The 15 Most Disturbing Movies Ever Made

1. greeneagle
   June 11th, 2009 at 7:57 pm

   you know, it's not hip to say this, but we really do become what we consume. we take on the beliefs and attitudes of the characters in the books we read and start using the words that the authors use. the same goes for what we see - the very act of perception requires that we temporarily see (or hear) things as reality.

   after that rant: fact is that these movies will skew your perception of reality.

2. Geekazoid
   June 11th, 2009 at 8:43 pm

   Some "worthy" movies on that list.

   Interesting to see "Irreversible" on the list. That is one of the most disgusting and vile movies I have the misfortune of witnessing. It makes you want to go to confessional just thinking about what you saw. Nasty.

3. Vague
   June 11th, 2009 at 8:57 pm

   I had to watch Threads in a social studies class in middle school. Gave me nightmares for weeks.

4. zav
   June 11th, 2009 at 8:59 pm

   Agreed that Eraserhead is on there. I only watched it after being asked MANY times and when done, I was like, "WHY were you so intent in having me watch that useless bag of garbage?" Oddly, the couple who wanted me to watch it was a born again christian couple I was renting a summer room from, besides that, they were very considerate and nice people. I'm confused till this day about people's obsession for this movie. Everything is just queasily disturbing.

5. Cori
   June 11th, 2009 at 9:18 pm

   I've not seen any of these. But the most disturbing movies I've seen are Sublime and Elephant.

6. Mytake
   June 11th, 2009 at 10:19 pm

   greeneagle is right, too much of those movies tends to make you bitter, depleted etc. Also, "Audition" is overrated, 90% of the movie is boring and unengaging.

7. Leokins
   June 11th, 2009 at 10:23 pm

   Well, I just watched threads, kind of made me feel null as opposed to bitter and depressed. Maybe that's because I'm glad that's not happening right now and I'm not in that story though.

8. Kalel
   June 11th, 2009 at 11:16 pm

   You forgot 'Beaches'.

9. Aaron A1C
   June 12th, 2009 at 1:30 am

   I was shown Threads in high school, along with the original Fail Safe. Although Fail Safe had a larger budget (in 1964 dollars, at least) and a couple of big star actors, Threads just chills me to the bone in a way that Fail Safe...failed to do. Threads is basically a bunch of cold, hard facts put to film, and that's what makes it so disturbing.

10. l'elk!
    June 12th, 2009 at 2:12 am

    i thoroughly enjoyed many of the movies on this list.

    "Eraserhead" is a beautifully shot film but i will agree with Mytake about "Audition". Definitely my least favorite Takashi Miike movie.

11. ted
    June 12th, 2009 at 6:32 am

    I've only seen Jacob's Ladder on that list. It was pretty creepy.

    This turned inot a list of snuff-type films. Do peope actualyl like that? Weird world.

12. seefish3
    June 12th, 2009 at 8:07 am

    "you know, it’s not hip to say this"

    No, greeneagle, it's just dumb. Why is it that people always point to unpleasant movies and music as "dangerously influential" but ignore the vast amounts of positive storylines? Almost every sitcom and cartoon has a good moral point to make about racism, crime, etc.

    After decades of enthusiastic horror movie viewing, I find I have exactly the opposite reaction. I can no longer stand the sound of young women screaming. Maybe you grow out of it...

13. Kev
    June 12th, 2009 at 9:32 am

    Butcher Boy from Ireland was pretty freakin disturbing too. But Sinead O'Connor as the Virgin Mary = Awesome.

    Basically, the quirky, funny, yet psychotic boy in the title has conversations with Mary who appears to him at various times, and he never quite understands her advice; hilarity and/or bloodshed ensues.

    As the movie progresses, there's less hilarity and more bloodshed.

14. Emperor Tomato Catsup
    June 12th, 2009 at 10:51 am

    I have a hard time taking seriously any list written by someone who thinks that Takashi Miike (A Japanese director) made Oldboy (A Korean film).

15. Gail Pink
    June 12th, 2009 at 11:05 am

    @ Zav. The bulk of Eraserhead's "meaning" can be neatly explained in one sentence: "The nightmare of the unwanted child."

16. LisaL
    June 12th, 2009 at 1:16 pm

    I'm surprised Auditon made the list. Very overrated movie IMO... I was bored through most of it, and the last little bit wasn't worth the wait.

    I also thought Last House on the Left was boring and just annoying.

    Disappointed with that list b/c it did just turn in to a snuff-film list.

17. Persephone
    June 12th, 2009 at 1:31 pm

    Kev, Butcher Boy sounds like a live action Moral Orel. I think the only reason I can watch Moral Orel, even in small doses, is because it's animated.

    I've seen Jacob's Ladder, very creepy, and somewhat disturbing, but if you understand the story it makes a sad, weird sense.

    I missed the first few minutes of Hard Candy on cable, but stayed with it to the end. Definitely disturbing, but I wouldn't include it on this list.

    Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer was disturbing, but there was another version of the Henry Lee Lucas story that was much creepier. I can't find it on IMDB.

    Requiem for a Dream is a better anti-drug film than anything they ever showed me in high school.

    I've never watched Happiness because I'm utterly sick of the whole suburbs are horrible and pits of despair. American Beauty sucked.

18. konfetka
    June 12th, 2009 at 1:47 pm

    what?!! no mention of silini (lunacy)...a czech film by jan svankmajer, who gives story credits to edgar allen poe and the marquis de sade? this movie has it all...stop motion animated raw meat/body parts sequences, satanic rituals complete with rape scene, and an insane asylum run by the patients. there's no doubt that once you watch this movie you will have witnessed a true descent into madness.

19. dogrun81
    June 12th, 2009 at 2:34 pm

    Endgame is pretty disturbing.

20. Tempscire
    June 12th, 2009 at 7:49 pm

    konfetka-- Jeebus. Having seen a couple of Jan Svankmajer films (Faust and Little Otik, plus shorts), I don't want to see what he gets up to when he's aiming for really over-the-top creepy.

    (...okay, except I sort of do. Doh.)

21. Summer
    June 12th, 2009 at 8:38 pm

    OK...I've seen 8 of these films and I really recommend Jacob's Ladder, Happiness, Hard Candy, Salo and Eraserhead. I personally think that 'the Deer Hunter' should be on this list...it is the ONLY film that has ever REALLY disturbed me...I had horrid visions of that movie for days. And now, I want to go rent it again...I must be twisted.

22. BadBubby
    June 13th, 2009 at 4:37 am

    Where is my film? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106341/

23. Mouserz
    June 13th, 2009 at 5:51 am

    Ive had Hard candy and requiem for a dream in my movies folder for ages, haven't gotten around to watching them yet though.

24. litlfrog
    June 13th, 2009 at 8:32 am

    Guys, I just picked up a couple of trojans going to the popcrunch website. Can anyone confirm that the site is infected today?

25. JamesM
    June 13th, 2009 at 5:32 pm

    Very surprised Battle Royale wasn't in there.

    "litlfrog
    June 13th, 2009 at 8:32 am

    Guys, I just picked up a couple of trojans going to the popcrunch website. Can anyone confirm that the site is infected today?"

    Any AntiVirus scanner logs you can share? Nothing registered when I went there, but also, I have AdBlock and a pretty comprehensive HOSTS file.

26. dreamsneverend
    June 13th, 2009 at 6:43 pm

    I recently watched Threads again for the first time since my dad let me watch it as a kid in the mid 80s. Still a pretty gritty movie and the war in the middle east that triggers it all is pretty ironic considering the stuff the US has been doing the past 20 years.

27. Hank
    June 14th, 2009 at 9:38 am

    "CANIBAL HOLOCAUST"

    Most disturbing movie of all, and I've seen the ones mentioned above.

    Have a bucket ready!

28. Ali S.
    June 14th, 2009 at 5:51 pm

    I think out of all of those I have only seen "Audition" and it creeped me out.

29. Joe R.
    July 2nd, 2009 at 5:31 am

    Where is Irreversable? THAT is one of the more disturbing films ever made

30. bo
    July 8th, 2009 at 2:53 pm

    based on recent films, i would have to say the most disturbing movie i've seen was "the boy in the striped pajama's." what a horrifying movie.

31. joker
    July 21st, 2009 at 11:28 am

    i am a horror movie fan i hav never wach one dat has scared me... bt i know som movies dat wil mak u lose sleep rose red,halloween resrtion,They,darkness falls,red dragon.....n if u want a just bloody movie i recamend scream or house of wax da new one nt da old one or silver bullet it waz a lil gross.

32. joker
    July 22nd, 2009 at 12:13 pm

    i have something i want answerd...Ok what is the scaryest movie? i want to wach one that will scare me.

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