Most Disturbing Movies I've Ever Seen
by sweetlittlepie | created - 10 Jul 2012 | updated - 17 Mar 2015 | Publicand Like the title says I'm just listing the most disturbing movies I've ever seen, not of all time or anything like that, just the ones that I've seen. Maybe there's a movie here that you don't find disturbing and that's cool, but it's my opinion. I know some people reading this will wonder if I am recommending some of this movies or if I'm not. All of the movies on the list are watch at your own risk, but I guess if you see any compliments to the movie on the comments than yeah it's probably a recommendation, if on the other hand I make a negative comment about the film, I'm probably not recommending that film. Honorable Mention: The Guinea Pig films The reason I didn't put this movies on the list is because first I haven't seen all of them, only three (Flower of Flesh and Blood, Mermaid in a Manhole and Android of Notre Dame) and before watching them I watched the making of documentary they made and that kinda took me out of the movies.
- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975)
TV-MA | 117 min | Drama
In World War II Italy, four fascist libertines round up nine adolescent boys and girls and subject them to 120 days of physical, mental, and sexual torture.
Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini | Stars: Paolo Bonacelli, Giorgio Cataldi, Uberto Paolo Quintavalle, Aldo Valletti
Votes: 65,826
A film in which 16 young men and women are subjected unbelievable horrors. Not only does the physical and to a certain extent emotional torture that the characters go through in this movie disturb me, but the humiliation that the actors and actresses had to go through while filming this movie is also pretty disturbing.
2. In a Glass Cage (1986)
Unrated | 110 min | Drama, Horror
A former Nazi child-killer is confined in an iron lung inside an old mansion after a suicide attempt. His wife hires him a full-time carer, a mysterious young man who is driven slowly mad by the old man's disturbing past.
Director: Agustí Villaronga | Stars: Günter Meisner, David Sust, Marisa Paredes, Gisèle Echevarría
Votes: 5,048
I don't think I've ever seen a film whose last shot has left me with such a lasting impression as this movie. The child violence in this movie and the fact that they got away with showing a lot of stuff is really what sets this one up above some of the others in this list.
3. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
R | 136 min | Crime, Sci-Fi
In the future, a sadistic gang leader is imprisoned and volunteers for a conduct-aversion experiment, but it doesn't go as planned.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Michael Bates, Warren Clarke
Votes: 881,262 | Gross: $6.21M
The ending is what makes this movie much more disturbing than the book. Malcolm McDowell's performance is one of the most memorable performances in any Kubrick film, it's up there with Jack Nicholson's in The Shining.
4. Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
Unrated | 95 min | Adventure, Horror
During a rescue mission into the Amazon rainforest, a professor stumbles across lost film shot by a missing documentary crew.
Director: Ruggero Deodato | Stars: Robert Kerman, Francesca Ciardi, Perry Pirkanen, Luca Barbareschi
Votes: 61,136
The movie itself I don't find so disturbing, and honestly if it wasn't for all the very real animal killings this movie wouldn't even be on this list.
5. The Exorcist (1973)
R | 122 min | Horror
When a young girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two Catholic priests to save her life.
Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair, Lee J. Cobb
Votes: 454,925 | Gross: $232.91M
A girl gets possessed by the devil. The concept itself is still disturbing to this day, and though many have tried to emulate it, the original is still the best.
6. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
R | 102 min | Drama
The drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island people are shattered when their addictions run deep..
Director: Darren Aronofsky | Stars: Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans
Votes: 898,712 | Gross: $3.64M
Much more terrifying and realistic than any drug PSA could ever be.
7. Audition (1999)
R | 115 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A widower takes an offer to screen girls at a special audition, arranged for him by a friend to find him a new wife. The one he fancies is not who she appears to be after all.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Tetsu Sawaki, Jun Kunimura
Votes: 89,232
The last fifteen minutes of this movie are literally unbearable. I would not recommend this to those with weak stomachs.
8. The Rapture (1991)
R | 100 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A telephone operator living an empty, amoral life finds God and loses him again.
Director: Michael Tolkin | Stars: Mimi Rogers, David Duchovny, Darwyn Carson, Patrick Bauchau
Votes: 6,031 | Gross: $1.28M
The last shot of this movie (and the decision the main character makes at the end) is so very bleak. I felt hollow after watching this movie.
9. El Topo (1970)
Not Rated | 125 min | Drama, Western
A mysterious black-clad gunfighter wanders a mystical Western landscape encountering multiple bizarre characters.
Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky | Stars: Alejandro Jodorowsky, Brontis Jodorowsky, José Legarreta, Alfonso Arau
Votes: 31,388 | Gross: $0.04M
Some of the most eerie surrealistic imagery captured on celluloid.
10. Bijitâ Q (2001)
R | 84 min | Comedy, Drama, Horror
A troubled and perverted family find their lives intruded by a mysterious stranger who seems to help find a balance in their disturbing natures.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Ken'ichi Endô, Shungiku Uchida, Kazushi Watanabe, Jun Mutô
Votes: 17,055
Random violence, incest, rape, drug use, prostitution, lactation sex... yep, this movie has got it all.
11. Gozu (2003)
R | 129 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A yakuza enforcer is ordered to secretly drive his beloved colleague to be assassinated. But when the colleague unceremoniously disappears en route, the trip that follows is a twisted, surreal and horrifying experience.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Yûta Sone, Kimika Yoshino, Shohei Hino, Keiko Tomita
Votes: 12,733 | Gross: $0.05M
Takashi Miike once again shows why he's the master. This movie is beautifully shot and has some of the best surrealist imagery I've ever seen.
12. Bug (2006)
R | 102 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
An unhinged war veteran holes up with a lonely woman in a spooky Oklahoma motel room. The line between reality and delusion is blurred as they discover a bug infestation.
Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon, Harry Connick Jr., Lynn Collins
Votes: 37,810 | Gross: $7.01M
Michael Shannon's performance in this is one of the best of the decade in my opinion. I like that ending is open to interpretation.
13. Hard Candy (2005)
R | 104 min | Drama, Thriller
Hayley's a smart, charming teenage girl. Jeff's a handsome, smooth fashion photographer. An Internet chat, a coffee shop meet-up, an impromptu fashion shoot back at Jeff's place. Jeff thinks it's his lucky night. He's in for a surprise.
Director: David Slade | Stars: Patrick Wilson, Elliot Page, Sandra Oh, Odessa Rae
Votes: 168,078 | Gross: $1.01M
I can't believe that David Slade, the same guy that directed this movie, also directed Twilight: Eclipse... Anyway, this is a really creepy movie that really caught me by surprise, I wasn't really expecting much when I rented this movie, but boy was I glad to be proven wrong.
14. The Last House on the Left (1972)
R | 84 min | Crime, Horror, Thriller
Two teenage girls heading to a rock concert for one's birthday try to score marijuana in the city, where they are kidnapped and brutalized by a gang of psychopathic convicts.
Director: Wes Craven | Stars: Sandra Peabody, Lucy Grantham, David Hess, Fred J. Lincoln
Votes: 40,282 | Gross: $3.10M
This movie isn't as disturbing as some of the films in this list, and to be honest it hasn't really aged well. But remove the pointless comic relief and the goofy music, and there's still a pretty unsettling film underneath it all that. Especially the rape scenes and the scene where the girls are killed.
15. I Spit on Your Grave (1978)
R | 101 min | Horror, Thriller
An aspiring writer is repeatedly assaulted, humiliated, and left for dead by four men she systematically hunts down to seek revenge.
Director: Meir Zarchi | Stars: Camille Keaton, Eron Tabor, Richard Pace, Anthony Nichols
Votes: 31,199
The rape scene alone is enough to make me put this movie on the list. Again like Last House on the Left it hasn't really aged very well.
16. Oldboy (2003)
R | 120 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
After being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must track down his captor in five days.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jeong, Kim Byeong-Ok
Votes: 635,762 | Gross: $0.71M
One of the best films of the decade. I felt very upset after I watched this movie (but in a good way).
17. Jacob's Ladder (I) (1990)
R | 113 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
Mourning his dead child, a haunted Vietnam War veteran attempts to uncover his past while suffering from a severe case of dissociation. To do so, he must decipher reality and life from his own dreams, delusions, and perceptions of death.
Director: Adrian Lyne | Stars: Tim Robbins, Elizabeth Peña, Danny Aiello, Matt Craven
Votes: 117,875 | Gross: $26.12M
What the hell is going on in this movie? I literally have no idea what's going on, but what a ride.
18. Antichrist (2009)
Not Rated | 108 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
A grieving couple retreat to their cabin in the woods, hoping to repair their broken hearts and troubled marriage, but nature takes its course and things go from bad to worse.
Director: Lars von Trier | Stars: Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Storm Acheche Sahlstrøm
Votes: 136,532 | Gross: $0.40M
Yeah, there's genital mutilation, that's probably all you need to know before deciding if you wanna watch this movie or not.
19. Videodrome (1983)
R | 87 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A programmer at a Toronto TV station that specializes in adult entertainment searches for the producers of a dangerous and bizarre broadcast.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: James Woods, Debbie Harry, Sonja Smits, Peter Dvorsky
Votes: 102,971 | Gross: $2.12M
Only Cronenberg could take a concept so absurd and make you believe it.
20. Blue Velvet (1986)
R | 120 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped her child.
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Isabella Rossellini, Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern
Votes: 215,699 | Gross: $8.55M
I still think this movie is David Lynch's best film and the late Dennis Hopper gave a really creepy performance.
21. Martyrs (2008)
R | 99 min | Horror
A young woman's quest for revenge against the people who kidnapped and tormented her as a child leads her and a friend, who is also a victim of child abuse, on a terrifying journey into a living hell of depravity.
Director: Pascal Laugier | Stars: Morjana Alaoui, Mylène Jampanoï, Catherine Bégin, Robert Toupin
Votes: 106,410
Martyrs is one of the reasons the French are kicking our asses in the horror film department.
22. The Strangers (2008)
R | 86 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A young couple staying in an isolated vacation home are terrorized by three unknown assailants.
Director: Bryan Bertino | Stars: Scott Speedman, Liv Tyler, Gemma Ward, Alex Fisher
Votes: 143,579 | Gross: $52.60M
Compared to other films on this list some of you may not find this film that disturbing, but what really got me about this movie was the idea itself. That someone can come to your house and kill you just because as one of the masked murders in the movie infamously puts it "you were home."
23. Begotten (1989)
Unrated | 72 min | Fantasy, Horror
Presented in a surreal, gory and entirely visual manner, Begotten tells of the death of religion, the abuse of nature by Man and a nihilistic outlook on what life ultimately is.
Director: E. Elias Merhige | Stars: Brian Salzberg, Donna Dempsey, Stephen Charles Barry, James Gandia
Votes: 11,756
This movie is kinda of a mixture between Eraserhead and El Topo sort of, if that makes any sense. It uses surrealistic imagery very well.
24. Man Bites Dog (1992)
NC-17 | 95 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A film crew follows a ruthless thief and heartless killer as he goes about his daily routine. But complications set in when the film crew lose their objectivity and begin lending a hand.
Directors: Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, Benoît Poelvoorde | Stars: Benoît Poelvoorde, Jacqueline Poelvoorde-Pappaert, Nelly Pappaert, Hector Pappaert
Votes: 43,724 | Gross: $0.21M
A satire about violence that can seem like an allegory of how people emulate the violence around them (the media, their environment, etc).
25. Gummo (1997)
R | 89 min | Comedy, Drama
Lonely residents of a tornado-stricken Ohio town wander the deserted landscape trying to fulfill their boring, nihilistic lives.
Director: Harmony Korine | Stars: Nick Sutton, Jacob Sewell, Lara Tosh, Jacob Reynolds
Votes: 38,250 | Gross: $0.02M
This movie is really confusing. I feel like the director knows what's going on, but doesn't want to let us in on it.
26. Bad Boy Bubby (1993)
Not Rated | 114 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Bubby has spent thirty years trapped in the same small room, tricked by his mother. One day, he manages to escape and, deranged and naive in equal measures, his adventure into a modern and nihilistic life begins.
Director: Rolf de Heer | Stars: Nicholas Hope, Claire Benito, Ralph Cotterill, Syd Brisbane
Votes: 15,027
If the idea of a mother locking her son in their home and sexually abusing him for thirty years doesn't get you I don't know what will.
27. Aftermath (1994)
Not Rated | 30 min | Short, Horror
A short film wherein a man working in a morgue mutilates and defiles one of the corpses.
Director: Nacho Cerdá | Stars: Pep Tosar, Jordi Tarrida, Ángel Tarris, Xevi Collellmir
Votes: 5,710
This was a tough sit for me. Just because there's no dialogue, no music, no sugar coating what's taking place on the screen. It's just a guy (a coroner to be exact) basically having his way with a corpse.
28. Ichi the Killer (2001)
R | 129 min | Action, Crime, Drama
As sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer Kakihara searches for his missing boss he comes across Ichi, a repressed and psychotic killer who may be able to inflict levels of pain that Kakihara has only dreamed of achieving.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Tadanobu Asano, Nao Ômori, Shin'ya Tsukamoto, Paulyn Sun
Votes: 60,043 | Gross: $0.02M
I really think Takashi Miike is brilliant. There's a lot of his movies on his list. What can I say, the guy really knows how to make disturbing flicks.
29. Sweet Movie (1974)
Not Rated | 98 min | Comedy, Drama, Mystery
After winning the "most virgin" contest, Miss Canada is married to a rich milk tycoon. But she quickly flees the marriage to experience the world around her, full of sweetness and anarchy.
Director: Dusan Makavejev | Stars: Carole Laure, Pierre Clémenti, Anna Prucnal, Sami Frey
Votes: 6,449
In which a lot of weird, gross stuff happens... A lot.
30. Irreversible (2002)
Not Rated | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Events over the course of one traumatic night in Paris unfold in reverse-chronological order as the beautiful Alex is brutally raped and beaten by a stranger in an underpass tunnel.
Director: Gaspar Noé | Stars: Monica Bellucci, Vincent Cassel, Albert Dupontel, Philippe Nahon
Votes: 147,643 | Gross: $0.75M
That rape scene, which feels like an eternity, has to be one of the toughest, if not the toughest thing I've had to sit through.
31. Shivers (1975)
R | 87 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
The residents of a suburban high-rise apartment building are being infected by a strain of parasites that turn them into mindless, sex-crazed fiends out to infect others by the slightest sexual contact.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: Paul Hampton, Joe Silver, Lynn Lowry, Allan Kolman
Votes: 23,579
Whenever I talk about this movie and try to explain it to a friend I always say it's like a zombie movie except instead of the zombies trying to kill you they wanna rape you.
32. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
Unrated | 83 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Arriving in Chicago, Henry moves in with ex-con acquaintance Otis and starts schooling him in the ways of the serial killer.
Director: John McNaughton | Stars: Michael Rooker, Tracy Arnold, Tom Towles, Mary Demas
Votes: 40,438 | Gross: $0.61M
Michael Rooker gives a really great performance in this movie. Though I think that maybe his performance was so good that he's still getting typecast to this day.
33. The Devils (1971)
R | 111 min | Biography, Drama, History
In 17th-century France, Father Urbain Grandier's protection of the city of Loudun from the corrupt Cardinal Richelieu is undermined by a sexually repressed nun's accusation of witchcraft.
Director: Ken Russell | Stars: Vanessa Redgrave, Oliver Reed, Dudley Sutton, Max Adrian
Votes: 18,664 | Gross: $1.13M
Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave are both great. If your squemish when it comes to blasphemous imagery than stay away from this movie.
34. The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009)
R | 92 min | Horror
A mad scientist kidnaps and mutilates a trio of tourists in order to reassemble them into a human centipede, created by stitching their mouths to each others' rectums.
Director: Tom Six | Stars: Dieter Laser, Winter Williams, Ashlynn Yennie, Akihiro Kitamura
Votes: 87,261 | Gross: $0.18M
This movie is really really bad. The concept is horrifying, but the movie itself is kinda of laughable. But for concept alone I put it on this list. Also haven't seen the sequel and don't really have an interest in watching it either.
35. A Serbian Film (2010)
NC-17 | 104 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
An aging porn star agrees to participate in an "art film" in order to make a clean break from the business, only to discover that he has been drafted into making a pedophilia and necrophilia themed snuff film.
Director: Srdjan Spasojevic | Stars: Srdjan 'Zika' Todorovic, Sergej Trifunovic, Jelena Gavrilovic, Slobodan Bestic
Votes: 71,681
Newborn porn... 'nuff said.
36. Nekromantik (1988)
Not Rated | 71 min | Horror
A street sweeper who cleans up after grisly accidents brings home a full corpse for him and his wife to enjoy sexually, but is dismayed to see that his wife prefers the corpse over him.
Director: Jörg Buttgereit | Stars: Bernd Daktari Lorenz, Beatrice Manowski, Harald Lundt, Collosseo
Votes: 10,974
If you think Aftermath doesn't explore the concept of necrophilia enough then check this movie out.
37. The Girl Next Door (2007)
R | 91 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
Follows the unspeakable torture and abuses committed on a teenage girl in the care of her aunt and the boys who witness and fail to report the crime.
Director: Gregory Wilson | Stars: William Atherton, Blythe Auffarth, Blanche Baker, Kevin Chamberlin
Votes: 29,376
Very hard to sit through especially when you take into account that it's based on a true story. Still it's a very well made film that really catches the feel of the novel.
38. Happiness (1998)
NC-17 | 134 min | Comedy, Drama
The lives of several individuals intertwine as they go about their lives in their own unique ways, engaging in acts which society as a whole might find disturbing in a desperate search for human connection.
Director: Todd Solondz | Stars: Jane Adams, Jon Lovitz, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Dylan Baker
Votes: 74,419 | Gross: $2.81M
A black comedy that goes there.
39. Funny Games (1997)
Not Rated | 108 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Two violent young men take a mother, father, and son hostage in their vacation cabin and force them to play sadistic "games" with one another for their own amusement.
Director: Michael Haneke | Stars: Susanne Lothar, Ulrich Mühe, Arno Frisch, Frank Giering
Votes: 84,077
As much as I like the remake, the original is still the best.
40. Eraserhead (1977)
Not Rated | 89 min | Fantasy, Horror
Henry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newly born mutant child.
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart, Allen Joseph, Jeanne Bates
Votes: 127,454 | Gross: $7.00M
It's a cult classic for a reason. It's got some really creepy visuals and interesting ideas, but most people just remember it for the weird mutant baby.
41. Funny Games (2007)
R | 111 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Two psychopathic young men take a family hostage in their cabin.
Director: Michael Haneke | Stars: Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Michael Pitt, Brady Corbet
Votes: 103,830 | Gross: $1.29M
It's basically a shot by shot remake of the original, but Michael Pitt's performance is probably the main reason why I decided to include this movie on the list along with the original. If you don't like reading subtitles then I recommend you just skip on through to this one, you're not really gonna miss anything.
42. Threads (1984 TV Movie)
TV-MA | 112 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
The effects of a nuclear holocaust on the working class city of Sheffield, England and the eventual long-term effects of nuclear war on civilization.
Director: Mick Jackson | Stars: Karen Meagher, Reece Dinsdale, David Brierly, Rita May
Votes: 20,086
A TV movie that is actually really affecting. This movie is so good that I think it deserved to be released theatrically. It shows a realistic post nuclear war world.
43. Kidnapped (2010)
Not Rated | 85 min | Action, Horror, Thriller
Three hooded Eastern-European criminals burst into a home in a Madrid gated community, holding the family hostage in its own home, and forcing the father to empty his credit cards.
Director: Miguel Ángel Vivas | Stars: Fernando Cayo, Manuela Vellés, Ana Wagener, Guillermo Barrientos
Votes: 8,471
When I first saw this movie I thought it was just a hateful movie. The things that happen to the family in this movie are just awful, and that last shot is one of the bleakest endings I've ever seen in a any movie of any genre.
44. Inside (2007)
R | 82 min | Horror
Four months after the death of her husband, a woman on the brink of motherhood is tormented in her home by a strange woman who wants her unborn baby.
Directors: Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury | Stars: Alysson Paradis, Jean-Baptiste Tabourin, Claude Lulé, Dominique Frot
Votes: 44,695
What made this movie really disturbing for me is the fact that before seeing this movie I heard of a similar case on the news, I don't know if the movie is based on it, or if it's just a coincidence, but it just makes this movie that much more unsettling.
45. An American Crime (2007)
R | 98 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The true story of suburban housewife Gertrude Baniszewski, who kept a teenage girl locked in the basement of her Indiana home during the 1960s.
Director: Tommy O'Haver | Stars: Elliot Page, Hayley McFarland, Nick Searcy, Romy Rosemont
Votes: 36,978
Like The Girl Next Door, but perhaps to a lesser extent, this movie is tough to sit through. What makes this movie so tough to stomach is the fact that it was based on a true crime.
46. Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)
Not Rated | 67 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
A businessman accidentally kills The Metal Fetishist, who gets his revenge by slowly turning the man into a grotesque hybrid of flesh and rusty metal.
Director: Shin'ya Tsukamoto | Stars: Tomorô Taguchi, Kei Fujiwara, Nobu Kanaoka, Shin'ya Tsukamoto
Votes: 25,926
A movie about a metal fetishist. Before watching this movie I didn't even know those existed.
47. August Underground's Mordum (2003 Video)
Unrated | 77 min | Horror
Two friends bring along a newcomer to go on a killing spree.
Directors: Jerami Cruise, Killjoy, Michael Todd Schneider, Fred Vogel, Cristie Whiles | Stars: Cristie Whiles, Fred Vogel, Michael Todd Schneider, Jerami Cruise
Votes: 3,914
This movie is up there with A Serbian Film in terms of truly despicable I wished I had never watched it category. Watch at your own risk.
48. The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007)
R | 81 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
In an abandoned house in Poughkeepsie, New York murder investigators uncover hundreds of tapes showing decades of a serial killer's work.
Director: John Erick Dowdle | Stars: Stacy Chbosky, Ben Messmer, Samantha Robson, Ivar Brogger
Votes: 24,710
I know some people don't think this movie is scary and though I wasn't very scared while watching it, something about it just stuck with me.
49. The Holy Mountain (1973)
16+ | 114 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
In a corrupt, greed-fueled world, a powerful alchemist leads a messianic character and seven materialistic figures to the Holy Mountain, where they hope to achieve enlightenment.
Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky | Stars: Alejandro Jodorowsky, Horacio Salinas, Zamira Saunders, Juan Ferrara
Votes: 48,040 | Gross: $0.06M
Alejandro Jodorowsky is another one of those directors that I think lives for the sole purpose of thinking up ways to make increasingly more disturbing movies. Take in mind that this is the same guy who made Santa Sangre and El Topo, which are also on this list.
50. Wedding Trough (1974)
Not Rated | 80 min | Drama, Horror, Romance
An allegoric male character falls in love with his pig.
Director: Thierry Zéno | Star: Dominique Garny
Votes: 1,658
Also known as Vase de Noces. This movie is perhaps infamous because of the fact that the main character has "relations" with a pig, a sow to be more accurate. Not to mention it gives birth to piglets later in the movie which he proceeds to kill by hanging them. Yep, beastiality and animal killings all in one.
51. The Skin I Live In (2011)
R | 120 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A brilliant plastic surgeon, haunted by past tragedies, creates a type of synthetic skin that withstands any kind of damage. His guinea pig: a mysterious and volatile woman who holds the key to his obsession.
Director: Pedro Almodóvar | Stars: Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Jan Cornet, Marisa Paredes
Votes: 165,851 | Gross: $3.19M
Almodovar is like the Spanish version of David Lynch. He just really knows how to get under your skin. (No pun intended) His movies always hit a core with me, though maybe calling him the Spanish David Lynch is off, maybe he deserves more comparison to Cronenberg because of his versatility.
52. Re-Animator (1985)
Unrated | 84 min | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
After an odd new medical student arrives on campus, a dedicated local and his girlfriend become involved in bizarre experiments centering around the re-animation of dead tissue.
Director: Stuart Gordon | Stars: Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton, David Gale
Votes: 71,501 | Gross: $2.02M
Again, not as disturbing as other films on this list, but there's one scene that ever since I first saw this movie has stuck with me. If you've already seen this movie you know which scene I'm talking about.
53. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
R | 83 min | Horror
Five friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Something armed with a chainsaw.
Director: Tobe Hooper | Stars: Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, Allen Danziger, Paul A. Partain
Votes: 183,613 | Gross: $30.86M
I like the fact that this isn't a gory movie and yet when I think of it for some reason it just feels really gruesome.
54. Society (1989)
R | 99 min | Comedy, Horror
An ordinary teenage boy discovers his family is part of a gruesome orgy cult for the social elite.
Director: Brian Yuzna | Stars: Billy Warlock, Concetta D'Agnese, Ben Slack, Evan Richards
Votes: 21,944
The shunting scene. That's the stuff I see in my nightmares, also a horrible horrible way to die.
55. Elephant (2003)
R | 81 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Several ordinary high school students go through their daily routine as two others prepare for something more malevolent.
Director: Gus Van Sant | Stars: Elias McConnell, Alex Frost, Eric Deulen, John Robinson
Votes: 97,241 | Gross: $1.23M
I'm not gonna lie I thought this movie was kinda of slow. And I'm not a big fan of Gus Van Sant, some of his movies are alright, but then he does pretentious dribble like Gerry and he loses me completely. But this movie's saving grace are the final minutes and that whole sequence where the shooters are stalking the school and shooting everything in sight.
56. Bad Lieutenant (1992)
NC-17 | 96 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
While investigating a young nun's rape, a corrupt New York City police detective, with a serious drug and gambling addiction, tries to change his ways and find forgiveness and redemption.
Director: Abel Ferrara | Stars: Harvey Keitel, Brian McElroy, Frank Acciarito, Peggy Gormley
Votes: 47,899 | Gross: $2.00M
Harvey Keitel can do no wrong in my eyes and 1992 was his year. Not only did he appear in Resevoir Dogs, but he was in Bad Lieutenant where I personally think he gave the performance of his career.
57. In My Skin (2002)
Unrated | 93 min | Drama, Horror
A woman grows increasingly fascinated with her body after suffering a disfiguring accident.
Director: Marina de Van | Stars: Marina de Van, Laurent Lucas, Léa Drucker, Thibault de Montalembert
Votes: 5,729 | Gross: $0.03M
I notice while making this list that there's a lot of French movies on it. I think the French are leading the horror game right now. The US ruled for a while, then the Italians, then it was all about J-horror, and now the French and the Spanish are the ones making really good horror films.
58. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Not Rated | 67 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Hypnotist Dr. Caligari uses a somnambulist, Cesare, to commit murders.
Director: Robert Wiene | Stars: Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher, Lil Dagover
Votes: 70,050
This is a classic. Even to this day this movie contains some of the most beautiful and haunting imagery captured on film.
59. Santa Sangre (1989)
NC-17 | 123 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
A former circus artist escapes from a mental hospital to rejoin his armless mother - the leader of a strange religious cult - and is forced to enact brutal murders in her name as he becomes "her arms".
Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky | Stars: Axel Jodorowsky, Blanca Guerra, Guy Stockwell, Thelma Tixou
Votes: 23,328
This is one of those movies that has a ridiculous premise, but somehow it manages to work. It also has a weird almost dreamy quality to it that I really like.
60. I Stand Alone (1998)
Not Rated | 93 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A horse butcher's life and mind begin to break down as he lashes out against various factions of society while attempting to reconnect with his estranged daughter.
Director: Gaspar Noé | Stars: Philippe Nahon, Blandine Lenoir, Frankie Pain, Martine Audrain
Votes: 25,800 | Gross: $0.05M
Gaspar Noe is just one of those directors that I think just lives to think up ways to disturb people.
61. Un chien andalou (1929)
Not Rated | 16 min | Short, Fantasy, Horror
Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí present 16 minutes of bizarre, surreal imagery.
Director: Luis Buñuel | Stars: Pierre Batcheff, Simone Mareuil, Luis Buñuel, Pancho Cossío
Votes: 53,798
Even though I now it's fake for some reason it still gets me.
62. August Underground's Penance (2007 Video)
Not Rated | 84 min | Horror
The third film in the series. This time a couple go on a killing spree in their local area.
Director: Fred Vogel | Stars: Cristie Whiles, Fred Vogel, Shelby Lyn Vogel, Jerami Cruise
Votes: 1,643
The last of the August Underground movies. I still think the worst one is Mordum, but this one is pretty stomach clenching too.
63. Altered States (1980)
R | 102 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A psycho-physiologist experiments with drugs and a sensory-deprivation tank and has visions he believes are genetic memories.
Director: Ken Russell | Stars: William Hurt, Blair Brown, Bob Balaban, Charles Haid
Votes: 38,636 | Gross: $19.85M
Really trippy. William Hurt gives a great performance.
64. Dead Ringers (1988)
R | 116 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
Twin gynecologists take full advantage of the fact that nobody can tell them apart, until their relationship begins to deteriorate over a woman.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: Jeremy Irons, Geneviève Bujold, Heidi von Palleske, Barbara Gordon
Votes: 53,574 | Gross: $9.13M
Another Cronenberg classic.
65. A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
R | 114 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
After being institutionalized in a mental hospital, Su-mi reunites with her sister, Su-yeon, and they return to live at their country home. But strange events plague the house, leading to surprising revelations and a shocking conclusion.
Director: Jee-woon Kim | Stars: Lim Soo-jung, Yum Jung-ah, Kim Kap-su, Moon Geun-young
Votes: 68,262
This is a movie that didn't need a remake. Stick with the original.
66. Lost Highway (1997)
R | 134 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Anonymous videotapes presage a musician's murder conviction, and a gangster's girlfriend leads a mechanic astray.
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Bill Pullman, Patricia Arquette, John Roselius, Louis Eppolito
Votes: 153,182 | Gross: $3.80M
A real mind twister. If you're a Lynch fan you'll probably like this one.
67. The Brood (1979)
R | 92 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
A man tries to uncover an unconventional psychologist's therapy techniques on his institutionalized wife, amidst a series of brutal murders.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: Oliver Reed, Samantha Eggar, Art Hindle, Henry Beckman
Votes: 34,309
Fetus licking... Cronenberg knows how to push peoples buttons. I still think he makes good movies, but I just wished he would go back to horror once in a while.
68. Inland Empire (2006)
R | 180 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
As an actress begins to adopt the persona of her character in a film, her world becomes nightmarish and surreal.
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Karolina Gruszka, Krzysztof Majchrzak, Grace Zabriskie, Laura Dern
Votes: 61,936 | Gross: $0.75M
Effectively made. It has all the makings of a Lynch classic.
69. Black Swan (2010)
R | 108 min | Drama, Thriller
Nina is a talented but unstable ballerina on the verge of stardom. Pushed to the breaking point by her artistic director and a seductive rival, Nina's grip on reality slips, plunging her into a waking nightmare.
Director: Darren Aronofsky | Stars: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Winona Ryder
Votes: 824,606 | Gross: $106.95M
Another movie people might scoff at when reading this list, but this movie got me. The ending really got me. And I'd been lying if I said it didn't affect me at all.
70. Spiral (2000)
90 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
The inhabitants of a small Japanese town become increasingly obsessed with and tormented by spirals.
Director: Higuchinsky | Stars: Eriko Hatsune, Fhi Fan, Hinako Saeki, Shin Eun-kyung
Votes: 8,987
One of those J-horror films that actually scared me just because of how bizarre it is. Sure Ringu and Ju-on are scary, but they didn't disturb me.
71. Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977)
R | 136 min | Drama
A dedicated schoolteacher spends her nights cruising bars, looking for abusive men with whom she can engage in progressively extreme sexual encounters.
Director: Richard Brooks | Stars: Diane Keaton, Richard Gere, Tuesday Weld, William Atherton
Votes: 8,502 | Gross: $16.90M
The ending of this movie and the fact that it's based on a true story is one of the reasons it's on this list. If anyone is interested in this movie watch it it's really good.
72. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Approved | 137 min | Drama, Horror
A young couple trying for a baby moves into an aging, ornate apartment building on Central Park West, where they find themselves surrounded by peculiar neighbors.
Director: Roman Polanski | Stars: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer
Votes: 235,154
Mia Farrow's performance and that ending just elevates this movie beyond just horror.
73. Dogtooth (2009)
Not Rated | 97 min | Drama, Thriller
A controlling, manipulative father locks his three adult offsprings in a state of perpetual childhood by keeping them prisoner within the sprawling family compound.
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos | Stars: Christos Stergioglou, Michele Valley, Angeliki Papoulia, Christos Passalis
Votes: 110,415 | Gross: $0.11M
If you're not into gore and find the psychological stuff more disturbing this is one that will get you. Just a really unsettling movie.
74. Caché (2005)
R | 117 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A married couple is terrorized by a series of surveillance videotapes left on their front porch.
Director: Michael Haneke | Stars: Daniel Auteuil, Juliette Binoche, Maurice Bénichou, Annie Girardot
Votes: 85,225 | Gross: $3.63M
Really creepy. Like Dogtooth it's a psychological movie.
75. Possession (1981)
R | 124 min | Drama, Horror
A woman starts exhibiting increasingly disturbing behavior after asking her husband for a divorce. Suspicions of infidelity soon give way to something much more sinister.
Director: Andrzej Zulawski | Stars: Isabelle Adjani, Sam Neill, Margit Carstensen, Heinz Bennent
Votes: 42,846 | Gross: $1.11M
Isabelle Adjani's perfomance is great. And the "abortion" scene it's one of the most memorable parts of the movie.
76. Freaks (1932)
Not Rated | 64 min | Drama, Horror
A circus' beautiful trapeze artist agrees to marry the leader of side-show performers, but his deformed friends discover she is only marrying him for his inheritance.
Director: Tod Browning | Stars: Wallace Ford, Leila Hyams, Olga Baclanova, Roscoe Ates
Votes: 50,601 | Gross: $0.63M
Another classic. For the fact that none of the stuff on screen was faked this movie belongs on this list.
77. The Vanishing (1988)
Not Rated | 107 min | Mystery, Thriller
Rex and Saskia, a young couple in love, are on vacation. They stop at a busy service station and Saskia is abducted. After three years and no sign of Saskia, Rex begins receiving letters from the abductor.
Director: George Sluizer | Stars: Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Gene Bervoets, Johanna ter Steege, Gwen Eckhaus
Votes: 44,184
Another bleak, yet effective ending. This movie has one of the best villains in any thriller/horror movie just for method of killing alone. Also I recommend staying away from the Hollywood remake.
78. Kids (1995)
Unrated | 91 min | Drama
A day in the life of a group of teens as they travel around New York City skating, drinking, smoking and deflowering virgins.
Director: Larry Clark | Stars: Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce, Chloë Sevigny, Sarah Henderson
Votes: 84,644 | Gross: $7.42M
A movie that deals with teenage sex and sexually transmitted diseases in a realist manner. This is also what makes the movie really disturbing.
79. Heavenly Creatures (1994)
R | 99 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Two teenage girls share a unique bond; their parents, concerned that the friendship is too intense, separate them, and the girls take revenge.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Melanie Lynskey, Kate Winslet, Sarah Peirse, Diana Kent
Votes: 67,401 | Gross: $3.05M
Another movie that is more disturbing because it's based on a true story.
80. Three... Extremes (2004)
R | 125 min | Horror
An Asian cross-cultural trilogy of horror films from accomplished indie directors.
Directors: Fruit Chan, Park Chan-wook, Takashi Miike | Stars: Bai Ling, Lee Byung-hun, Kyoko Hasegawa, Pauline Lau
Votes: 20,869 | Gross: $0.08M
I like all the segments of this movie and I think they all work, but my favorite and the reason why I put this movie on the list is the one I have found most people think it's the weakest of the three, "Box" by Takashi Miike. Like I said I liked all the segments, but this is the one that left me scratching my head (in a good way). I think it just affected me on a deeper level than the other ones.
81. Vulgar (2000)
R | 87 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A man who performs as a children's birthday party clown tries to piece his life back together after being gang-raped.
Director: Bryan Johnson | Stars: Brian O'Halloran, Bryan Johnson, Jerry Lewkowitz, Ethan Suplee
Votes: 4,286 | Gross: $0.01M
A clown gets gang raped... 'nuff said.
82. Ex Drummer (2007)
Not Rated | 100 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Three handicapped losers who form a band ask famous writer Dries to be their drummer. He joins the band and starts manipulating them.
Director: Koen Mortier | Stars: Dries Vanhegen, Norman Baert, Gunter Lamoot, Sam Louwyck
Votes: 10,966
This movie is really unsettling, but like The Iron Cage I really liked it.
83. Naked Lunch (1991)
R | 115 min | Drama, Mystery
After developing an addiction to the substance he uses to kill bugs, an exterminator accidentally kills his wife and becomes involved in a secret government plot being orchestrated by giant bugs in a port town in North Africa.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: Peter Weller, Judy Davis, Ian Holm, Julian Sands
Votes: 56,654 | Gross: $2.54M
A good adaptation of an unadaptable book.
84. Dogville (2003)
R | 178 min | Crime, Drama
A woman on the run from the mob is reluctantly accepted in a small Colorado community in exchange for labor, but when a search visits the town she finds out that their support has a price.
Director: Lars von Trier | Stars: Nicole Kidman, Paul Bettany, Lauren Bacall, Harriet Andersson
Votes: 158,647 | Gross: $1.53M
When you watch this movie you feel really bad for Nicole Kidman's character. The things she is subjected to are horrible. It's one of those movies that makes you question whether there's any real good people in the world.
85. Taxidermia (2006)
Not Rated | 94 min | Comedy, Drama, Horror
Three generations of men, including a pervert that constantly seeks for new kinds of satisfaction, an obese speed eater and a passionate embalmer.
Director: György Pálfi | Stars: Csaba Czene, István Gyuricza, Gina Moreno, Éva Kuli
Votes: 18,630 | Gross: $0.01M
Just weird... gross and weird.
86. The Seventh Continent (1989)
Not Rated | 108 min | Drama
A European family who plan on escaping to Australia seem caught up in their daily routine, only troubled by minor incidents. However, behind their apparent calm and repetitive existence, they are actually planning something sinister.
Director: Michael Haneke | Stars: Birgit Doll, Dieter Berner, Leni Tanzer, Udo Samel
Votes: 16,993
This movie is not only disturbing in it's subject matter, it's really depressing, too. But it's a very good film and definitely worth the watch.
87. August Underground (2001 Video)
Unrated | 70 min | Horror
Two serial killers go on a murdering rampage as one films the outcome from behind a video camera.
Director: Fred Vogel | Stars: Kyle Dealman, Casey Eganey, Dan Friedman, Alexa Iris
Votes: 3,642
The first and probably most tame of the August Underground movies, still don't let that fool you, it's pretty messed up.
88. Masters of Horror (2005–2007)
TV-MA | 1,531 min | Horror
Anchor Bay's collection, which has amassed some of the best horror film anthologies.
Stars: Karen Elizabeth Austin, J. Winston Carroll, Miho Ninagawa, Anthony Harrison
Votes: 13,279
Imprint by Takashi Miike has gotta be one of the most disturbing tv movies ever made. It was so disturbing it didn't air on showtime, a cable network, but I did get to see it on Chiller uncut.
89. Compliance (2012)
R | 90 min | Crime, Drama, History
A normal Friday service at a fast food restaurant becomes interrupted by a police officer who claims an employee stole from a customer, but something more sinister is going on.
Director: Craig Zobel | Stars: Ann Dowd, Dreama Walker, Pat Healy, Bill Camp
Votes: 37,289 | Gross: $0.32M
This movie is unsettling, and even more so when you read about the case it was based on. The fact that the movie is actually very factual and most of the stuff you see on the screen really happened in real life is all the more disturbing.
Tell Your Friends