Some people need a good scare every once and a while, these movies will satisfy that craving for a long time, possibly permanently.
The House That Jack Built
This movie is so disturbing, it’s almost comical. With an all-star cast (Matt Dillon and Uma Thurman?? You can’t beat that) and a director with a seriously disturbing vision for all of his films, this movie is a borderline masterpiece. Matt Dillon plays Jack, a brilliant serial killer who’s been on a spree for 12 years. Some of the depictions of violence chased people away from the theaters, despite the inflated prices.
Bite
After being bitten by some kind of strange insect in Costa Rica, a young woman starts to transform. Bite is swimming with body horror, so much so that the first viewers of the flick were given themed vomit bags when entering the theater. The film caused two viewers to experience medical distress during the first showing.
Revenge
Revenge is about a woman who was left for dead after her boyfriend and his friends attacked her and dropped her in the desert. This movie is gory, disturbing, and not at all uplifting in the Kill Bill way. This move caused one unlucky viewer to suffer a stress-induced seizure at a Toronto film festival. Proceed with caution.
The Green Inferno
Made by Eli Roth, the creator of ‘Hostel,’ the former gold medal holder for the most disturbing movie of all time, ‘The Green Inferno” tops that and more. Roth is a maestro in depicting accurate brutal torture, this movie will have you squirming on the edge of your seat the whole time.
Raw
Raw is about a vegetarian veterinarian who tastes meat for the first time and loses control. This film is now available on streaming services but before that, the United States only had a limited release in small theaters. If medical horror, dismemberment, and cannibalism isn’t your thing, what are you even doing watching horror movies?
Hereditary
Ari Aster is the king of grief. Hereditary was a game-changing film, not because of its setting or theme, but because of the writing and acting. If you think you can handle a standard horror film, Hereditary will crank it up to 11 for you, no strings attached.
A Serbian Film
This movie is not for the faint of heart, and it absolutely IS NOT okay for children to watch. A Serbian Film is about an adult film actor who was struggling to find work. While floundering for cash, the protagonist agrees to work on some movies that forced him to commit horrific acts of violence and torture to his co-stars. This movie is banned in seven countries.
Meet the Feebles
This film is like the muppets on crack, literally. Meet the Feebles covers topics like lust, drug use, terminal illness, war, greed, and most terrifyingly, golf. If you have the stomach for the nastiest puppet movie ever created, try to give this one a watch.
Mother
This is a biblical film but in the most abstract sense imaginable. This 2017 psychological-horror film follows the characters Mother and Him, an allusion to God and Mother Earth. As the movie progresses, the scenes get more confusing, disorienting, and violent. This is quite possibly one of the tensest movies ever made.
Caligula
This is a borderline snuff film, but that’s other news. This film was made to accurately attempt to depict the life of Caligula, one of the rulers of the Roman Empire. He was known for his mercilessness, lustiness, and general depravity. This was originally political satire but turned into something much more unsavory. One of the original directors disavowed the film, and it is banned in several countries.
The Human Centipede II
The sequel to the cult classic “The Human Centipede” does not shy away from gore, disturbing imagery, and torture. This psychological horror follows up the plot of the first film but quintuples the magnitude. A deranged fan of the original film follows in the footsteps of the German surgeon who got the ball rolling, this one is literally four times as disturbing as the first.
Veronica
This Netflix original shook the world in 2018 when it was dubbed by critics as “the scariest horror film ever made.” This is a tall order, of course, but words do not do this movie justice. This film is notorious for its ability to make audiences shy away halfway though, only the dumbest and boldest can make it through.
Martyrs
We recommend you watch the American version of this film before you watch the original French version. Martyrs is a film that gives horror-nerds the heebie-jeebies, and it will certainly affect you. Avoid this is you’re spooked by torture and brutal murders, like a sane person.
The Woman
This film highlights the dangers of attempting to normalize another human being. It is rumored that this is supposed to be a commentary about removing cultural norms in order to make some people “easier to exist with,” however, the director takes that idea and throws the whole thing out the window. This movie is seriously, deeply, disturbing.
The Bunny Game
This could possibly be one of the scariest movies ever made. Every single thing that happened in this film ACTUALLY happened to the protagonist and co-creator Roldeen Gestic. Aside from the on-camera drug and alcohol abuse, every event in this film was experienced by Gestic, and she has the scars to prove it. This was an artistic representation of the trauma that she experienced, in an attempt to help her recover and accept her experiences further. You should watch this film, but you shouldn’t enjoy it.
Baskin
This is the most accurate depiction of evil since the movie Hellraiser, except Baskin is much more gruesome. The setting of this film is actually Hell. The characters are put through Hell. This is one Hell of a disturbing movie.
Requiem for a Dream
This film is about the dangers of narcotics and abusing prescription drugs. Requiem for a Dream is beautifully filmed, gripping, sad, and draining. Viewers might turn away halfway through because they are afraid of seeing the truth behind what narcotics can truly do a person. Show this film to someone to educate them on the dangers of harmful drugs, avoid using those documentaries or true-life stories, this is as real as it gets.
Gummo
This movie isn’t outwardly, in your face disturbing. However, it does depict depression, neglect, and decay better than most films ever have. This dark, dissonant, and seemingly genreless collection of chaotic imagery will absolutely churn your stomach. Genuinely, you should watch this film.
The Girl Next Door
This movie is so, incredibly unsettling. This is based loosely on a true crime case from 1965, in which a girl named Sylvia Likens was tortured and killed by her next-door neighbor. Do not watch this movie with children in the room, and absolutely do not watch this on a first date.
I Spit on Your Grave
This bombastic and disturbingly real movie will completely blow you away. Based on a true event, this film is about a woman exacting deadly revenge on her abusers after experiencing multiple cases of sexual abuse. Some call this movie “depressing and vile” others call it a feminist masterpiece. In a lot of ways, it’s both.
Goodnight Mommy
We all love our moms, but what if someone (or something) came home after getting facial reconstruction surgery that wasn’t your mom? Two 10-year-old twins play the lead in conspiring against their “mother” in order to discover who she really is.
PIG
This movie has only had two public showings, despite positive critical reviews. This movie was almost banned from SXSW in 2017 because of its graphic nature. The depictions of loss, murder, torture, and cannibalism are almost too much to bear.
Antichrist
Following the death of their son, a young couple seeks to isolate themselves in a cabin in the woods to gain some clarity about the experience. While in isolation, the couple begins to experience strange and violent tendencies and begin to harm each other. This movie is claustrophobic and outlandish, highlighting themes of satanism and witchcraft.
Audition
This 1999 Japanese cult classic is tempting and terrifying. The tension in the movie builds off of the character interactions, specifically the torture. The antagonist prods the protagonist with pins and needles more and more every day until… Well, you’re going to have to figure that out.
Attack of the Adult Babies
This film depicts a disturbing portrayal of the actions of unusual “adults” as they transform from diaper-wearing, teat-suckling adult babies into disgusting pig creatures. Kind of like Spirited Away, just nastier.
A Field in England
This 17th-century box of strange follows a bizarre witch doctor/alchemist and the people he kept hostage to search for buried treasure. One catch, he dosed his slaves with massive amounts of hallucinogenic mushrooms and forces them to work in the sun for long hours. Please watch this.
Valhalla Rising
This Viking, nicknamed One-Eye is a ruthless fighter who travels with Christian Crusade fighters to eradicate North American indigenous folk who were, at the time, plagued by dark and violent visions. This is less gripping, more SWORD gripping. Tons of guts and decapitations in this flick.
Snowtown
This movie is a true retelling of the tragic Snowtown murders in Australia in 1992-1999. These were the most tragic murders in modern Australian history, and that imagery is not spared whatsoever in the film. This film follows a troubled young man who joins with another likeminded individual, and they encourage each other to commit these murders.
The Act of Killing
This is an interesting documentary, directed partially by Anwar Congo, who was a former gangster that was involved in the genocide of over 1,000,000 people. This documentary is about the dark and terrible ways that genocide is made possible, it is bone-chilling, and it is real.
Natural Born Killers
If you haven’t taken the time to watch this classic yet, do yourself a big favor and check it out today. This movie is a followup regarding the highly televised Manson murders and it sort of follows in the footsteps of Bonnie and Clyde. Chock full of violence, car chases, and political rhetoric, this movie is an unbelievable hit.
Funny Games
If the subject matter in this movie doesn’t freak you out, the soundtrack absolutely will. Funny Games is like Scream, but so violent that you couldn’t show it in theaters.
120 Days of Sodom
This might be the oldest film on the list so far, made in 1975, 110 Days of Sodom or Salo was made to purely disgust the viewer. This movie is hard to watch in 2019, imagine how difficult it would have been in the 70s.
Cannibal Holocaust
This movie masqueraded as a found footage film, they did such a good job of making this look like a found footage movie that the director got arrested on obscenity charges and then arrested for murder, in regards to the movie being so graphic and realistic.
Videodrome
Videodrome is more of an Akira style body-horror movie, which came out right before Akira was released. This movie is like a cross between Bladerunner and The Thing, and we love it.
House
Hausu is a Japanese cult classic made in 1977. It is half animated, half live-action, and all bizarre.
Get Out
This was Jordan Peele’s directorial debut, and he absolutely scared the pants off of everyone who walked into the theater. He mashed social commentary and traditional horror so seamlessly that he created a new wave of movies just like Get Out.
Alien
This movie practically invented space horror and is just as unsettling as the H. R. Giger artwork that it’s based on.
Rosemary’s Baby
This was in the realm of films when things began getting strange. Rosemary’s Baby shocked audiences because they had genuinely never seen something grotesque and morose as this film, because that didn’t exist until then.
Eraserhead
This movie still perplexes critics, viewers, and prop designers alike. Not only is it spooky and weird, nobody has any idea how the Eraserhead baby actually worked.
Jacobs Ladder
This movie disturbed viewers because of its timeline placement. Veterans and civilians alike were freaked out in equal portions, but those who had already been experiencing PTSD might have empathized with the characters a little better.
A Clockwork Orange
Creepy and grotesque, this film will probably make you squirm. Be thankful for your eyeballs. Oh, and your free will.
Akira
This is the first completely animated movie on this list! Akira is psychologically challenging, and it’s full of body horror. The art style and characters will for sure keep you hooked though.
Rubber
No, this is not like Gummo. Rubber follows a bloodthirsty tire that has a crush on a real human woman. This movie is super disturbing and weird as hell.
They Live
This movie is psychologically disturbing. Imagine The Matrix, but there is absolutely nothing you can do about it, and everyone around you thinks you’re going insane because you know such a tin foil hat crazy secret.
Annihilation
This movie is metaphorically disturbing, as well as environmentally disturbing. Imagine if you woke up tomorrow and there was a silver creature that was mimicking your every movement and wouldn’t stop.
SAW
This was the start of the fine era of torture movies. SAW was an absolute hit and scared the pants off of audience members the first week it went into theaters.
The Shining
The Shining just might be the most important horror movie ever made. That being said, the reason it was so popular was that it was so deranged and creepy.
The VVitch
This movie came out of nowhere. This Netflix only streamable version of the VVitch shocked audiences with its authenticity, and its leg-shakingly scary plot.
The Ring
This classic was popular for a reason. The Ring laid the platform for an entire era of horror movies, nobody quite came close though.
The Babadook
The most disturbing thing in this movie is the human interactions. Watch this movie if you liked Hereditary, please.
It Follows
Have you ever felt like you were being watched? Maybe even followed? This movie embodies that feeling of wanting to be alone but knowing you aren’t.
Antiviral
If you don’t like medical stuff, especially needles, you’re going to get freaked out for sure. This movie is beautifully shot, but just as terrifying.
We Need to Talk About Kevin
This film will hurt something inside of you that you never knew you had. This movie is good, it’s really good, this is a favorite on this list.
Excision
This movie is a big gore party. You will be deeply disturbed by this film, and if you’re not, you should probably be concerned.
The Vanishing
This is the unsung hero of psychological-thriller movies. The Vanishing hits hard but was lost in time.
Creep
This found-footage flick conveys one of the most universally hated feelings, being watched. Kind of like It Follows, but way more realistic.
Hannibal
This movie is a deep dive into the motivations of Hannibal Lecter. This movie gets really involved with the strange mind of a serial killer.
The Strangers
This is a legitimate popular fear. Rest assured, it is highly unlikely that you will be confronted by masked murderers when you’re on vacation deep in the woods, but it is not impossible.
Enemy
We love Jake Gylenhaal, that goes without saying, but this film is significantly different from other works, especially Donny Darko. Give Enemy a shot, anything I say about the film will spoil it.
Green Room
Everything that is punk rock, including a nasty scene when some dude has to tape his arm back together. This nazi-slasher is a celebration of true punks fighting against nazi posers.
The End of Evangelion
This is arguably one of the most important pieces of animation in history. Please watch the Neon Genesis Evangelion show before you try to summit this emotional mountain.
Perfect Blue
This movie is about stalking, and in recent news, we could all learn something from watching Perfect Blue.