Most disturbing film?

[Dark Pulse]

1 hour ago, TheMagicMushroomMan said:

Irreversible, Audition, The Wailing, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Ichi the Killer (although it is also hilarious), Visitor Q, Man Behind the Sun, Horrors of Malformed Men, Emperor Tomato Ketchup, Squirmfest (Japanese scat p0rn with worms, the Guinea Pig series (mainly 2), Grotesque, August Underground 2.

Definitely can second Ichi the Killer.

 

And someone clearly loves himself some Takashi Miike.

[act]

You know what after reading the mere descriptions in this thread I no longer think those cartel execution videos are the worst things that humanity has put into video.

[Thelokk]

The Kindness of Strangers. Just like the novel it's taken from, nothing comes even close in the disturbing department. 

[Murdoch]

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. That theme song still haunts me.

[Poncho1]

Some must-see disturbing movies:

 

Eraserhead - also an experimental masterpiece. One of Lynch's best.

 

Cannibal Holocaust - excepting the animal cruelty, a true horror classic and still effective today. In spite of the director's insistence, I do believe he had something to say.

 

I Stand Alone - Noé's first film. Very gritty, with a brilliant performance by Philippe Nahon.

 

Irréversible - Noé's second. There're only 2 scenes that're disturbing, but man are they vicious. Both of these films of Noé are very good, this one especially.

 

Threads - British TV film about a nuclear holocaust. This is probably the most upsetting film I've watched. Nearly made me cry.

 

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer - down-to-earth serial killer film with a scary turn from Michael Rooker. Not really a slasher, either.

 

Men Behind the Sun - perhaps the most disturbing film I've seen. Some truly horrific experiment scenes in this one, and the production history is pretty dubious, too.

 

Angst - nowhere near as bad as the previously mentioned movies, but a very inventively-made serial killer film.

 

Beyond the Darkness - one of Joe D'Amato's best movies. Interesting gore flick with an effective soundtrack.

 

Some I haven't seen include:

 

The August Underground trilogy. Personally, I don't see the appeal of any. I like my horrors to be either good character studies, or sly entertainment. These are neither, by the sounds of it.

 

Emanuelle in America - another D'Amato film: has hardcore porn inserts, fake snuff towards the end, and... shall we say, a scene involving a horse (illegal, I think).

 

Murder-Set-Pieces - banned in the UK. Sounds like a serial killer which focuses heavily on the killing, but little on the killer. To me, it sounds boring.

[BoxY]

Come and See is one of the few films I've seen that really stuck in my gut for a while after watching, it's maybe the only war film I've seen that felt like it was actually about the real atrocities of war and not just about soldiers shooting at each other.

[TheMagicMushroomMan]

17 minutes ago, Poncho1 said:

The August Underground trilogy. Personally, I don't see the appeal of any. I like my horrors to be either good character studies, or sly entertainment. These are neither, by the sounds of it.

There isn't much appeal except for the folks who think it's "fucking hardcore man it's like a real snuff film dude!!!". To me, Guinea Pig at least feels a little more artistic/surreal/alienating, especially the later entries which were more even more surreal. AU is tryhard schlock, but it seems to repulse most people. "Let's make the video quality as low as possible so that nobody can see how cheap this all is" seems to be the motto.

 

@Dark Pulse I was going to add Riki-oh to the list, but it's just too entertaining to actually be disturbing to me :P still definitely worth watching regardless. About Takashi, yeah he's probably my favorite director of all time. I bought a subscription to an Asian film torrent site just to be able to download the movies of his that are too obscure to be found anywhere else. Try Yakuza Apocalypse, a movie about Yakuza vampire zombies and a frogman in a frogsuit that summons a third giant frog from Mt. Fuji to destroy Earth. Maybe the dumbest movie I've ever seen, but I'm glad I watched it for some reason.

[Csucskos]

I'm quite sensitive so even crappy horrorfilms can give me the creeps but for me some WW2 inspired movie would take the throne. The Pianist comes to mind. Obviously the film itself is very tame (compared to the previously mentioned pieces) but for me the unshakeable feeling of disgust and horror lingers for days after every watch.

[Naarok0fkor]

La Reine Margot because of Isabelle Adjani & the fact that it really happened. Almost anything by Cronenberg like Crash & The Naked Lunch... 

[Dubbag]

this one is another disturbing scene

 

[Nevander]

This thread is NSFL material for me. I don't know what it is, but I cannot watch or look at realistic depictions of really bad shit like these movies. The most I can watch is stuff like Walking Dead or zombie gore. I guess because it's man vs. monster. Hope I'm not the only big softie in here.

[Chezza]

2 hours ago, Snark said:

I'm surprised how few people seem to have seen Brian Yuzna's "Society". Goes a lot further than the 90's body horror movie it's depicted as.

 

 

My god it looks like John Carpenters The Thing in the middle of a sex orgy.

 

It looks like people already mention Serbian Film, which really doesn't need to exist. I would have preferred I've never see it.

 

Any movies that focuses on innocents being tortured, raped or forced to do disgusting things will always disturb me and get my disapproval. It's glorified dark web torture porn.

 

There are exceptions of course, usually sci fi where people are screaming in pain because of some gruesome creature is attacking them. Or a really bad person getting their come uppins.

[Mr. Freeze]

5 minutes ago, Nevander said:

This thread is NSFL material for me. I don't know what it is, but I cannot watch or look at realistic depictions of really bad shit like these movies. The most I can watch is stuff like Walking Dead or zombie gore. I guess because it's man vs. monster. Hope I'm not the only big softie in here.

 

Nah I agree with you. Almost every movie in this thread is an artless cynical trash pile that only exists so the director and his legion of fans can stroke their neckbeards and say "Well well well...looks like someone can't handle true horror" when people are revolted at these films' content. 

 

To meaningfully contribute, I'd nominate Threads because it's a cautionary tale to humanity at large about nuclear weapons and the final 10 minutes are some of the scariest shit you'll ever witness on film. 

[Poncho1]

17 minutes ago, Mr. Freeze said:

 

Nah I agree with you. Almost every movie in this thread is an artless cynical trash pile that only exists so the director and his legion of fans can stroke their neckbeards and say "Well well well...looks like someone can't handle true horror" when people are revolted at these films' content. 

Eh, dunno about that. It's indeed true in the case of several directors, especially those today (Ryan Nicholson, Nick Palumbo and Marian "cunt" Dora come to mind), but there're plenty of other disturbing and / or very gory movies that still offer a lot beyond the visceral elements. Maybe it's rude or elitist of me to say, and maybe I am conforming to the "you can't handle true horror" person you described, but it still something that irks me. Of course, this is all personal: I can still find something like Cannibal Holocaust a fascinating watch, even with the egregious animal cruelty (and, let it be known, not the only movie with it... whataboutism, I know, but hey).

 

Good call for Threads, though, that's one that flies under a lot of people's radar.

 

On another note, seeing a lot of posts about this, I completely forgot about Asian horror and whatnot which, to my shame, I haven't seen a lot of. Takashi Miike and the Hong Kong Category III movies could be worth watching for those into disturbing / extreme cinema. If you understand French, there's a good video from the channel "Le coin du bis" that goes into several of the better known Cat III films.

[TheMagicMushroomMan]

40 minutes ago, Mr. Freeze said:

 

Nah I agree with you. Almost every movie in this thread is an artless cynical trash pile that only exists so the director and his legion of fans can stroke their neckbeards and say "Well well well...looks like someone can't handle true horror" when people are revolted at these films' content.

I agree to an extent (depending on what specific films you're referring to). Stuff like A Serbian Film, Cannibal Holocaust, Man Behind the Sun, August Underground, etc. exist for this purpose, but I don't think any of those directors have legions of fans. I have seen people act this way in regards to Serbian Film, though. Oh, and Antichrist was mentioned, which was directed by someone who does have legions of fans, so maybe what you said does have some merit. I still think this isn't common behavior though.  These films are mainly known by reputation, so the majority of people watching them are looking to be repulsed or disturbed, which can be cathartic for some people.

 

But there have also been plenty of films mentioned here (Wailing, Eraserhead, The Ring, Society, Audition, Pulse, even ultra-violent stuff like Ichi the Killer) that don't fit into that category at all. And there are plenty of films I consider to be cynical artless trash piles that aren't even in the horror genre, so I don't think that's something specific to disturbing films.

Edited May 18, 2022 by TheMagicMushroomMan

[Mr. Freeze]

On David Lynch: Are his films disturbing or just weird? Eraserhead, for me at least, is a weird unsettling movie but it didn't utterly freak me out like say, Hereditary.

[TheMagicMushroomMan]

3 minutes ago, Mr. Freeze said:

On David Lynch: Are his films disturbing or just weird? Eraserhead, for me at least, is a weird unsettling movie but it didn't utterly freak me out like say, Hereditary.

Lynch isn't really my thing either, I perfer Jodorowsky (El Topo, Holy Mountain). I don't find his films particularly disturbing on a visual or psychological level, just strange. In other words, my favorite Lynch movie was The Elephant Man. 

[TheLippyServer]

26 minutes ago, TheMagicMushroomMan said:

Lynch isn't really my thing either, I perfer Jodorowsky (El Topo, Holy Mountain). I don't find his films particularly disturbing on a visual or psychological level, just strange. In other words, my favorite Lynch movie was The Elephant Man. 

Lynch is one of my favorites, but I love me some Alejandro too. Santa Sangre is one of my all time favorite movies.

[RonLivingston]

I don't like Movies that are all about feuding and fighting. Just its too chaotic for me 

 

But I know Squirm from 1976 is totally Disturbing all because of the sound effects of those man eating worms!

[hybridial]

Society is a good movie, the finale itself is well done, but I dunno, I have a weird position on this. There's a lot of movies here mentioned I wouldn't watch, and I am comfortable with not doing so. I love horror, but I gravitate to it more for ideas and atmosphere and not necessarily shock exploitation. Also I'm not looking to be depressed which covers some other films. I make no judgements about them, they sound like they have respectable goals in some cases. I like body horror but not trash body horror; I love Videodrome, The Thing and Scanners, all movies with Ideas. I mean, I don't find them that disturbing personally but, they don't exist just to gross people out and if you're movie only does that I'm not interested.  Also I've seen The New York Ripper... not really one I'd recommend even though it is fairly well made for what it is. It deserves a mention I think because of how the violent scenes were directed, they will make you wince. Fulci's Don't Torture a Duckling however, is fantastic. It has one scene that I think is very effective just because of its blunt brutality and tragedy. I might watch Maniac sometime though because from what I know of it, it seems interesting. 

 

Black Christmas' ending will always stick with me. I mean I like a movie that does a lot without showing much. It did more with a shot of outside a building with a phone ringing than many movies can manage with an onscreen kill scene. I'll also make a shout out to William Peter Blatty's Faith trilogy. The Exorcist 3 is actually the most lurid and downbeat of those by far (as much as The Exorcist has some fucked up shit going on screen) and I guess it's because those movies are not just horror movies to me but strong narratives which explore some very interesting points about good and evil, or sanity vs insanity in The Ninth Configuration's case. I find myself musing on them quite a bit, because I sort of delved mentally more into their meanings and what Blatty is exploring. 

 

Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a fair one, I like it, I don't think anyone ever recaptured it's gritty feeling in doing that kind of horror movie. Also, again, didn't have to show much. I'll end with Hellraiser, which essentially I love the actual short story it's based on and the ideas behind that. These are mostly in the movie. What people latched onto is not that stuff hence the sequels could never decide on any coherent way to follow the first film. It's a more disturbing a movie if you think less about the gore set pieces and rather, what kind of feeling leads to lust being dominant in our motivations; the story about the human characters is really the whole point and all the cenobite elements are immensely creative metaphors. I mean, they were so good they essentially produced enough fumes for what, 10 sequels. But the point of the original story was kind of lost. 

 

 

Edited May 18, 2022 by hybridial

[LavaWave]

Ok let me say I prefer surreal/cosmic/pychological horror where "Nothing is scarier" or some type of such trope is my type of horror for me, be it video games such as this, Silent Hill, Penumbra, "What Remains of Edith Finch" and films such as the lighthouse, beyond the black rainbow, Curve.

These films and video games are my type of horror, gore doesn't interest me much, it mostly feels there for the shock, nothing that sticks to your mind, I prefer the aforementioned type of horror as it is more disturbing than the generic monster/demon/serial killer or whatever, I prefer the type of horror where an unknown force in the background pulling the strings or the feeling of such which means "Maybe magic, maybe mundane" as those fuck with your mind, I love that type of horror.

Edited May 18, 2022 by LavaWave

[Captain Keen]

Some of the films people are mentioning here, like Pulse or The Wailing, are legitimately good films, and most of their horror is psychological. I almost feel like we need two categories: Most Disturbing Film (that is actually good!) and Most Disturbing Film (Pure Shock/Gore Edition)

 

17 hours ago, BoxY said:

Come and See is one of the few films I've seen that really stuck in my gut for a while after watching, it's maybe the only war film I've seen that felt like it was actually about the real atrocities of war and not just about soldiers shooting at each other.

 

One of the greatest films ever made, in my opinion. Also a remarkable film because there is very little violence in it. Very little actual blood. The worst stuff to watch is probably the real killing of a cow in that respect. The vast majority of this film is disturbing because of the acting, sound design and psychological impact of the horror it is depicting. The Shining, although supernatural, works in a similar way, where it is not a particularly violent film but the performances and sound design make it incredibly disturbing. (Come and See feels like a film Kubrick would have made if he was from Belarus.)

[deleted-account]

Off the top of my head I recall A Serbian Film being the most outright "shocking" of the disturbing movies I've seen.  Other contenders include Melancholle der Engel (it almost felt haunted), Aftermath (1994) (just nasty), Men Behind the Sun (depressing as all hell), and Megan is Missing (the last part is nasty).

Lot's of people will mention the "Guinea Pig" series and other related 80's/90's torture films too, but the problem with these is that they carry on **way** too long with minimal plot and the gore effects are rather fake looking.  These types of films are a big time-waster IME, and can be flat out boring at worst.

Stuff like Traces of Death/Liveleak compilations/Death Files/FUBAR and other real gore and nasties are in their own category IMO.  Personally I wouldn't consider them actual "movies" per say, and the rabbit hole is pretty much never ending with them.  Can't say I recommend any of these, they all blend in together in one heap of nastiness.

[Grain of Salt]

1 hour ago, hybridial said:

Black Christmas' ending will always stick with me

 

You should watch the remake, it's far more disturbing. It creates the harsh, oppressive atmosphere of being stuck on a planet where tasteless morons have huge film budgets and can remake whatever old film they feel like ruining. I couldn't even finish it.

[hybridial]

2 hours ago, Grain of Salt said:

You should watch the remake, it's far more disturbing.

 

See... I am in the position where I have to ask...

 

Which remake? :(

[Jello]

21 hours ago, BoxY said:

Come and See is one of the few films I've seen that really stuck in my gut for a while after watching, it's maybe the only war film I've seen that felt like it was actually about the real atrocities of war and not just about soldiers shooting at each other.

I have to agree with this wholeheartedly. Come and See is the only film that I've seen that made me feel physically nauseous and mentally disturbed after I watched it.

 

It's immensely disturbing, despite the fact there are really no graphic scenes of killing. Aside from the cow. There are deaths, mass deaths, but you never see people being shot or blown apart. The callous disregard that the Germans show in the church burning is just inhuman, it was a joke, it was a bit of fun burning humans alive and shooting at the walls to stop the people trying to escape. 

 

And these actions have been happening since the dawn of human civilization. And it's far more disturbing because it's the actions of a government, the actions of human beings creating and following orders, and it's organized. Large groups of humans being mobilized to terrorize and eliminate a slightly different group of people. And sometimes they just get bored and decide to murder civilians.

 

Come and See, despite being something of an anti-Nazi propaganda film, should be seen by everyone. Because the war it took place in was not the only war that these atrocities have happened in, or are happening, or will happen.

 

That's why Come and See is the most disturbing movie that I've ever seen. I can deal with zombies, random cannibals, vampires, pretty much any fake violence you can throw at me I'm fine with. But I can't deal with the callous disregard that humans can display towards other humans. The movie was fiction based on fact. 

 

And it was it was 16 years ago that I first saw it, and it still sticks with me. I was dating a girl at the time, and I asked if she wanted to watch it. She did. And her quote at the end will forever stick with me: "That was the best movie I've ever seen. And I never want to watch it again".

[Faceman2000]

2 hours ago, hybridial said:

 

See... I am in the position where I have to ask...

 

Which remake? :(

I hope he’s referring to the 2019 one. I’ve never laughed that hard in a movie theater before. Me and a couple buddies went to see a matinee showing so we could openly make fun of the movie without bothering people (we had almost the whole room to ourselves) but we were not prepared for how bad it was . 10/10 experience, -3/10 film.

[Jello]

1 hour ago, Faceman2000 said:

I hope he’s referring to the 2019 one. I’ve never laughed that hard in a movie theater before. Me and a couple buddies went to see a matinee showing so we could openly make fun of the movie without bothering people (we had almost the whole room to ourselves) but we were not prepared for how bad it was . 10/10 experience, -3/10 film.

My most awkward laugh at a movie was Team America: World Police. When Kim Jong Il was told that Hans Blix was there to meet him.

 

"Hans Brix, oh no! Oh hello, great to see you again Hans!" I'm pretty sure I was the only person in the theater who knew who Hans Blix was, and I laughed my ass off at that line.

[Grain of Salt]

13 hours ago, hybridial said:

 

See... I am in the position where I have to ask...

 

Which remake? :(

 

Lol I didn't know they remade it twice. How tragic.

 

Well, having read the synopses on wikipedia just now, I'm pretty sure I saw the 2006 one. The one I saw started out by establishing a sub-Halloween backstory for the killer, whereas the 2019 remake seems to go back to having him be unexplained, at least to start with (and then later makes him a wizard?? lol)

[bobstremglav]

Most disturbing I saw is Evil Dead. Scenes with zombies so gross.

 

Best part is that I watched this with my mom.