By Eric Myford
When I say disturbing movies, I mean DISTURBING movies. These are the kind of movies that could never be palatable by the faint of heart. You will see no Saws or Hostels on this list because, frankly, that's bush league. The following movies hit hard and they never let up, for various reasons. These movies also tend to have unique stories behind their creation. They make even the most hardened genre fans step back and say: “damn”. You cannot unsee these, they stick with you, and depending upon your disposition, they may even scar you forever. So without further ado, I present to you, ten of the most disturbing horror movies ever made.
Top 10 Most Disturbing Movies Of All Time
10. Martyrs
A woman sets off to locate the people involved in her kidnap and torture as a child before she escaped, only to discover how horrific her circumstances really were. This is such an intense movie and can be exceedingly difficult to watch for many reasons. But bear with it because there is truly an incredible story here and downright masterful filmmaking. But it does require strong constitution.
9. Men Behind the Sun
A telling of the true life events of Japanese Unit 731, who rounded up Chinese and Russian people in order to test out new biological weapons. Yeah this movie is pretty much all about torture, various kinds of intense torture shown in graphic detail. And while it is an intense movie, since it is based on actual events, it really makes things all the more horrific to witness. These things happened, and watching a fictionalized but realistic reenactment is not easy.
8. Nekromantik
A street cleaner brings home a human corpse for he and his wife to play with but becomes upset when his wife prefers the corpse over him. Now for some, the subject matter of necorphilia may not be all that disturbing, and for some, just reading this is probably turning their stomachs. And let me tell you, things get very graphic. But it's a fascinating movie, certainly an interesting curio. That said, a human corpse is not the only one violated.
7. Grotesque
A doctor kidnaps a young couple and proceeds to torture each one of them in full view of the other, playing sadistic games along the way. In terms of graphic movies, this one is well up there on the list. The torture scenes are absolutely brutal while also being incredibly captivating. Sure to make some people rather queasy, the camera never shies away from showing literally everything. The execution here is as vile as it is brilliant.
6. Antichrist
In the wake of their child's death, a couple retreats to their isolated cabin in the woods where strange, seemingly supernatural events are causing massive psychological trauma to the wife. Von Trier goes darker than ever before in this film and it is an absolute masterpiece for me. The imagery, the extreme and often gruesome violence, the insane story and the visual beauty of it all. Truly a unique film that must be seen with a hardened heart.
5. Africa Addio
This shockumentary shows life in Africa, the struggle for survival, and the many horrors that await man and beast there. Before Faces of Death there was the Mondo Cane series, and this movie was the most brutal of all. If you are an animal lover, never watch this. Just saying that now. But there are also instances of real human death, brutally so. But it's the animals that got to me, an absolute shocker of a documentary and more horrific than 99% of straight horror films.
4. Cannibal Holocaust
Footage is found from a documentary team that never returned from their trip into the Amazon, displaying their last days. Yeah, this movie. The director was arrested for obscenity and murder, which was cleared once the actors came forward because that's how realistic this movie is. One way they achieved this? Actual animal death on screen. Multiple times. Viciously. The nastiest of all the exploitation movies.
3. The Bunny Game
A prostitute is abducted by a trucker, taken to the desert, and then the bunny game begins. There will never be another movie like this. There was no script. The director literally hired a psychopath (who beat the shit out of him in a bar) and told him to just do whatever he wanted to the lead actress. It's haunting how disturbing this movie is. What makes it resonate even more is that the movie was conceptualized by the lead actress. Based on an experience she had.
2. Salo: or the 120 Days of Sodom
Four powerful men in Nazi occupied Italy abduct eight girls and eight boys and over 120 days proceed to do what they wish to them. The movie so disturbing, after its release, the director was murdered. This movie is so incredibly graphic and vile in every conceivable way, and it too is a masterpiece. I couldn't look away. It's revolting in so many ways, and yet beautifully filmed. I think it's that dichotomy which may make it as disturbing as it is.
1. A Serbian Film
A pornstar comes out of retirement to star in a visionary director's new wave porno, only to discover the movie is not what he thought it would be. Then he wakes up three days later, covered in blood and must retrace his steps to find out what happened. The granddaddy of them all. Whether you love or hate this movie, you must acknowledge how unfettered it is with its brutality. Everything is shown. Every taboo broken, shattered. A movie like this will never be made again. This is the high point, the most disturbing movie ever made. And it's not just for shock, there's a message here, there's art. Out of the thousands of movies I have watched, this is the only one that ever affected me. Its intensity can never be denied.
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