The Most Disturbing Movies of All Time

[Neno_Kos]

When I was kid Rosemary's Baby was one of most disturbing things I saw. But I dont know now. To me disturbing has completely different meaning from usual violence, torture or something gross to watch.

 

[Mandon Knight]

When I was kid Rosemary's Baby was one of most disturbing things I saw. But I dont know now. To me disturbing has completely different meaning from usual violence, torture or something gross to watch.

Spoiler: Overall themes

Its still psychologically disturbing as apposed to any on screen reason, the whole set up from the start and it's final reveal is fundamentally disturbing and the central betrayal is the most disturbing of all.

 

[Lasirius]

I've avoided the following, I don't know if I'll ever watch them:
A Serbian Film
Salo
Cannibal Holocaust

Most disturbing films I'd never watch again:
Martyrs
Antichrist
Mysterious Skin

 

[childeroland]

Cannibal Holocaust (morally repulsive in its treatment of animals)
An American Crime (one of the most despairing films I have ever seen)
Martyrs (brilliant but stomach-churning)
A Serbian Film (almost makes me rethink my stance on censorship)

 

[markjoedelonge]

Also Bone Tomahawk has one of the most upsetting sequences I think I've ever seen.

Oh yes. Definitely. That was one of the hardest sequences to watch.

"The Mothman Prophecies" really unsettled me when I watched it at a young age. Still does unsettle me.

 

[Guts]

Just watched Come and See. It's definitely the most effective anti-war movie.

 

[childeroland]

That film is weirdly beautiful (its craftsmanship) and viscerally ugly at the same time. Unforgettable.

 

[lime]

Akira

That movie f****d me up when I was a kid.

 

[scarlet-witch]

I tried watching Salo once years ago but chickened out before I could finish it.

 

[Deck Rickard]

I need to give Salo a shot. I've heard it's all kindsa messed up.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Bumping this thread because "Hereditary" certainly makes the cut in my book. Wow.

 

[Mandon Knight]

Audition is pretty 'out there' as well.

 

[Deck Rickard]

I still need to see that one.

 

[Mandon Knight]

Ichi the Killer is almost impossible to watch for those of a squeamish disposition (like myself).

 

[Finarfiniel]

Definitely A Serbian Film. I remember a few years ago someone uploaded the whole unedited movie to YouTube and the link was being shared around everywhere (goodness knows how they managed to get away with it for so long) so me and a bunch of friends dared each other to see how much of it we could get through. I somehow managed to watch the whole thing (it's like a car crash, you can't look away), but I felt totally gross and nauseated afterwards and I wished I'd never watched it. How anyone thinks this **** up is beyond me.

Oh, and Nekromantic 2 is truly vile, as is the first one I presume though I haven't seen it. A friend thought it would be hilarious to stick that on at a movie night once and I didn't speak to them for a while after that.

A recent film I watched that I thought was pretty disturbing is The Neon Demon, but that's also really good. Highly recommended for people that like to watch films that push boundaries a little, it's on Netflix.

 

[Mandon Knight]

With Neon Demon, it's one of those films, where you know where it's going or trying to aim for, but yet the destination once there, excites and is found riveting.

In the same sense, I found Only God Forgives enjoyable, I know many hate it, but the unsettling nature of it, is what drives it forward as a narrative and Kristen Scott Thomas is electrifying in it.

 

[FunkMiller]

Men Behind The Sun
Guinea Pig
Nekromantic

...Human Centipede is a walk in the park.

And then of course, there's this:

Truly the most disturbing movie ever made.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Men Behind The Sun
Guinea Pig
Nekromantic

...Human Centipede is a walk in the park.

And then of course, there's this:

Truly the most disturbing movie ever made.

 

[Incarnadine]

The ones that spring to mind for me are


Videodrome - pretty freaking weird

American Mary - I actually saw this in the theater when Cineplex had Sinister Cinema showings on 1 Thursday a month. It was shot locally and a lot of the bit parts were actual people in the city who were really into body modification. What made it fun to watch is a big part of the sold out showing was made up of the cast and crew from the movie.


Mother! - Love it or hate it I don't think anyone can deny that movie was disturbing as hell, especially the last 30 minutes.

 

[ban768]

Gummo was one of the most repulsive movies I have ever watched.

 

[m2k]

Haven't seen too many disturbing movies here. Haven't seen Gummo, but I have seen 'Kids' by the same screen writer. Although a bit exaggerated in its themes, teen misbehavior and shenanigans are disturbing to me, and I'm sure to many.

 

[Yowza]

Does morally offended count? I have a vague description on Netflix to blame for watching about half of "DeadGirl". Pretty much 3 loser friends go to bottom of abandoned hospital/mental ward and find a woman down there strapped to a gurney. They realize she's dead so start raping her and killing her realizing comes back to life again. Pretty messed up and didn't get through the movie not so much cause couldn't stand to witness but just irritated and found it distasteful and pointless. I skipped to end and pretty much a moral flakeout of a film just like the main character. It also was disturbing as if made for some sort of deviant kind of thrill the movie was trying to cater to perhaps which I don't find at all appealing.

Another movie I won't watch is the "Toxic Avenger" not cause it's so violent or disturbing but because of how weird and stupid the filmmakers were trying to be. To the point of yes, being disturbing.

Obviously there's different types of messed up films. The Director's Cut of Last House on the Left more of a serious tone but really prolonged rape scene by the criminal father of the girl's friend. The film is also quite violent and bit of a scramble after the home invasion takes place. Of course, the revenge the girls father (whose a doctor) has on him at the end (after both of them fall off stairs in fight scene leading to paralysis for one of them) blowing the guys head up with some sort of electrode used at the doctor's office or something like that. Overall, film just felt like an exploitatious thrill ride meant to provide a satisfying ending for those that enjoy movies like this I suppose...

Windcroft (actually some moral afterthought to this unlike others mentioned) is very low key most of the film with just a couple going back to husband's childhood home, husband reverts into abusive sexual relationship with his sister from times past, sister goes crazy killing him and wife whose just repulsed by the whole thing kills his sister as trying to flee in an overall sudden emotionally jarring manner end to an otherwise subdued film most of the way through until nears the end.

Anyway, far too many disturbing movies saw. If it's dark and not overly exploitatious with gore I'll give it a try if it has a message worth thinking about. Windcroft while a smaller made film deeply disturbing did have me thinking afterwards as at least seemed predicated on a message of some sort.



Edit: Original Strawdogs (haven't seen re-make) is another messed up movie. Pretty much really irritated me. Nerdy loser husband takes wife out in the country. His wife some of the townsmen have the hots for and she likes to her assets to a degree. The husband can't stand up to them (listens to wife less and less as a result and blames and ignores bad things happening to point of an imbecile) but by movie's end learns to tell his wife to be quiet and threaten to snap her neck as he's sort of thrust into a situation of having to defend a disabled yet murderous pedophile that the men are trying to get at in his home as the point that prompts him to fight back. A very morally shady film overall (an exercise in misogyny I don't know if sums up completely or not) that left me feeling quite angry and a bit wierded out afterwards (main character behaves like a complete idiot throughout that just confounds the whole thing).

 

[lime]

I got one more:

Caligula (1979)

 

[Jh7058622]

Nymphomaniac
Hard Candy

 

[scarlet-witch]

An American Crime (one of the most despairing films I have ever seen)

And to think they barely touched up on all the things that happened to Sylvia in real life. Her case messed with me. I'll never forget reading it.