SHOCKING MOVIES: the films that made me almost faint or gave me nausea
Cinema can be a dangerous tool. Most people like to be entertained by films, and that's good. One other aspect of cinema could be the exact opposite of entertainment. This kind of films exists for many reasons... the main reason though is the wish to disturb the audience, defy society, break the rules or at least cause some kind of violent reaction.
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- DirectorPier Paolo PasoliniStarsPaolo BonacelliGiorgio CataldiUberto Paolo QuintavalleIn 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.Definitely the most shocking film ever made.
- DirectorTun-Fei MouStarsGang WangDai Yao WuRunshen WangJapanese troops round up Chinese and Russian prisoners of war and take them to unit 731, where they're horribly tortured and experimented on to test new biological weapons.This one is a hard one. I managed to finish it, but I felt sick in my stomach literally.
- DirectorShaun MonsonStarsJoaquin PhoenixUsing hidden cameras and never-before-seen footage, Earthlings chronicles the day-to-day practices of the largest industries in the world, all of which rely entirely on animals for profit.Horrifying... just horrifying. Made me sick and depressed.
- DirectorRuggero DeodatoStarsRobert KermanFrancesca CiardiPerry PirkanenDuring a rescue mission into the Amazon rainforest, a professor stumbles across lost film shot by a missing documentary crew.The scene with the turtle was indescribably disgusting. I almost through up.
- DirectorGaspar NoéStarsMonica BellucciVincent CasselAlbert DupontelEvents 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.A beautiful film, but very violent and depressing.
- DirectorRémy BelvauxAndré BonzelBenoît PoelvoordeStarsBenoît PoelvoordeJacqueline Poelvoorde-PappaertNelly PappaertA 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.Saw it when I was a teenager. I stuck with me for a long time. It's also a great masterpiece.
- DirectorKôji ShiraishiStarsKotoha HiroyamaHiroaki KawatsureShigeo ÔsakoA doctor kidnaps a young couple and forces them into a game of torment that slowly extinguishes their hopes for survival.I saw it yesterday. It was pretty good actually, but I felt sick.
- DirectorBruno DumontStarsYekaterina GolubevaDavid WissakDavid, an American photographer, and his Russian girlfriend Katia are scouting locations for a photo shoot. During the day, they drive through some of the wildest, most bizarre desert landscapes, but their luck begins to run out.The end is nightmarish. Very shocking.
- DirectorGerald KarglStarsErwin LederRobert Hunger-BühlerSilvia RyderA troubled man gets released from prison and starts taking out his sadistic fantasies on an unsuspecting family living in a secluded house.The best film about serial killers in my opinion. And that's why it is so disturbing.
- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsRyo IshibashiEihi ShiinaTetsu SawakiA 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.Miike was demented at the time. The film is very slow, but the end is terribly disturbing.
- DirectorSion SonoStarsMasumi MiyazakiIssei IshidaRie KuwanaThe erotic novelist Taeko is writing a morbid story of a family destroyed by incest, murder and abuse. Her assistant, Yuji, sets on a mission to uncover the reality of this story, but the reality might be too much to bear.Great movie about identity and traumatic childhood. Very disturbing, like often with Sion Sono's cinema.
- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsTadanobu AsanoNao ÔmoriShin'ya TsukamotoAs 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.One of my favorite movies. Pretty insane and awesome. Very violent in a cartoonesque kind of way.
- DirectorGyörgy PálfiStarsCsaba CzeneIstván GyuriczaGina MorenoThree generations of men, including a pervert that constantly seeks for new kinds of satisfaction, an obese speed eater and a passionate embalmer.Great, just great.
- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsBilly DragoShihô HarumiMichiéIn the 1800s, an American returns to Japan to find the prostitute he fell in love with, but instead learns of the physical and existential horror that befell her after he left.The most shocking episode of the series.
- DirectorGaspar NoéStarsPhilippe NahonBlandine LenoirFrankie PainA 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.Noe is a great director, but a very provocative one. The protagonist is really instable and he says and does stuff that are shocking.
- DirectorKazuyoshi KumakiriStarsSusumu TerajimaRinko KikuchiBunmei TobayamaThe film tells the story of a Drive-In worker and a young tramp who has been left alone by her boyfriend somewhere in Hokkaido. Things seem to work out at the beginning but as time goes by the newly formed relationship between the tramp and the Drive-In worker starts to show the workers harmful will of possession, which finally leads to the somehow sad but also optimistically interpretable ending.Beautiful, disturbing and poetic. Great film.
- DirectorWilliam LustigStarsJoe SpinellCaroline MunroAbigail ClaytonA psychopathic man goes on a killing and mutilation spree in New York City.One of the best horror film about a serial killer. Prepare to travel in a sick mind.
- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsKen'ichi EndôShungiku UchidaKazushi WatanabeA troubled and perverted family find their lives intruded by a mysterious stranger who seems to help find a balance in their disturbing natures.Absolutely crazy and somehow fascinating piece of work. Miike is a genius.
- DirectorMichael HanekeStarsArno FrischAngela WinklerUlrich MüheA 14-year-old video enthusiast obsessed with violent films decides to make one of his own and show it to his parents, with tragic results.Haneke... again! This boy is freaky!
- DirectorMichael HanekeStarsBirgit DollDieter BernerLeni TanzerA 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.Fast your sit belt and be patient, this one will make you think and almost regret to have waited till the end.
- DirectorPascal LaugierStarsMorjana AlaouiMylène JampanoïCatherine BéginA 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.The best french horror to date.
- DirectorLars von TrierStarsBodil JørgensenJens AlbinusAnne Louise HassingThe group of people gather at the house in Copenhagen suburb to break all the limitations and to bring out the "inner idiot" in themselves.Man! Lars von trier is crazy.
- DirectorKai-Ming LaiStarsLily ChungHugo NgAnthony Chau-Sang WongPolice suspect a young teenager who was horrifically abused by her family and raped by her father of finally snapping and slaughtering them all.
- DirectorTakashi IshiiStarsAya SugimotoRenji IshibashiKen'ichi EndôTôyama, a weak-willed businessman, is in debt to the Yakuza; they also have a video of him bribing a government minister. To clear his debts, he agrees to let them drug and kidnap his wife Shizuko, Japan's queen of the tango, and subject her to the proclivities of a 95-year-old voyeur, who's a Yakuza boss. After a masked ball, Shizuko is taken prisoner; she fights her captors, submitting only when the life of Kyôko, her female bodyguard, is threatened. Tôyama feels regret and seeks to buy back Shizuko, but by this time, she may be enjoying her situation. Is she, or is she pretending in order to protect herself and Kyôko? Would she want a way out if there is one?I liked this film a lot; it was very kinky and twisted, one of a kind, definitely not for everyone.
- DirectorDanny LeeHerman YauStarsAnthony Chau-Sang WongDanny LeeEmily KwanMacau cops begin to suspect a man running a pork buns restaurant of murder, after tracing the origin of a case full of chopped up human remains that washed ashore, which leads them to him.Amazing and atrociously demented.
- DirectorTodd TjerslandStarsSteve SheppardTodd TjerslandJoin your fiendish host, Dr. Vincent van Gore, as he leads you into the forbidden world of the dead. Only the most disgusting and horrifying car crashes, suicides and murders are presented. Nothing is faked. There are no boring autopsies or grainy World War 2 footage; all new, exclusive never before seen footage of those freshly slain over the past ten years! Documented through actual crime scene investigations by police and emergency response teams from around the world. If you cannot handle smashed brains, bug-eyed corpses and char-broiled fetuses, do not watch this film!Bad movie, but shocking.
- DirectorSimon RumleyStarsAmanda FullerMarc SenterJon Michael DavisA woman attracts the attention of a psychopathic former Army interrogator and an emotionally fragile young man caring for his depressed mother.An excellent horror movie. Very shocking. One of my favorites from 2 years ago.
- DirectorJoe D'AmatoStarsKieran CanterCinzia MonrealeFranca StoppiA disturbed young taxidermist exhumes his recently deceased girlfriend, brings her body to his family villa and proceeds to embalm her corpse, with help from his strange housekeeper. But his bouts of insanity are just beginning.Joe D'amato's best film of in my opinion. Sick love story.
- DirectorHideshi HinoStarsShigeru SaikiMari SomeiMasami HisamotoAn artist rescues a mermaid in a sewer who develops bleeding sores all over her body, paints a portrait with her oozes and eventually disjoints her.Great and disturbing.
- DirectorAndrey IskanovStarsTetsuro SakagamiTomoya OkamotoYukari FujimotoA graphic docu-drama detailing the history of Unit 731, where thousands of innocent Chinese prisoners of war were fatally experimented on.Long and painful.
- DirectorJörg ButtgereitStarsBernd Daktari LorenzBeatrice ManowskiHarald LundtA 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.Atrociously sick.
- DirectorDouglas BuckStarsJared BarskyGary BetsworthRay BlandFrom acclaimed director Douglas Buck comes an unflinching, disturbingly beautiful look at the underbelly of American family. Three separate narratives (including the shocking film festival favorite "Cutting Moments" as well as "Home" and "Prologue") combine to create a unique trilogy of life today that will leave you devastating... and begging for more.Not all good, but make you think a lot.
- DirectorShin'ya TsukamotoStarsTomorô TaguchiKei FujiwaraNobu KanaokaA businessman accidentally kills The Metal Fetishist, who gets his revenge by slowly turning the man into a grotesque hybrid of flesh and rusty metal.The first real film of Tsukamoto, and the best. Cyberpunk style and crazy ideas.
- DirectorBo Arne VibeniusStarsChristina LindbergHeinz HopfDespina TomazaniA young woman, rendered mute after a childhood sexual assault, is trained to seek violent revenge on those who kidnapped and forced her into prostitution.A reference for Tarantino. It's a great movie; it remains pretty shocking and a bit pornographic.
- DirectorLucio FulciStarsFabio TestiIvana MontiMarcel BozzuffiSomeone is muscling in on the two brothers' cigarette smuggling into Italy at Naples. The police is tipped off, then Mickey's stable burns down, then the killing etc. starts. Luca responds.The most violent cop movie ever.
- DirectorGregory WilsonStarsWilliam AthertonBlythe AuffarthBlanche BakerFollows 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.From Jack Ketchum's novel. This is very unsettling and sad.
- DirectorNacho CerdáStarsPep TosarJordi TarridaÁngel TarrisA short film wherein a man working in a morgue mutilates and defiles one of the corpses.Crazy short film about a man who has sex with a corpse. It's beautifully shot. Sick film.
- DirectorMichael WinterbottomStarsCasey AffleckKate HudsonJessica AlbaA West Texas Deputy Sheriff is slowly unmasked as a psychotic killer.Really violent and sick movie. I didn't expect that coming from this director. The killer is just a psychopath.
- DirectorPaolo CavaraGualtiero JacopettiFranco ProsperiStarsStefano SibaldiRossano BrazziYves KleinA "shockumentary" consisting of a collection of mostly real archive footage displaying mankind at its most depraved and perverse, displaying bizarre rites, cruel behavior and bestial violence.One of the first mokumentary.
- DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsJames SpaderHolly HunterElias KoteasAfter getting into a serious car accident, a TV director discovers an underground sub-culture of scarred, omnisexual car-crash victims who use car accidents and the raw sexual energy they produce to try to rejuvenate his sex life with his wife.Mesmerizing and perverse.
- DirectorLarry ClarkEdward LachmanStarsAdam ChubbuckJames BullardSeth GrayKen Park is about several Californian skateboarders' lives and relationships with and without their parents.Nice movie, very provocative though .
- DirectorAsia ArgentoStarsAsia ArgentoJean ShepardHerbert FritschA young Italian actress embarks on a self-destructive spree of sex, drugs and other excess while doing some soul searching to find the path for redemption.I didn't like it so much, but I remember that it shocked me alright.
- DirectorTodd SolondzStarsJane AdamsJon LovitzPhilip Seymour HoffmanThe 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.Great film. A masterpiece in my opinion. A very twisted and intelligent film about American modern society.
- DirectorMel GibsonStarsJim CaviezelMonica BellucciMaia MorgensternDepicts the final twelve hours in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, on the day of his crucifixion in Jerusalem.Very violent and bloody.
- DirectorLars von TrierStarsWillem DafoeCharlotte GainsbourgStorm Acheche SahlstrømA 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.Hated it. But some pretty shocking scenes in there. Beautifully shot!
- DirectorKarim HussainStarsSophie LauzièreAnne-Marie BelleyBrea AsherAn anthology of horror, consisting of four segments all themed around gory subjects.Very sick and perverse and strangely poetic at the same time.
- DirectorAlan ClarkeStarsGary WalkerBill HamiltonMichael FoyleA depiction of a series of violent killings in Northern Ireland with no clue as to exactly who is responsible.Amazing and shocking short film.
- DirectorJörg ButtgereitStarsHermann KoppHeinrich EbberMichael KrauseSeven episodes, each taking place on a different day of the week, on the theme of suicide and violent death.The first time I cried watching a horror movie. This film is just amazing and very profound.
- DirectorNikos NikolaidisStarsMeredyth HeroldPanos ThanassoulisMichele ValleyA man searching for his long-lost lover is kidnapped by her killers, an insane, mother-daughter duo, and they force him to commit various sexual atrocities with them.Amazing film noir, very twisted and haunting.