so wrong that it’s funny and Hostel as well. I just went to see Von Trier’s Anti Christ a couple of days ago and that was one dark movie that had some bite to it and would sit nicely on any list
On June 12th 2009, Marc wrote:
Gozu, Ichi the Killer and ESPECIALLY Visitor Q were more disturbing than Audition.
Miike is the man.
On June 12th 2009, William Palmer wrote:
One clearly “disturbing” movie which is oddly missing from this list is the 1932 cult classic “Freaks.” If for whatever reason you havent seen this movie go out and rent it. The movie would be impossible to recreate today due to exploitation and labor laws; as well as the general publics feelings about this side of society.
I think you may even need to edit this list to include Freaks.
On June 12th 2009, Casey wrote:
In your book list you have “The girl next door” They made a film adaptation of that and it was pretty disturbing with torture and rape of a teen age girl by young boys. That is one that has stuck with me.
On June 12th 2009, John wrote:
I’m surprised ‘KIDS’ isn’t on the list.
On June 12th 2009, kenya wrote:
I would have to say the only thing to ever make me look away from the screen, besides the baby in trainspotting, was the rape scene in irreversable. I pulled the covers over my head and almost wept. I definately would agree with other readers in saying that gummo is really, really, really uncomfortable.
On June 12th 2009, Conor wrote:
I like this list, and would have added Redneck Zombies. Goofy title, weird shit. Cruelty to animals, self mutilation, rape, and zombie rape. Wacked the fuck out.
On June 12th 2009, Z wrote:
Anyone seen a film from a few years ago titled Baise Moi (“Fuck Me”), about two gals (both played by real-life pornstars) who fuck and kill their way across France? Sort of another rape-revenge film, certainly a shocker in some context. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baise-moi
On June 12th 2009, Jayce wrote:
If you ever expand this list, I’d consider adding in Larry Clark’s “Kids” No gore, no real violence, but a realistic and disturbing movie none the less.
On June 12th 2009, e. wrote:
Surprised not to see any Cronenberg on this list. Dead Ringers, Videodrone, Naked Lunch, Rabid, eXistenZ, and more! At least one could be here.
Have to agree with The Iron Man, though; that movie scarred me a decade or so ago. Then again, there are a lot of Japanese movies that could have been up for consideration.
There’s also Ed Woods’ Orgy of the Dead. And Freaks.
Otherwise, good list. Really.
On June 12th 2009, Jorgie0169 wrote:
I have to say this is a good list, but the absence of “Tetsuo: The Iron man” Its sequel and just about anything from Shinya Tsukamoto for that matter baffles me…
Tetsuo: The Iron man: A drill dick, self mutilation and anal rape with a vacuum hose. All those things spell Disturbing to me.
On June 12th 2009, 0bx wrote:
Most movies in the list trick you, suddenly shifting from something absurd, into something that feels very real.
I recommend the Belgian movie “c’est arrive press the chez vous”.
It’s released in the US as “man bites dog”.
On June 12th 2009, Carrie wrote:
Gummo should be on here.
On June 12th 2009, Jennica wrote:
I’m glad someone else thought to mention that Tideland should most definitely be on this list. It was soooo much worse than say, Hard Candy.
On June 12th 2009, dee wrote:
what about blood sucking freaks , i thought that was disturbing
On June 12th 2009, mike wrote:
Inside and Martyrs – see them netflix them
On June 12th 2009, Mossel wrote:
“Kiri, kiri, kiri kiri…”
On June 12th 2009, SARAHSEPANEK wrote:
two big omissions:
EL TOPO and/or THE HOLY MOUNTAIN
and
FUNNY GAMES (original and the remake)
On June 12th 2009, tony wrote:
isnt that new movie “Martyrs” supposed to be really disturbing…Audition isnt that disturbing..i would just say it’s really fuckin creepy
On June 12th 2009, TonyInOrlando wrote:
Solid list, to be sure. Some additional movies to consider:
*Murder-Set-Pieces
*The first August Underground
*Cutting Moments (a 23 minute short that is positively SURE to shock the shit out of you the first time viewing it…)
*Guinea Pig: Flower of Flesh and Blood
*Aftermath/Genesis
Trust me, I am a certified gorehound, and if you want sick, definitely consider these suggestions
Enjoy, you sick bastards
On June 12th 2009, Avarana wrote:
I’d would add “Come and See” a russian production depicting the german occupation of Belarus, powerful stuff.
Of course, the essence it’s horror lies in the depiction of atrocities performed, the knowledge that only man can inflict so much pain upon his kind and worst, believe he’s doing it for a good reason.
No imaginary beasts, but men.
On June 12th 2009, dan wrote:
good list, but where is Man Bites Dog?
I Would say that is profoundly more disturbing than some of these choices. A lot like Henry but with a documentary feel, really good, but pretty heavy.
On June 12th 2009, Jeff wrote:
What? No love for “The flower of flesh and blood”?
On June 12th 2009, stephen wrote:
What about Schramm? or I Stand Alone? Thriller: They call her One Eye. Its nice to See cannibal holocaust and eraserhead made the list. Really, Henry? Maniac Was much better IMO
On June 12th 2009, stephen wrote:
Oops. And i Forgot… The film that disturbed me most…Philosophy of a Knife.
and Black Sun: The Nanking Massacre
On June 12th 2009, punx wrote:
Men Behind The Sun & Black Sun: The Nanking Massacre, both by T.F. Mou
Philosphy Of A Knife by Andrey Iskanov – covers the same events as MBTS
Aftermath/Genesis
Subconscious Cruelty
Battle Royale
Ichi The Killer
the Guinea Pig series
Red Room 1 & 2
Boy Meets Girl
I own all but Red Room, and have seen most of these multiple times along with the few on the posted list I also own.
I know I am a sick puppy, though
On June 12th 2009, Iremon wrote:
I don’t think ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ should be on this list. That was a beautiful film.
You want disturbing? Try ‘Jesus Camp’.
On June 12th 2009, Jackal wrote:
I think you guys are missing Teeth and Begotten. And for straight up gore, Feast is pretty bad.
On June 12th 2009, Demetermaid wrote:
Sick and twisted holds no appeal for me but, then, I suppose the definition of “sick and twisted” is just as subjective as the definition of “disturbing.”
For a movie to be disturbing to me (as opposed to cringe-inducing, nauseating, and uber-violent) it has to deal with something that is real. Nothing is quite as disturbing to me as the real things that people do to each other.
But then, that’s what the nightly news is for, nu?
I’ve seen and enjoyed Eraserhead and Jacob’s Ladder. I’d see Threads, Happiness, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, and — maybe — Hard Candy. I think some of the others would make me physically ill and possibly mentally unstable. I am SO not going there.
By the way, I’ve also seen Freaks, Gummo (which I may be blocking because I don’t remember any of it),
I’d add to the list The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover, and that godawful eye poking scene from Slumdog Billionaire. I wanted to inflict severe bodily injury to everyone who recommended that movie on the grounds that it was heartwarming and uplifting.
On June 12th 2009, Paul wrote:
I’ve only seen Cannibal Holicost, and could definatly gone without seeing it at all. I did make it to the scene with the sea turtle. Although I do have a pretty strong stomach, I just couldn’t handle that scene. I can see why it’s been banned in so many countries!
On June 12th 2009, Dolly wrote:
I’d add Tetsuo of Shinya Tsukamoto…very, very disturbing
On June 12th 2009, Dolly wrote:
And Blindness, of Fernando Meirelles, based on the book of José Saramago
On June 12th 2009, Jeff wrote:
I really hate the guy who wrote this for putting August whatever at number one. I’m convinced that he did it as a joke, because that was the dumbest movie I have ever sat through. Hands down.
I thought I could somewhat trust this list seeing as how there are a few good movies on it, and the way he described the movie at the number one spot, I decided to download it.
Now sometimes I’ll tell someone “Oh man the movie is just so bad you have to see it.” just because of how big of a mess it was that it became funny. Not with this one. I am seriously pissed that I lost an hour and a half of my life to this movie.
That shit doesn’t even deserve to be mentioned with any of the other listed films. Thanks for being a dick.
On June 13th 2009, Mark in Vancouver wrote:
I agree with Demetermaid: I would far rather watch a movie that blows my mind in some subversive way than watch simulated snuff – or real snuff for that matter, if the concept wasn’t manufactured by religious film censors…
["Surprised not to see any Cronenberg on this list. Dead Ringers, Videodrone, Naked Lunch, Rabid, eXistenZ, and more! At least one could be here.
Have to agree with The Iron Man, though; that movie scarred me a decade or so ago. Then again, there are a lot of Japanese movies that could have been up for consideration.
There’s also Ed Woods’ Orgy of the Dead. And Freaks."]
Crash is more disturbing than any of the Cronenberg pictures e. mentioned. His version of Naked Lunch was a disservice to a great book, IMO.
Try and find Sweet Movie (1974), by Yugoslav director Dusan Makaveyev. It is actually a very sweet movie, but defines the art of subversive films without gore. The famous feature scene of Otto Muehl’s “instant art” collective will remain emblazoned on your eyes in shades of yellow and brown forever… Way more “disturbing” than some faux-Japanese faux-snuff pic… and way more rewarding. Body fluids are scary, but they shouldn’t be… Makaveyev asks us to laugh at them and enjoy the glee of it all. The most appreciative viewer struggles with simple disgust.
Not for every taste, of course…
There are mountains of cinema moments not mentioned here which could add to the discussion… Go and rent Bergman’s Wild Strawberries(1957) for the infamous dream sequence.
The brief curtain of 1973 – 1976 brought Western cinema goers The Exorcist, The Omen, and Jaws. Each of these was seen as too much. I think we can and should enjoy creative cinema without the prurient need for snuff credentials. Torture cinema goes nowhere, IMO. It does nothing to advance cinema and it is a doltish contribution to a lively art.
The dimwits who appreciate/make these shock films for shock sake need to take a refresher course on Bunuel, Pasolini, Svankmajer…
Basically go back to film school and digest the fact that film has other uses than pornography, and that violence, as a solitary theme, is so 1985, and that Triumph des Willens (1935) is a piece of fiction – not something to aspire to in art.
Ideas make for the best subversive films. Ham actors screaming with blood squibs are just boring, IMO. Alas, new ideas in cinema are few and far between. Oh, to have been a cinemaphile from 1968 to 1988!
On June 13th 2009, c wrote:
I had the misfortune of seeing Hard Candy at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. The director came out after the screening and gushed about how damn deep he was. Not that good of a movie. Sure, there were a few WTF! moments, but overall, it was lacking. And not “disturbing” in the slightest.
On June 13th 2009, Des wrote:
It’s a solid list. I’ve seen a few, and knew about a few others. I can’t imagine Texas Chainsaw Massacre not being on there, if nothing else for utter weirdness (not counting the extremely graphic violence). My only complaint is you made the descriptions too vague. I don’t know if I want to see any of these (and I might have seen one, but can’t tell) because I can’t tell what they’re about from the crappy descriptions.
Let’s tighten it up next time, guys. You can summarize the movie without giving anything away.
On June 13th 2009, aaron wrote:
No Tetsuo? No Aftermath? No Jodorowsky?
This list fails!
On June 13th 2009, Sarah wrote:
Oh man.
Taxidermia really needs to be on this list.
I saw it at a film festival two years back and a guy in the row in front of me LITERALLY had a SEIZURE during the film’s climax.
I still get flashbacks whenever someone mentions it.
On June 13th 2009, Jasper Teerling wrote:
Michael Haneke?
Where are you?
On June 13th 2009, r3d3f1n3 wrote:
Great list, I have watched 90% of them. I wouldn’t put Requiem For A Dream and Eraserhead because they aren’t so disturbing to me. Here are some of mine recommendations:
Guinea Pig: Flowers of Flesh and Blood (1985)
Man Behind the Sun (1988)/Philosophy of a Knife (2008)
À l’intérieur (2007)
Martyrs (2008)
Eden Lake (2008)
Janghwa, Hongryeon (2003)
Frontière(s) (2007)
Batoru rowaiaru (2000)
On June 13th 2009, NS1 wrote:
While Audition maybe an odd film, I wouldn’t really say it’s horrific, scary, or even the strangest of Takashi Miike’s work . I personally recommend watching his film ‘Visitor Q’, this by far more disturbing and breaches some taboo subjects.
Other than that, the list looks great!
I never enjoy watching these films, but for some reason I have to see them.
On June 13th 2009, r3d3f1n3 wrote:
considering your recommendations I plan to watch next:
August Underground’s Mordum (2003)
Hard Candy (2005)
Happiness (1998)
Sweet Movie (1974)
Smultronstället (1957)
Jesus Camp (2006)
Dead Ringers (1988)
Crash (1996)
Aftermath (1994)
Murder-Set-Pieces (2004)
On June 13th 2009, Nemo wrote:
Pink Flamingos!
(someone mentioned it already. I know. I just wanted to make a point here!)
On June 13th 2009, Demetermaid wrote:
Oh, Mark. Will you marry me? Lol
Have you seen “Delicatessen” or “Parents?”
On June 13th 2009, Mark in Vancouver wrote:
Forgot to mention Snivgaard’s Looselberries (1973) – truly a subversive masterpeice, IMO. The notorious baboon rape scene is poignant and touching, much more artistic than this modern bourgeois pap.
For a harrowing cinematic experience, dig up one of the two copies of Jump Up and High-Five the Corpse (1961), which makes the bullshit Happiness seem like a butterfly’s dick, IMO.
Don’t hesitate to buy ten copies of La Fille et le Merde (1992) by Mauritanian director Kelekk de Belekk. If you have not seen this film, you do not deserve to have your eyes gnawed out by HIV-positive rats, IMO.
But wait, hold the phone! Jackinoff’s Rambo III (1818) is much better than the remake and surely deserves the number one spot on this list, IMO.
Woe unto you who have not experienced the true art of film! Black and burned be thy babies and may thy hearts burst like so many spoiled pomegranates as they are ran over by my Ford Camry – onto which I have attached a giant Dali mustache, because Dali is way better than Saw II, IMO.
On June 13th 2009, Bigjeff822 wrote:
One of the most disturbing movies I’ve ever seen is “The Baby,” a 1973 B horror film. The movie itself isn’t really so terrifying, but the performance of the guy who plays the title character, a grown man who has been kept as an infant my his mother and sisters, truly unnerved me and my friends. Seeing a 20-something guy dressed in diapers, gurgling and crying like a baby, and nursing… ugh. So twisted.
On June 13th 2009, Zombie Jesus X wrote:
The Japanese movie Jisatsu Saakuru (Suicide Club: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0312843/) ranks as possibly the most disturbing movie I’ve ever seen.
For documentaries, “Welcome to North Korea” is quietly unsettling: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ6E3cShcVU
On June 14th 2009, Tracy wrote:
The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things was so disturbing that is really ought to be on this list as well. Not one single good thing happens in this movie, child abuse (and animal cruelty) is really the most awful thing anyone can see.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368774/
On June 14th 2009, FAH Q wrote:
i guess nobody has seen last year’s French film called “Martyrs”. i’m a horror movie fan, but that film left me with a feeling of nausea by the time it finished. easily the most realistic and disturbing horror movie i’ve ever seen. this list pales in comparison to Martyrs.
On June 14th 2009, Jordan wrote:
No one has mentioned Subconscious Cruelty which makes me think maybe no one has seen it. Amazing movie and should have been mentioned by now among these comments (possibly I’ve misse dit being mentioned).
Also, Texas Chainsaw Massacre really doesn’t have that much graphic violence. One of my favorite movies but the violence is not often shown to the camera ( Such as the hook hanging and wheelchair death. If you don’t see penetration or the money shot…you’ve got softcore my friends. Still an amazing movie though.
I don’t think you should bother mentioning documentaries. Just about everyone should agree….brutal messed up twisted things that happen in real life are more disturbing then those based in fiction.
On June 14th 2009, regan wrote:
In 9th grade we were forced to watch Threads in our US Gov class and I had nightmares for weeks. Eventually I asked my mom to write me a note so I wouldn’t have to finish watching it.
On June 14th 2009, VidGeek wrote:
“Slaughtered Vomit Dolls”…no redeeming value whatsoever, the only movie to ever make me actually dry heave and feel physically ill, was rejected by EVERY single film festival on the planet because of the utterly distgusting nature of the “movie”…can’t figure out if it was made by a mental challenged / demented 10 year old or an art school genius. Not sure if it’s disturbing in the true sense, but it’s definitely stomach turning.
On June 15th 2009, Kaneda wrote:
Grave of the Fireflies….
no horror
no blood
no monster
“just” a cartoon…an anime
and still now, at 30years old, I can’t watch it another time…it’s here, in my head, the music, the girl…
I think near “Threads” from the subject….(need to watch this one)
On June 15th 2009, David wrote:
Have to agree with the others as they point out the error of your ways vis a vis Miike/Oldboy.
Otherwise, it’s an okay list. I’ve seen them all. Some movies (Hard Candy) are disturbing on levels different than others (I Spit on Your Grave).
And with only 15 slots to fill, you’re not going to please everyone. Still I must wonder how you could have left Autopsy and Deadgirl off this list.
On June 15th 2009, person wrote:
y’know, listverse already came out with a couple list like this:
http://listverse.com/2007/11/07/top-15-most-disturbing-movies/
http://listverse.com/2009/06/10/10-more-extremely-disturbing-movies/
*dodges tomatoes*
On June 16th 2009, I 15 film più inquietanti mai realizzati: la classifica di Movie Crunch - Splattlog wrote:
[...] dei 10 film horror più interessanti degli ultimi anni, oggi vi proponiamo il lavoro fatto dal sito Movie Crunch, che si è occupato di selezionare i 15 film più inquietanti mai [...]
On June 16th 2009, meredith wrote:
Love your writing, but please remember that it’s = it is and its = possessive.
On June 16th 2009, Frank White wrote:
“I am extremely liberal and against censorship” seems to imply that conservatives are for censorship. This is based on your bigoted and hateful view of what you think conservatives are. These days most censorship comes from the left, in the form of political correctness.
On June 16th 2009, robert108 wrote:
Mondo Cane; check it out.
On June 16th 2009, Wendy wrote:
how about “The Cook, the thief, his Wife and her Lover” we showed it at a F’d up film fest and everyone was silent for an hour afterwards.
On June 17th 2009, Lord Locksley wrote:
Videodrome…”Long live the new flesh”
On June 17th 2009, kighl wrote:
hello. my name is kighl (“hi kighl”) and im a poor sucker who said “pfffft” to the warning and looked up vid #1 on google video. Now, as an out of town worker strandee, ive seen quite a (REAL) thing or two on the internet, but vid #1 is easily the worst thing ive ever seen. I skipped thru that monstrosity yesterday and the whole damn day my minds been marauded by memories of scene after scene of terrible, horrible, graphic, mind-facking unnecessary awfulness. dont think of it as a challenge when they say dont watch this movie, take my word for it, DONT EVENT TRY TO WATCH MORDUM
On June 17th 2009, kighl wrote:
….. im talking about the scene about 3/4 of the way thru where every law and every staple of common decency, ethics, and sanity are broken. if youve seen this you know what im talkin about. its where i cliked “x” about 30 times in a row just to get that god damned thing away from me
On June 18th 2009, BellaZombirella wrote:
I have seen all of these films excepting Reqium (which I will view immediately) Salo, and Mordum. I saw the cover of Mordum last week when a co-worker brought it into work. I had never heard of it. As a person who actively seeks this type of thing out, I will surely subject myself to it!
Threads freaking scarred me. I was 14 and very worried about the threat of nuclear war. I will never forget it. I cried myself to sleep many many times after watching it. I CANNOT believe we were told to watch it by our school!!!
I agree with most of the film choices. Audition’s ending was awesome, but almost not worth the rest of the movie. Henry really messed with me, and felt way way way too real. I highly recommend it.
Hard Candy was an awesome film, but not disturbing enough to warrant this list IMO.
Jacob’s ladder scared the shit out of me, and I think it was the first movie to really showcase that freaky sped-up movement technique, which we see all the time now.
I will NEVER forget the scene in Happiness you referenced. Ever.
I adore Nekromantik, and suggest the sequel! Just plain weird fun!
I would like to suggest my own #1, a film called Martyrs. It is the most disturbing film I have ever seen, and as you might suspect, I have a very high tolerance for these types of films. Also, Inside, Baise-Moi and the new film Deadgirl. Amazing!
xoxo, Bella Zombirella
On June 18th 2009, Brandon wrote:
Not sure if you were implying that Oldboy was directed by Miike, but it wasn’t. It’s a Korean movie whereas Miike is Japanese. Still a fantastic film though.
On June 18th 2009, dubpm wrote:
did anyone ever see Blindness? ..that was pretty freaky for a some what “mainstream” flick
On June 18th 2009, justo wrote:
fellini satyricon is def a mind fucker
On June 18th 2009, elricofamber wrote:
What about Faces of Death? They later admitted that about half of it was fake, but most if not all of the movies on this list are ‘fake’.
I think Clockwork Orange was more disturbing than I Spit on your Grave. And Kids was more disturbing than Hard Candy.
On June 18th 2009, Brian wrote:
I thoroughly enjoyed this list, as I am always looking for f’ed up stuff to see. My only suggestion is maybe including an IMDB link for each movie
On June 19th 2009, Gromgorgel wrote:
Excellen list, but I’d replace “hard candy” or “happiness” with “C’est arrivé pres de chez vous” (the English title is “man bites dog” http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103905/ ). A belgian flic, with a very strange humour and some of the more disturbing scenes I ever saw.
I sat through “Nekromantic” on a halloween movie festival. It still is my number 1 most disturbing cinematic experience.
On June 19th 2009, MAtt wrote:
Where the hell is C’est arrivé pres de chez vous?
On June 19th 2009, amberae wrote:
you know, I was about to say there are a lot more disturbing movies than what are here, but you hit some pretty good ones. Necromantic…oh yeah. A love story. Second one is pretty gritty too Still, there are even more disturbing movies than the ones listed here.
On June 19th 2009, TonyInOrlando wrote:
Wow, my NetFlix queue has blown up after reading all of these additional suggestions! Thanks all
On June 19th 2009, captainslack wrote:
I saw “Eraserhead” & “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” for the first time on the same night. That I emerged with my with my sanity intact still surprises me.
On June 19th 2009, Tessa wrote:
Great, great list!
Now I know what NOT to see – I’ve no stomach for this kind of stuff.
Gareth: Right on about “Man Bites Dog”, good one.
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show”? Disturbing?? Not really. But then, I’ve never see “Eraserhead” so maybe as a combo it’s [Rocky Horror] disturbing.
I would suggest adding “Soldier Blue” for the overwhelming awfulness that it retells. America, home of the brave? Don’t think so…
On June 19th 2009, krw wrote:
Good list. Kids is probably the most disturbing film I’ve ever seen. I saw it at the theatre with a friend and it was the quietest car ride home I’ve probably ever had. Guinea Pig also belongs here. I remember seeing it at a party and we all thought it was a snuff film at the time. I remember nearly fighting with one guy. I was so pissed that he thought it was “cool”. I nearly throttled him.
On June 19th 2009, krw wrote:
You know, another collection DVD (it’s unofficial, but you can find it on eBay occasionally) that could be on this list is from the Vienna Aktionists (look them up on wikipedia, there is a book about them to be found on Amazon). It’s simply called “The Films of the Vienna Aktionists”. They made several short films in the 60s which are collected on a bootleg DVD. This was all done in art galleries and tried to be “high brow” from what I could tell. The point of the movement was to explore the functions of the body in all of its extreme forms. Pissing, vomiting, shitting, blood letting, killing a goose and having a threesome in the blood while one of the girls fucks herself with the head of the poor thing- All in an art gallery with hipsters with sideburns standing around watching while stroking their chins. This stuff is insane. Some of the coprophagia stuff is impossible to watch. I made it through the DVD somehow, one time, and promptly sent it to a friend who “appreciates” this stuff much more than I. I never want to see it again. He didn’t even finish it. The goose scene did him in. I know I mentioned sex, and there is a lot of it, but this stuff is about as erotic as having your fingernails pulled out with pliers. If you’re reading the posts here, basically, you have two options- seek it out at all costs, or avoid completely. Amazingly, some of the stuff has made it into the permanent collections at modern art galleries across Europe.
On June 19th 2009, JD wrote:
There are a lot more messed up movies out there Gummo and Visitor Q would beat out Audition and Hard Candy easy. Lilyah 4-ever is pretty tough.
On June 19th 2009, euw wrote:
Philosophy of a Knife isn’t on the top of the list…?
On June 19th 2009, Steven wrote:
I did see Eraserhead and thouhgt that was the most Bizarre Movie Of All Time, and very disturbing to say the least, but after reading this article, I will in no way ever watch any of these movies in my currect lifetime.
On June 19th 2009, Steven wrote:
Where is A Clockwork Orange on this list? I couldn’t believe it did not make the top 15.
On June 19th 2009, martini wrote:
i double-dare anyone to watch “Cannibal” made in 2006 by Marian Dora.. Netflix has it.. good luck.
On June 19th 2009, type wrote:
what about “Red Room”, the “Guinea Pig Series”, or “Muzan-E”
On June 19th 2009, J wrote:
I would have to add “Feed” to this list. I believe it’s an Australian movie, but absolutely should be on this list. I was actually pretty disapointed it wasn’t mentioned.
On June 19th 2009, billy wrote:
I’ve a few of these movies, and to tell you the truth, I wasn’t disturbed at all. Whoever chose these movies was a pussy.
On June 19th 2009, duckee wrote:
first off, GREAT list ,but for me Irreversible is way more disturbing than Cannibal Holocaust. the acting in cannibal was so bad all the way to the end that it ruined any degree realism for me.
Tideland would fit in that list too, any movie about a 12 year old girl living with her dead rotting dad fits in there somewhere.
On June 20th 2009, corporate drone wrote:
how about “The Cook, The Theif, The Wife, and Her Lover”? I’d say there are a few scenes that are pretty disturbing.
On June 20th 2009, Antony wrote:
Okay, why has nobody mentioned the Guinea Pig films yet? Seriously. Flower of Flesh and Blood? Hello?
On June 20th 2009, enkpyn wrote:
Inside and Martyrs should be on the list, pretty disturbing!
On June 22nd 2009, Warren Oates wrote:
August Underground SUCKS. This film is not scary unless you can’t tolerate the insufferable camera work.
On June 22nd 2009, ian wrote:
Baxter
On June 22nd 2009, Cary wrote:
Gummo.
On June 23rd 2009, TonyInOrlando wrote:
Some of these peoples’ suggestions are positively laughable. I won’t point fingers or drop names, though. I FINALLY saw Martyrs this past weekend… and I can certifiably relate that this movie would be a welcome inclusion on this list. Thanks for pointing it out, previous commenters
VERY tough scenes to watch. Also, for those who add comments like “..why hasn’t anybody said [random movie] yet?..” PLEASE read the comments. You’ll see a lot of repeated suggestions. *awaiting Inside and Philosophy Of A Knife to arrive from Netflix* 
On June 23rd 2009, TonyInOrlando wrote:
Oh, and as for Gummo… *shrugs* It’s mildly disturbing at best, in my opinion. I was disappointed. I definitely prefer Harmony’s well written Kids over Gummo.
On June 25th 2009, Friday Link Dump: HEY!!! | T-Shirt Blog By 101 Tees wrote:
[...] 15 Most Disturbing Movies (via) Having seen a few of those myself, I will admit they are pretty disturbing. If you’re up for it, I recommend actually watching them. [...]
On June 28th 2009, Harry Ballzagna wrote:
you think those are disturbing? you should check out Visitor Q
On July 5th 2009, Jacob’s Ladder / blog.ftofani.com wrote:
[...] o filme graças a uma lista de 15 filmes mais perturbadores já feitos e esperava algo completamente diferente. Jacob’s Ladder é daqueles filmes onde [...]
On July 6th 2009, becky wrote:
i think Alexandra’s Project is one of the most disturbing films i have ever seen you should check that one out
On July 11th 2009, disturbed wrote:
thanks for all of the ideas, i have several hours of viewing ahead of me.
you may want to check out a recently released indie film called HEADER.
the first time i saw it i didn’t know what to think. the film actually grows on you though…
here is a review that actually brought me to this site:
http://jadedviewer.com/2009/07/header-review.html
i’m interested in thoughts if anyone has seen it yet…
On July 13th 2009, MIDGET SLASHING MANIAX wrote:
Yeah like the list but Eraserheard that wasnt disturbing!!!! you should of added ‘in the realm of the senses’!
On July 14th 2009, Kuria wrote:
If you do a list of top disturbing movies released post-2000, Teeth will definitely make the cut … Ideally so should the Saw series … People who enjoy the franchise are definitely disturbed …
On July 14th 2009, dunk wrote:
Has anyone seen the Belgian film ‘The Ordeal’? Not a gore-fest, but pretty high up in the WTF utterly disturbing stakes!
On July 16th 2009, Kristi wrote:
This is a great list and I’ve seen about half. Needless to say, I’ve got some catching up to do.
One I think that should be on this list is “Martyrs”. Plenty of disturbing stuff going on in that one.
On July 17th 2009, Pane wrote:
the vilest movie i have seen was definitely “Der Ewige Jude”. It is a Nazi propaganda movie on Jews. Actors were acting at gun point and were later shot off screen.
Don’t think you can get much worst than that!
On July 19th 2009, robb wrote:
LOL at the nekromantik
if he has a girlfriend, why can’t he just had it with her.
On July 19th 2009, Lily wrote:
8 1/2 ?
On July 19th 2009, the3ofme wrote:
What about Event Horizon??
On July 19th 2009, yeti wrote:
philosophy of a knife. it’s about the japanese group who went into china during ww2 and “experimented” on people. You see a cockroach going into a woman vagina. all real.
On July 19th 2009, trevor wrote:
so far i would have to say that irreversible was the most disturbing movie from this list. i havent seen them all but i recently watched “salo” and slept like a baby. however after watching irreversible i laid in bed for hours next to my girlfriend thinking that everyone i ever loved would eventually get raped. plus, the playing backwards part makes it twice as fucked.
On July 20th 2009, your mum wrote:
what about death warrant with jean claude van dam. That has some pretty fucked up scenes
On July 20th 2009, Joe wrote:
Just watched Mordum……. Are you serious? The only reason this movie is difficult to watch is because it’s ridiculous and absolutely stupid. I feel brain damaged for wasting my time on it.
On July 22nd 2009, dz wrote:
where is teeth?
On July 26th 2009, The 15 Most Disturbing Movies Ever Made | Movie Crunch « impressive media wrote:
[...] 15 Most Disturbing Movies Ever Made | Movie Crunch July 26, 2009, 2:27 pm Filed under: New The 15 Most Disturbing Movies Ever Made | Movie Crunch. Leave a Comment No Comments Yet so far Leave a comment RSS feed for comments on this post. [...]
On July 26th 2009, viken wrote:
Lots of good films on your list and in these user comments. I am going to enjoy picking a few out to see.
One film I would add to the pile of recommendations is Begotten by E. Elias Merhige.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101420/
On July 28th 2009, M wrote:
Seen several of these. Some are great films — Henry — and some are just stupid crap — Necromantic. But I would like to point out that you missed a good one in Bad Boy Bubby. Check it out.
On July 28th 2009, jez wrote:
http://www.bravenewfilmreview.blogspot.com
im interested in film review and with a huge interest in dark/horror and arthouse films I decided to slowly build a review site.
so far so good.
check it out and tell me ur opinions. i’d love some feedback::)
Ive reviewed: salo, eraserhead, kill bill, anatome 2, the midnight meat train, reclaim your brain, rec erc.
hopefully it’ll be a guide to people with similar tastes in movies as me.
cheers,
Jez
On August 6th 2009, The 15 Most Disturbing Movies Ever Made (c/o MovieCrunch) « RiALiSE IMC wrote:
[...] 15 Most Disturbing Movies Ever Made (c/o MovieCrunch) 6 08 2009 I came across this list on MovieCrunch and, as a film enthusiast/movie geek, felt the need to share. Despite my love of all things [...]
On August 6th 2009, Today’s Super Cool Drunk Links wrote:
[...] The 15 Most Disturbing Movies Ever Made [...]
On August 19th 2009, Blah wrote:
Teeth was more or less pretty funny, I loveee the last house on the left (the old one
) but it wasnt disturbing (in my opinion), im surprised that so many people said “funny games”, I found it SO slow and boring, I couldn’t wait for it to be over and it didn’t disturb me at all…
Hard candy I also found was pretty slow and not disturbing at all…
I do agree with what people said about Martyrs, that one was a good disturbing movie
On August 21st 2009, Ashley wrote:
nice list.
ive watched most of these movies, and i agree.. they are pretty much the most disturbing things i have ever seen.
I still cant get over how real August Underground’s Mordum looked, i thought it was real the whole time D:
On August 23rd 2009, anon wrote:
The problem with many of these films is that when they are WAY over the top, it becomes impossible to take them seriously. Then they just become live-action versions of Itchy-and-scratchy.
More gore does not equal more disturbing, and in fact in many cases, more gore makes a movie LESS disturbing, because at some point you go from plausible to ridiculous.
Once you’ve lost the suspension of disbelief, can’t take the acting or story line seriously anymore, or just get the general feeling that the director is just trying to shock you with ever-larger fountains of red food coloring, then you lose any emotional connection to the film. At that point you might still be amused by what you see, but you won’t be disturbed.
For this reason I tend to find movies with limited amounts of plausible, but apparently random or psychopathic violence (eg Henry) far more disturbing than bloodbaths of gore or bizarre sexual perversion (eg Salo, a movie that in my opinion frankly sucked).
They certainly won’t make a list like this one, but I think the two most disturbing movies I’ve ever seen are “Goodfellas” and “The Shining”. The latter is just chilling because of the disturbing images and the characters slowly becoming violently insane. The former because of the plausible depiction of psychopathic gangsters (eg the famous “Funny. . .how am I funny? scene.
As another issue, if you know just a *little* bit about human anatomy and/or what happens to the human body under trauma, then some of these allegedly “hyper-realistic” scenes of violence actually become sort of comical, because they are anything but (EG “Flowers of Flesh and Blood”, and the rest of that silly “Guinea Pig” series).
Its just the Fox stupid rubber “Alien autopsy” thing, only with better production values.
On August 24th 2009, Lazy D wrote:
Angst isn’t French, it’s Austrian, and it’s a brilliant film.
On August 24th 2009, calza wrote:
Worst film I’ve seen is taxidermia (mentioned earleir by one poster).
I’ve gone through the comments and now have a list of 125 films, lol.
Ty!
On August 25th 2009, David wrote:
Mark in Vancouver (somewhere a few feet up this list of comments), you are driving me nuts!! Looselberries? La Fille et le Merde by Kelekk de Belekk? Jump Up and High-Five the Corpse? Funny thing how googling those names only brings up one single hit – this page! Either these are so super-rare and underground that even the internet hasn’t heard of them or *someone* has a sense of humor! Ach! I want to see all three now, confound you!!!
On August 25th 2009, David wrote:
Very interesting list – and also some very interesting recommendations in the comments! This was another of those interesting evenings copying names into IMDB and seeing what came up! I have already ordered a few new dvds . . .
I might just mention a couple that could be on this ever increasing list. Someone mentioned ‘Subconscious Cruelty’ but i should like to back that up as it is one of those very unpleasant art movies that push to the extremes. Another possibility is ‘Trouble Everyday’ by Clair Dennis. Maybe ‘Visions of Suffering’ by Andrey Iskanov could also fit here. ‘964 Pinocchio’ by Shozin Fukui as well, simply because it is so bizarre it hurts the head, easily out-weirding anything else i have seen from Japan.
In my case, i think Liquid Sky remains one of the most ‘disturbing’ things i have ever seen. I cant exactly recommend it as a ‘good’ film, but it squirmed its way into my head and left it full of a very nasty and sickly feeling that i have never got from anything else. The whole atmosphere and philosophy of the film is poisonous. An interesting experience, i will say.
On August 26th 2009, slickness_44 wrote:
i have seen most of the ones listed and my ten may seem weird but hey so am i and all of these truely inspired upsetting, disquieting and dismaying feelings in me! check them out and let me no what you think….
deliverance
lord of the flies
Tommy
hard candy
twin peaks (movie and show)
trainspotting
female trouble
return to OZ
Pierrepoint
frontier(s)
in no special order
slickness_44@yahoo.com
On August 30th 2009, Missy wrote:
Im currently downloading most of them including mordum XD EXCITEMENT!!
On September 2nd 2009, hIpPiE cHiCk wrote:
SO i haven’t seen a good amount of these and kinda have an interest to try..but i can’t take it, i could barely get through “Funny Games”…definitely a good a one if you want, as someone said above ^ a “psychological scare” with a lil gore but it’s enough..think about it. =)
On September 8th 2009, Caleb wrote:
wow.
with the original list and all these comments we have pretty much created the greatest list of disturbing (in various different ways) films on the Internet. Good work everyone!!
I say that cause many of these movies are pretty great and I would probably never have known they existed if someone didn’t recommend them in the comments.
On September 15th 2009, Chris wrote:
Of the list I’ve seen Requiem (disturbing, very good movie), Last House on the Left (not so disturbing, but a good horror movie), Cannibal Haulocaust (seems very real and disturbing), Eraserhead (weirdest movie i’ve ever seen, while you watch it you get tense due to the imagery and sounds), and Salo (just a very sick movie).
Other disturbing movies I’ve seen include The Deer Hunter (intense scenes of Russian roulette), Trainspotting (similar to Requiem), Oldboy (intensely violent), and Men Behind the Sun (probably the most disturbing movie I’ve ever watched, mainly because it is supposedly based on some real Japanese experiments on prisoners during WWII, the scene with a cat being eaten alive by rats is sickening).
On September 25th 2009, moi wrote:
honestly i think the only reason why PINK FLAMINGOES is not on the list is because either u guys didnt dare to look at it, or u did and u suppressed the memory of ever seeing it.
a movie doesnt need horrible killing scenes for it to be so disturbing i dont even want to write about anymore!!!!!ever
On October 1st 2009, tim wrote:
threads – would have been more shocking living in britain in the 80’s due to the actual threat of it etc. still some nasty scenes though
reqiuem – some disturbin scenes but mostly not that bad, very good film though
irreversable – fucked up, fire extinguisher scene, dear me
August underground – dont fuckin watch this shit,
On October 11th 2009, setan gundul wrote:
Awesome list
I’ve seen few of ‘em…
Add pink flamingoes it has “real” a scene,…like eating dog shit,…for real the director says that.
On October 13th 2009, brian t wrote:
the original pumpkinhead. i couldn’t even watch all of it but i remember a few pieces:
guy and mentally handicapped son living the desert
group of teens who enjoy riding dirtbikes in desert
kid runs on “track”, get hits by bike (ouch) and dies
teen responsible says he’s sorry, grieving dad refuses to forgive, wants revenge
dad goes to old lady to get revenge, old lady conjures up curse, turns pumpkin into horrible monster
monster starts killing EVERYONE. GRUESOMELY.
On October 19th 2009, johnny wrote:
mordum wasnt scary it was just sick and vile im a gore hound who can stand anything and that movie made me a little sick for a while but i got through it and salo was f’d up they used real child actors for that shit but wheres philosophy of a knife or guinea pig or mabey cutting moments the sickest short film ever made you might say how can a half hour movie be so disturbing watch it and find out
On October 21st 2009, Brett wrote:
Anyone ever seen the movie Blood Relation? It’s kind of old school. I was a young buck when I watched it, but I thought it was disturbing.
On October 24th 2009, Nick wrote:
well, im 13 and its just about time for halloween and my friend is hosting a halloween party so i was thinking about a very scary movie, as i read most of these plots over google i got a little shocked and have no plan on watching any of these movies. Yet these movies like the shining or the exorist(seen both) are scary they still are counted as disturbing and i slept amazed and shocked after watching both, yet the first movie on this list sounds disturbing, but i think it is a piece of garbage a movie with no plot is just lame. Also i dont think 2 deranged kids i think about my age kidnapping to girls and tormenting them is scary i wouldnt know as i havent seen the movie. yet great list and i wonder if i could find Cannibal Holocaust and i would diffently watch it with my friends yet since its banned in alot of places i doubt ill be able to find it, great list and thanks for sharing=P
On October 25th 2009, Michael wrote:
One Of The Best Lists I’ve Ever Seen Of This Move Genre. But I Would Have Added 2 Movies To This List Now Their Not The Most Disturbing But They’ll Put A New Look On A lot Of Things. The ClockWork Orange(1972) And The Chainsaw Massacure(1974)
On October 27th 2009, Phil wrote:
I haven’t seen hardly any of these, I don’t like gory movies. However, I have seen Jacob’s Ladder, I didn’t find it the least bit “disturbing”. I liked it a lot.
On November 8th 2009, Wytchcat wrote:
Great list,
Last House on the Left… saw as a child in the drive in with my parents… OH..That explains everything!
Hard Candy was ok.. not so disturbing.
Jacobs Latter also fantastic BECAUSE it was disturbing.
Requim.. I just detested… so yeah, disturbing.
I have to agree with the comments though about a couple of flicks.
The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and her Lover… one watch was all I could deal with… still in there somewhere years later.
Parents- Funny so you sort of gloss over the disturbing until later.
I would say that Charlie Kaufman deserves a place on this list.. maybe for Being John Malkavich or Adaptation. Both movies I really wanted to like but just found deeply uncomfortable.
I seem to remember a low end Spanish flick called “Pieces” that fell in this genre from my childhood years…. And its always better when foreign language, camp and gore go together.
On November 11th 2009, Mike wrote:
I wouldn’t compare Hostel with most of these movies. I saw/own some of these: (Salo, I Spit On Your Grave, August Underground: Mordum, Hard Candy, Last house On The Left, Cannibal Holocaust, and Audition) and I’ll say all those movies, with the exception of ‘Hard Candy’ are much worse than Hostel or even any of the Saw movies. If you’re into checking out disturbing movies check out the French Films: Martyrs, and Inside (À l’intérieur). I’d put either of those on this list and take out Hard Candy and I Spit On Your Grave. Thanks for the list though, I need to check some of these out that I haven’t seen. I’m trying to find a movie so disturbing that I can’t get through it, none of these did it for me that I saw.
On November 11th 2009, Mike wrote:
One more thing. Even if you’re not into the August Underground movies (theres 3 of them, Mordum being the 2nd one), or think they’re too over the top, you gotta respect Toe Tag Pictures for their talent. By you not being able to watch it means they did what I’d imagine they set out to do. Check out their movie Red Sin Tower, its gorey but nothing like the August Underground movies, its actually a good horror film.
On November 14th 2009, jdiggitty wrote:
I agree with Mike. Martyrs is the most disturbing movie I’ve ever seen. I’ve watched most on this list but Martyrs was the only one that truely did something to me. After it was over, I said to myself, “well, there’s a piece gone forever.”
On November 18th 2009, Kate wrote:
Well, I’ve set about acquiring most of the films on the list, plus some of the suggestions in the comments. My stomach is churning in anticipation already! I usually hate watching these kinds of movies, but I always seem to do it anyway. Like a moth to a flame. I know I’m gonna get burned, and yet… sigh.
I’d only seen Hard Candy before (I didn’t find it disturbing at all, but it certainly was an interesting movie), but I’ve seen a couple of the other titles in trash video (Henry, Cannibal Holocaust, Necromantic and Mordum).
Wish me luck everyone!
On November 25th 2009, sindy wrote:
Hi everyone.
Thanks for all your comments and suggestions. It’s the best list I have found so far.
Many of the films mentioned here I have seen, but in my endless quest for the most disturbing film made, I am in the process of getting all your suggestions as we speak. So thanks for that.
Its cool that everyone has different views. One film that was not on the list was Martyrs, and even though I have seen August (which, yes its bad) and aftermath and flesh and blood, I just found this film to be really hard going. Awesome film though.
On November 25th 2009, sindy wrote:
oh and thanks for the person that posted the taxidermia comment above!!! I had started watching it and switched it off on the second story as thought i was rubbish. But am now on the end part, and its OK, BUT my DVD player keeps sticking lol….
On November 29th 2009, Ang wrote:
I’d have to put Doom Generation somewhere just below these listed
On November 29th 2009, jaydazed wrote:
snuff 102. an underground argentinean torture flick that tops all these movies you all have listed so far. you can find it here…
http://www.watch-movies-online.tv/movies/snuff_102/
On December 8th 2009, james hogsett wrote:
I think videodrome should be somewhere on your list
On December 20th 2009, Ita wrote:
I love sinister horror with less gore, and I avoid watching the really sick graphic torture types like Hostel. Once I got stuck watching “Strangeland”. (Dee Sneider from the band Twisted Sister was involved in the making of that one.) It disturbed me for a long time. A violent ex-convict is back in the community, neighbors are outraged, there’s no proof he’s committing more crimes, and he’s got naked and genitally mutilated victims in excruciating bondage in cages in his own home. Yep, seriously sick.
On December 30th 2009, PoisonGodmachine wrote:
Time to update this list and add Von Trier’s “Anti Christ”.
Now THAT movie is disturbing!
On December 30th 2009, Simon wrote:
Gummo should be on this list. Jacob’s ladder was very good. I just watched it last night and finished it near midnight, yet still slept perfectly fine. One movie that had actually managed to freak the living crap out of me was The Fourth Kind, not something I’d expect from a PG-13 movie. Se7en is a movie that you could call disturbing, even though the movies on this list beat it in many ways. Se7en did have some moments that grossed out and/or terrified you. There are lots more japanese and european gore flicks that I haven’t seen but know for sure top the scariest and most disturbing lists. The only thing is, those movies have nearly no sense of purpose. Movies like Hard Candy(AWESOME) and Eraserhead(Also very good) do have sense of purpose.
On January 6th 2010, Steven wrote:
I can’t wait for the AFIs top 100 most disturbing films list.
On January 7th 2010, Davd wrote:
The most disturbing movie isn’t on this list.
The movie that should be number one on this list is About Schmidt starring Jack Nicholson. Why?
90-year old Kathy Bates is naked in the film. That’s a horror scene that will give you nightmares for the rest of your life.
On January 15th 2010, -Z- wrote:
ummm HELLO? where is Clock Work Orange on this list?????
On January 27th 2010, jesus wrote:
natural born killer?
On January 28th 2010, will wrote:
Pretty good but “Gummo” and “Deliverance” could have been added I think.I also found Steven Kings misery pretty disturbing yet the book is far better than the movie. Perhaps lighter than these other films yet certainly a classic.
On January 28th 2010, will wrote:
“Wolf Creek” definitely left an impression on me it put me off traveling further into Australia ,and its a true story. Terrifying movie!
On January 28th 2010, senorCat wrote:
Poisongodmachine is right.. Antichrist is most definatly one of the most disturbing movies ive seen. although i havent seen the top 2 on this list (which is probably a good thing)
On February 2nd 2010, Nathan wrote:
Good list. Of the films i’ve seen:
Requium for a Dream:
Excellent, well crafted film
Hard Candy:
Very powerful. Juno it ain’t.
Happiness:
Yes it’s disturbing, but it’s also very funny and poingiant.
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer:
Am I the only one that thinks the acting sucked and the murder scenes were as bad as anything made by Troma.
Audition:
A vile piece of torture porn trash!
Earaserhead:
It sure is weird, but it’s also a great example of the talent that is David Lynch.
Salo:
This is probably my foavorite film that I can’t recomend to anyone. It’s disturbing as hell, but it does have something to say.
I would have incudied “The Shining”, “Funny Games”, “Terror Firmer” (all of which I liked) “Baise Moi” and “Kids” (both of which I deplored)
On February 5th 2010, Eric wrote:
Add “In the mouth of madness” to the list
On February 5th 2010, TheStinger wrote:
Anyone mention Battle Royale yet? How can a class of school kids forced to kill each other on an island not be disturbing?
Tarantino said that part of this movie was an inspiration for Kill Bill.
On February 8th 2010, unknown kadanth wrote:
wow, what a long list of comments. No one is going to read mine. Crap… but y’all should check out some “Tromeo and Juliet” or “Combat Shock”. Not great movies by any means but they are pretty disturbing. Now.., who’s daddys little Crenshaw melon?