“If You Haven’t Seen It, Please… Just Don’t”: 30 Disturbing Movies That Left People Traumatized
Interview With Expert
Given the number of people who excitedly wait for a new chilling movie to come out every time, we have to admit that they are often mediocre at best. Perhaps it’s the result of a low budget, inexperienced writers, predictable twists, or repetitive plots that dampen the whole experience.
But all is not lost, as people in this online thread were recently sharing films that still give hope to the terror connoisseurs at heart. Below, you’ll find a list of the most disturbing movies guaranteed to send some creepy crawlers down your spine.
While you're busy adding these films to your own must-watch list, don't forget to check out a conversation with screenwriter, actor, novelist, and story coach Neil Chase, who kindly agreed to tell us more about this genre and even shared his favorite chilling movie!
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Human centipide.
YossiTheWizard:
For me, it’s just such an absolutely disturbing concept that I can’t believe the person who came up with it doesn’t have issues that need to be addressed.
Requiem for a Dream it's not a horror movie but definitely one of the most disturbing movies I've watched.
conn_r2112:
I remember watching it when I was younger, and at a certain point I legit had to pause the movie and go outside just to hear some birds chirp and see some sunshine.
This movie was a masterpiece but I will never watch it again, it's traumatic. But I respect it as it saved a lot of lives by just telling the consequences of the d**g abuse
Schindler’s List. I will never watch it again.
u/ToBeReadOutLoud:
It’s an extremely good movie and I’m glad I watched it, but once was definitely enough.
Why is this on a list of "could not be made today" movies? if it didn't already exist, someone would absolutely be making it.
Holocaust movies NEED to be made these days. Some people don't even know what the Holocaust was. Video on YouTube asking Holocaust questions- one woman was asked how many Jews did the Nazis kill? She replied.....8000. Bit different to 8000. I was made to watch Schindlers List occasionally asa young child because I was raised by my grandmother that actually survived 4 years in a concentration camp. Unfortunately my great grandparents and their 2 youngest kids were gassed and just dumped in a bonfire of burning bodies. I'm older now and I still cannot fathom that THAT happened to my own family, my own flesh and blood.
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Same here. Only watched it once when it came out. I don't think I can watch it again.
Yeah i think a lot of people would agree with you
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The Pianist is a close second. Has much of the same Nazi brutality and despair.
The Pianist is better imo. I actually don't like Schindler's as a film, but as a testament. And l absolutely despise the soundtrack.
Load More Replies... I thought this was one of the most emotional films i have ever seen and we should see this film all the time to remind us that humans can be so evil given a little power.
Most German school kids watch it in history class. Among other movies and books on that topic.
I'm in the vast minority, I know, but I found Schindler's List to be disappointing. Early on, I noticed a pattern. Despite all the random killing, every time it looked like a main character was going to die, something would miraculously save them. It didn't feel like Spielberg had the guts to do the story justice.
I'm in the minority with you. I felt l saw the puppets strings at times and that threw me out of the film. I found The Pianist more disturbing.
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Never watched it. But - as a German - I obviously know the original story and I don't need the Hollywood version.
Highly recommend watching. Steven Spielberg (edit: incorrectly named: James Cameron), an incredibly talented cast including Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, and Ralph Fiennes, superb writing and directing. It's a masterpiece even if you take out the content.
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I have to watch it for a school project and now I’m not sure if I should
Do watch it. You have probably watched nastier films. But this happened.
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That is exactly how I feel about The Color Purple. That much rape and abuse I will never repeat.
The most horrifying thing about this movie is that they had to tone DOWN the psychotic homicidal behaviour of Amon Göth from how he REALLY was. Think about that.
I remember watching this in one of my history classes, I believe last year. It was definitely a very good movie, and it helps spread more awareness about what happened and how terrible the Holocaust was. Personally, I agree that once is enough, but I wouldn't mind watching it over again if I'm watching it with people who haven't yet seen it.
If a movie makes a sufficient impression, it only needs to be seen once.
Ironic how the sensitive wouldn't want it filmed today yet the reality of film is STILL be played out around the world... We are a weird species aren't we?
"If you haven't seen it, please just don't"? Wtf, this movie NEEDS to be watched. I work with teenagers who absolutely do NOT know what happened in WWII. That ignorance is all that terrible people need to make it all happen again. Did no one else see Trump's Beer Hall Putsch in 2020? That was the first sloppy attempt. The next one will be far more organized and dangerous
I was working in the culture department of my hometown (Germany), and got to see a preview / premiere with my wife. We got a bomb warning, evacuation. Nothing happened, thankfully. Also one of the most impressive movies we've seen. How anyone afterwards was able to drink champagne and it stuff is beyond us. We directly left, trying to process the emotional impact it had on us.
I saw it at the cinema when it first came out. Its the only film I've been to where the audience just sat there in silence at the end. It was as though no-one knew what to do, it took ages before anyone stood up to leave, and we all left in silence. Nothing said, just in total shock. It's a film that had to be made, and a story that had to be told.
I heard so much about that movie, and part of me wanted to see it, but could never get myself in the mindset to see it. So I have not been able to watch It now. I doubt I ever will.
Ironically this image is from one of the few comic relief moments in the film. Albeit extremely dark humor.
I won't watch Schindler's List. Too many friends that saw it said it was disturbing. I mean, I'm glad it was made; I heard the acting was superb, but this is something I just can't watch.
i think everyone should see this movie. it’s incredibly important. but i agree. you only see it once. you’re never gonna want to see it again.
Naturally, the first thing Bored Panda was interested in learning about was the film expert's all-time favorite disturbing movie. Chase shares with us that it's Ghost Stories, a 2017 film starring an ensemble cast that includes Martin Freeman, Samuel Bottomley, Deborah Wastell, and Amy Doyle.
For those who aren't familiar with the movie, he kindly summarized it. "The film centers around a paranormal debunker who tries to disprove three separate supernatural encounters. But he discovers they are connected in a chilling way. What stands out to me in this film are a number of moments that play upon the psyche of both the main character and the viewer."
A Clockwork Orange was up there on the list.
VidelSatan13:
I can watch a lot of horror but I watched it once and never again
Grave of the Fireflies (1988).
Foolish_Flame:
That was just such a devastating movie. Must’ve seen it about 20 years ago and I still think about it often. It still gives me goosebumps.
A Serbian Film.
minish4w:
Came here for this. I wouldn’t watch the movie again but, in terms of accomplishing what they set out to accomplish, it was a good movie. I feel bad for even saying that, lol. But man, that’s one that just can’t be unseen. Almost feel terrible for having actually seen it. On that note, if anyone comments about a movie that’s more disturbing than this one… I don’t think I’d want to watch it. And I’ve of gone on horror movie binges that span the globe.
"A great example of this is found in the second story that he is trying to debunk - where he enters the home of a disturbed young man and sees the boy's parents standing in the kitchen," Chase continues telling us.
"They have their backs to him (and the camera) and appear to be standing at the sink, washing dishes. However, when the protagonist takes a second look, he sees that they are completely motionless. The camera lingers on this image, and the longer it does so, the more disturbing the effect gets.
Why aren't these people moving? Why aren't they speaking? Why do they have their backs to us? And, just as the investigator is about to take a step towards them, the boy gets his attention, and it pulls us away from those faceless characters. It's never revealed why they were behaving this way, which only adds to the mystery of that moment."
Hotel Rwanda.
u/becuzurugly:
I own it but have only watched it twice. I cry about it for days on end.
Threads... By far.
SV650rider:
I saw it years ago and still think about it regularly. Sometimes my friend and I need to talk about it to continue the processing.
Saintdavus:
This changed my idea of surviving nuclear war. I’m now glad I live in a high target city and I only hope I get vaporized instantly if or when the time comes.
Threads and The Day After are recognized as the media that most effectively swayed public opinion towards widespread support of nuclear weapon reduction programs. They happened to be published at a time when the media had a predominantly propaganda-driven nationalistic rhetoric.
One Hour Photo. Robin Williams as a psycho. Brilliant but disturbing.
To learn more about the film genre itself, we were curious to find out what elements make a movie truly chilling.
Chase explains, "Disturbing films typically come in two varieties - those that are meant to disturb on a visceral level (such as shock-horror films like Hostel or A Serbian Film) and a smaller class of disturbing films that are meant to affect the viewer on a psychological level (such as the aforementioned Ghost Stories, and even non-horror such as Thirteen). I find psychologically disturbing movies to be most effective, much more so than movies with just gore and shock value."
American History X.
EgonsBrokenTie:
I can remember by buddy showing me the film. He had the video tape rewound and back in the case and I still had my jaw dropped while staring blankly into the turned off TV.
Come and See, written and directed by two men who were on the eastern front during Germany's genocide campaign in Belarus, the campaign that k*lled 27 million Russians. The movie depicts the writer's experience as a teenage soldier. It was made during the time of the Soviet Union and the actions of the Germans depicted in the movie were deemed so intense and disturbing that even the Soviet Union who basically controlled all media at the time asked then to tone it down. The movie uses a real child actor, real animals, and real live ammunition. It could never be made today. It is haunting, disturbing, and based 100% in reality. It shows there are no heroes in war and will destroy any notion one may have that war is ever a good idea. It makes Saving Private Ryan look like Over the Hedge. Edit: The movie is free in its native Russian on Youtube.
Johnny Got his Gun. It took me years to watch it all the way through. Being stuck in your body not being able to move or communicate all the while being conscious to everything around you. It's like being buried alive for years.
According to Chase, the quality of unsettling cinema might be declining because studios aren't willing to take risks with storylines and are often playing it safe.
"To me, it all comes down to the quality of storytelling," he explains. "In recent years, the quality of storytelling in films has gotten worse. It's not that there aren't great storytellers or even great stories available - it's that, increasingly, studios are unwilling to take storytelling risks and are simply playing it safe. It's difficult to create disturbing content of any kind when the filmmakers are mandated to make content to please audiences rather than disturb them. "
Chase finds an interesting paradox in this. "Disturbing content, by its nature, is meant to throw viewers off and unsettle them, not to please them. And yet, most studios these days are trying to make films that will please as wide an audience as they can. These two viewpoints are in direct contradiction. How can you please a wide audience while also creating content that will disturb them? You just can't."
Irreversible.
Only movie I tapped out on the first time then revisited just to get through it. Not only is it gruesome, the atmosphere and camera angles make it really unsettling.
rupa_rockstar:
This film stuck with me for so long, so awful, tragic and beautiful as well. Quite a feat.
Midsommar.
u/woahwoahwoah28:
That was one of the first movies I saw where nausea set in while I was watching it.
As a Swede this was a movie that just felt completely ridiculous. I saw it at the cinema with family and I have never experienced a whole theatre audience laugh so hard during a horror movie. I’ve tried to watch it again because I am a big fan of his other movies but no, I find it ridiculous.
I Spit On Your Grave. The Hills Have Eyes. Both originals and remakes.
I love i spit on your grave! I've tried showing it to friends and they can't get to the point where the revenge starts, which is SO SATISFYING. very few movies have gotten me so invested in a character and wanting them to do terrible things to rapists. Such a good and disturbing movie!
Apocalypse Now.
It had an impact on me like no other. The movie feels so intensely real, and unfortunately it is a very accurate depiction of what happened in the Vietnam War. The way that the movie dehumanises Vietnamese people (which is what the Americans did) just kills me. It’s absolutely horrifying.
It's horrifying, but it is so on purpose and with a clear message behind. The approach to evil of the protagonist through its journey and its steps, is mirrored by the sacrificial ascension of the antagonist posing a lot of questions about what's good and what's bad in ethically challenging scenarios. It's another film that could not be made today but only because it takes a great director and a lot of artistic freedom to commit to a story without falling into the temptation of turning it into a rhetoric, generic war movie.
Not the most disturbing, but the car scene in Hereditary shocked the absolute s**t out of me more than any other horror scene. I’ve watched a lot of horror movies.
bokin8:
It was so unexpected in that moment of the movie for some reason that's why it was so shocking too. That one is really burned into my brain.
SassafrassPudding:
Hereditary stayed with me. It's a long, slow burn until it hits you again, and again. I've watched a whole bunch of "deep dive" video essays to try and work through it, but the effects remain, like a spot on my soul
Eraserhead. You are welcome.
AreYouMeIAmYou:
I saw it for the first time last year and it left a very foul taste in my mouth. Oh, and I'm going to be a dad for the first time this year and the movie is even more unsettling now.
Eden Lake.
SamRaimisOldsDelta88:
I had to scroll far too long for this one. Other movies might be more viscerally upsetting but this one just hurts deep down inside. I’ve seen pretty much all of them. Terrifier, TCM, Martyrs, Cannibal Holocaust…
It’s mean, realistic, and doesn’t give you a payoff or relief in the end.
Glad to see this here. I watched it late at night thinking some brainless horror past time and then got sucked into actual violence with believable characters and unbearable tension with no relief. I've avoided it since.
Funny games. I watch A LOT of horror movies/ thrillers etc. I consider it my favorite genre. That movie got me to my core for some reason. Something felt so real about it.
unoeyedwillie:
I watch a lot of horror and read a lot of true crime, I could not finish this movie. It did feel very real.
Probably Event Horizon.
doomonyou1999:
I still have nightmares related to this film.
Mother….
u/TalkativeTree:
This is the only movie I actively wish I could un-watch.
u/Clom_Clompson:
The only movie I’ve ever seen that truly and I mean truly felt like an unfolding nightmare. I will never watch it again.
I hated this movie with every fiber of my being. I use this movie as a marker about whether or not I will accept someone's recommendations on movies.
Ok, Bone Tomahawk.
Ricemandem:
Only film I've ever watched where I have to actively avoid thinking about it for my own peace of mind
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. The 1974 original.
It just feels so grimy, unpleasant and most of all, REAL. It feels realistic and truly disturbing in a way a lot of horror movies don't, to the point where you almost feel like you shouldn't be watching, but you can't look away. The title makes you think you're in for a gorefest, but there's actually very little blood and gore to speak of (Tobe Hooper was shooting for A PG RATING, but the MPAA decided that the subject matter was just too macabre to be anything less than an R). It's all about the atmosphere, the tension, the extremely f****d up imagery in that house, and the erm... eccentric Sawyer family. And it's all made even scarier by Marilyn Burns' uncomfortably realistic terror at everything around her... and much of her fear was genuine.
Yeah, about that... the making of the film was no picnic. Just look up what a nightmare the dinner scene was for everyone involved. Edwin Neal (who played the hitchhiker) said it was the worst experience of his life.... and he'd served in Vietnam.
The hammer scene is incredibly brutal and realistic. It's one of the simplest, but most effective horror movie kills ever.
I found Tusk very disturbing. I love horrors and don’t mind body horror usually, but that one left me with a really uncomfortable feeling.
Brief-Leader-4015:
I'm glad I'm not the only one, everyone laughed at it but I found it very unsettling.
Don't watch it. It is not worth the trauma. It has no purpose and proper storyline except to disgust the viewer. Just a mess of a movie.
Pink Flamingos for sure.
Note: this post originally had 73 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
How that ever was deemed a Childs movie i dont know!
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Two for me: The Fly (the 80's version) REALLY freaked me out as a teenager. The other is Pan's Labyrinth. Was Ofelia really Princess Moanna? Was she merely escaping the horror in fantasy? The character of Captain Vidal was both very well done and horrible. That one will stick with me forever.
Oh gods, Pan's Labyrinth was so beautifully done, absolutely gut-wrenching. To your question, though, my guess: doesn't matter. No matter how terrifying the monsters in the "fantasy" world were, nothing is as evil as what people do to each other.
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The Wizard of Oz. Had me in tears and running through to the kitchen. Way too scary for an 6 year-old to watch on their own.
Are you sure you aren't thinking of Return to Oz?
Load More Replies... That is the most misleading title I have seen on a bored panda article for quite some time. Good lord.
I watched the movie "Kids" recently. That movie stuck with me and I find myself wondering about it quite often especially the burning question "Did Telly know he was HIV positive?"
I don’t think he did, but knowing wouldn’t have changed any of that little fúckers actions.
Load More Replies... Lovely Bones. Never saw the movie but if it's anything like the book, I'm out
This list has made me remember scenes l really didn't want to 😂 gonna go for a walk in the sun
I have hardly watched any movies on this list but if I were to mention a couple that really upset me (so maybe not "disturbing" in the sense this list intends? But I was upset/angry) was One flew over the cuckoo's nest, and Taming of the Shrew (with Elizabeth Taylor). But just made me so upset at the unfairness that I cried with anger.
Have you read the book of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest? It's even more disturbing than the movie, because it's told entirely from Chief Bromden's point of view, and he's very obviously not sane. Or is he?
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I'm surprised Special Bulletin [1983] is not on the list or mentioned. Very similar in vein to The Day After, but in a much more visceral first-person manner. This broadcast badly messed with people, to the point that schools had to have assemblies, and letters were sent home to parents the following week.
An honorable mention should also go to The Mist. Great film, nice Stephen King adaption with some cool scenes, good cast and then right at the very end one of the bleakest sucker punch endings ever. I think there are also a ton of "gore" movies that are disturbing just because they're gross, Nekromantik, the Guinea Pig series, Hostel, the later Saw films (the first was excellent). Xtro, mostly because I saw a trailer for the alien monster attacking someone when I was a kid and it grossed me out. Seeing it later it wasn't as bad but I guess an early horror sticks with you.
I'm surprised We Need To Talk About Kevin isn't on this list. Brilliant movie which I will never watch again. A year or two later I saw the poster for The Perks of Being a Wallflower and couldn't figure out why looking at it upset me. It was just three kids standing in front of a green wall, so why did it disturb me so much? Then it hit me. One of those kids was KEVIN (well, the same actor, obviously).
This list reminded me of two movies: The Good Son, starring Macaulay Culkin and Elijah Wood, which I found disturbing. I saw it when I was very young and it really scared me. The other movie, which I think was amazing but I won't watch again, is Taxidermia. That movie is just weird
I loved The Good Son. Both boys performed well, but Culkin took it to the next level. I did hold my breath at the climax. I don't know what I would have done.
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Shocked "The Peanut butter Solution" isn't on this list. There is a community of people that were convinced it was a horrible dream from their childhood.
No one I know seems to remember this movie and they look at me like I'm crazy when I try to describe it.
Load More Replies... WHY is the wave (the 3rd wave) not on the list???? A teacher that starts en experiment after students ask how Hitler got to do what he did. It did not scared the hell out of me for days but weeks probably months and acually still does...... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wave_(1981_film)
I saw that in school. Very frightening.
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Life is Beautiful. I watched it once decades ago and still tear up now remembering.
"Man Behind the Sun"......tells the true story of the horrific medical experiments and tortures that the Imperial Japanese Army did to Chinese & Russian POWs at Unit 731 during WWII. It's estimated that up to 300,000 people were tortured and killed there. One of the most graphic and disturbing films I've ever seen.
Had to scroll down to find this. To me, this is the most horrific film I have ever seen.
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painted bird and the boy with the striped pajama I may watch monsters and demons but I never get over human cruelty
City of god, that movie shook me bad. Had just become a mom and the scene when they shoot the orphan kid i just lost it and started crying.
I don’t think The Talented Mr Ripley belongs on this list, but I watched it when I was 8 and it SCARRED me
Oh, same here. The surprisingly realistic murd3r scenes were a little too scary for me back then... recently rewatched it and got a similar effect, especially when Mr. Ripley hit the guy with the statue head/bu5t - such a messy scene. (Thanks, BP censors).
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*Nekromantik II* & *We Need to Talk About Kevin* come to mind. One I saw decades ago about a girl who goes to stay with her eccentric grandmother, the grandmother dies & the girl doesn't know what to do--can't remember the title. No sex, no gore, just an all-too-believable nightmare.
Water by Deepa Mehta. I have seen it more than 10 years ago and it still resonates in me.
Surprised this isn't there. Ill be honest, it left such a mark on me as a kid when i first saw it I honestly think it has contributed to a reoccuring nightmare. ...... But that would be the TV movie "The Day After" released back in the 80s. I had buried it so much in my brain that I nearly forgot about it until I saw a doc about making the movie. It wouldn't get passed the studio brass today (hell it barely did back in the 80s) ... I just remember this one scene with a mom holding her baby and just thinking of it brings tears to my eyes
Can't believe The Mist is not on this list. I won't spoil it, but anyone who has seen the movie knows exactly what I'm talking about.
Because this movie is a must watch every time you’re considering travelling to the Australian outback. :p
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For me it’s The Impossible, about the 2004 Tsunami. I’ve seen it once and that’s it. I never want to see it again.
For some reason I found Melancholia very disturbing and the final scenes have stayed with me.
I found it oddly comforting, I felt very much at peace at the end of the movie.
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"Safe", with Julianne Moore. No blood, no gore, no violence, but a disturbing downward spiral of person's mental health. [ ................ ] "The Long Good Friday", Bob Hoskins. Cripes, the violence in this movie is brutal. It's like "Deadpool" without any comedy. No heroes, no good guys, no winners.
No one mentioned Pan's Labyrinth. I was so angry at the end of that movie I wanted to hit someone. And I am very non violent.
No mention of "Speak no Evil" so far? You'll find yourself shouting at the protagonists "get the f out you idiots" through the entire movie.
Forgot about that one " Now, imagine she was white " is a fantastic line, such a perfect way to sum up the film....
Load More Replies... "The Fourth Kind" - Horrible and the pseudo-documentary style just made it worse.
Not many people have heard of this film, let alone seen it, I think it works very well...,
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Dogville - unknown masterpiece! A barren soundstage is stylishly utilized to create a minimalist small-town setting in which a mysterious woman named Grace (Nicole Kidman) hides from the criminals who pursue her. The town is two-faced and offers to harbor Grace as long as she can make it worth their effort, so Grace works hard under the employ of various townspeople to win their favor. Tensions flare, however, and Grace's status as a helpless outsider provokes vicious contempt and abuse from the citizens of Dogville.
Love the film and the plottwist at the end.. it was intense and disturbing.
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I'm surprised the Saw series isn't on here. I know a lot of people love the series but for me it's a hard hell nope.
two movies, by the same guy. raising the red lantern and to live. saw them both when i was 14 and it scarred me
It was on the original list, however, it's now shorter, but it was on there....
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I'm surprised The Last King of Scotland isn't on here. That was f***ing brutal to watch! Also Children of Men really did a number on me.
A Serbian Film is by far the best/worst disturbing film on the list. I'm a real fan of disturbing movies and I haven't seen anything else come close. But a close second was a movie called No Child of Mine. You can watch it on YouTube but I'm not sure if they cut scenes (I can't imagine they didn't). I just downloaded it. It's a 90s movie about a 10-year-old child who is r@ped and abused by her father and he ends up pimping her out to his friends. Her mother does nothing to help. She gets taken away only to be abused in the foster system by both a social worker and a foster parent. She becomes a prostitute just so she can save money. It's pretty graphic for a cable movie. A good story about how horrible the system is and how easy kids slip through the cracks. A movie like that would never be made today. The closest you'd find to it is probably Bastard Out of Carolina, with Jena Malone, who should've gotten an Oscar for that role.
Blood Sucking Freaks. I think I saw maybe 20 minutes of it before I walked out. Only movie I've ever walked out of.
The super-cheesy effects kept me grounded enough to finish that one.
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Vanilla Sky disturbed me, but after reading a few of the plot lines foe the films in this list, I appear to be a bit of a lightweight.
I am a total wuss, I've only seen one of the films on this list, and I will be sure to avoid all the others. I approve of historical films because we need to know, and films are the way to reach the most people. But I don't see it as entertainment
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How did 'Lolly Madonna' aka ''The Lolly Madonna Wars' escape this list? That actress had problems after the filming and I may have had a few myself..
I have one to top them all: Men Behind the Sun (1988). On the subject of human experiments on Chinese civilians by the Japanese Unit 731. Historical, accurate and very real. The director used corpses to get a realistic effect on body horror.
Peeping Tom, vilified at release now viewed as a classic Once Were Warriors, brutal shocking, tragic but important to watch once
Terrified (NOT Terrifier, with the annoying clown). Although I don't usually watch foreign films (my eyes have trouble focusing on screen and Close Caption at the same time) and this one was filmed in Argentina, I watched the trailer and decided to give it a try. Whoa...some really weird things going on there! I'm a HUGE horror fan, but there were things in this film I've never seen before! Just...see it and you'll see what I mean...
The Thing, the original one, where the dog turns into the alien is the only movie moment that gave me a jumpscare but i love it, the practical effects are amazing wish they didnt go over them with cgi in the remake
" Switchblade Romance " ( " High Tension " ), " Incident In A Ghostland " , " Landmine Goes Click " - very enjoyable films, however, can't watch more than once....
Brazilia (1985), but I had read "1984" some time before that so it kinda saved me ftom being more "traumatized".
Is that the Terry Gilliam film starring Jonathan Pryce? It's known as "Brazil" in my country. Michael Palin is creepy as hell in that.
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The Girl Next Door. I had no idea what it was based on and the true story that inspired it is even WORSE. Made me cry watching it and I'll never see it or any film that's remotely like it again. (TW: child torture/r@pe/k*lling)
I can't remember the name of it, but I remember watching a movie that used a ton of weird audio and visuals that made me physically ill. This was back around 2005 but it might have been made in the 90's. It was a jumbled mess of nonlinear scenes with nonsensical visuals/static/audio. I just tried to find it but I couldn't 🫤
A disturbing film that I highly recommend everyone watch is "The Endless." It's not disturbing like the gory ones on this list, but it lingers in your mind forever afterwards. Or maybe it's just me, but the entire premise is mind-bending in a way that makes it hard to sleep if you dwell on it too long.
Not as bad as A Serbian film but Saviour with Dennis Quaid. Can't unwatch that
...the terrible comedy film with Emma Thompson and Jeff Goldblum?
Load More Replies... The Children under the stairs, and Voices with Ryan Renyolds, for sure.
Not a horror, but Bridge to Teribithia is very shocking and depressing. Did not expect that when I first saw it. May rewatch it eventually, but not anytime soon...
Kinda surprised no one mentioned Men Behind the Sun. Fake documentary style film about the events of the *real* Japanese Unit 731 who performed truly horrific biological experiments on Chinese prisoners in WW2. Some really nasty gore effects made worse because they apparently performed similar experiments for real.
Suic*de Club. Japanese film. messed me up bad. cannot rewatch. the women tied in bags by the gangs alone just made me sick....
I forgot about that movie! It’s all a metaphor about isolation and technology
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Quo Vadis, Aida? It was film about the events of the Srebrenica massacre. Nothing explicit, just incredibly sad.
I would add 'Perfect blue' here. It is actually a good anime horror movie. Great storyline and actually watchable amount of horror. Not like some movies here which are plain disgusting. Also I will recommend analog horror on yt for y'all. Especially Mandela Catalogue
What part of "this s**t is disturbing" equals cancelling? As a former (ancient) art student, l've watched A LOT of cinema, even got my credentials as investigator to get in the filmoteque, and l still wish l could unsee Saló, so what? Get off your very high horse before you fall off and hurt that righteous neck.
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How that ever was deemed a Childs movie i dont know!
Load More Replies... Two for me: The Fly (the 80's version) REALLY freaked me out as a teenager. The other is Pan's Labyrinth. Was Ofelia really Princess Moanna? Was she merely escaping the horror in fantasy? The character of Captain Vidal was both very well done and horrible. That one will stick with me forever.
Oh gods, Pan's Labyrinth was so beautifully done, absolutely gut-wrenching. To your question, though, my guess: doesn't matter. No matter how terrifying the monsters in the "fantasy" world were, nothing is as evil as what people do to each other.
Load More Replies... The Wizard of Oz. Had me in tears and running through to the kitchen. Way too scary for an 6 year-old to watch on their own.
Are you sure you aren't thinking of Return to Oz?
Load More Replies... That is the most misleading title I have seen on a bored panda article for quite some time. Good lord.
I watched the movie "Kids" recently. That movie stuck with me and I find myself wondering about it quite often especially the burning question "Did Telly know he was HIV positive?"
I don’t think he did, but knowing wouldn’t have changed any of that little fúckers actions.
Load More Replies... Lovely Bones. Never saw the movie but if it's anything like the book, I'm out
This list has made me remember scenes l really didn't want to 😂 gonna go for a walk in the sun
I have hardly watched any movies on this list but if I were to mention a couple that really upset me (so maybe not "disturbing" in the sense this list intends? But I was upset/angry) was One flew over the cuckoo's nest, and Taming of the Shrew (with Elizabeth Taylor). But just made me so upset at the unfairness that I cried with anger.
Have you read the book of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest? It's even more disturbing than the movie, because it's told entirely from Chief Bromden's point of view, and he's very obviously not sane. Or is he?
Load More Replies... I'm surprised Special Bulletin [1983] is not on the list or mentioned. Very similar in vein to The Day After, but in a much more visceral first-person manner. This broadcast badly messed with people, to the point that schools had to have assemblies, and letters were sent home to parents the following week.
An honorable mention should also go to The Mist. Great film, nice Stephen King adaption with some cool scenes, good cast and then right at the very end one of the bleakest sucker punch endings ever. I think there are also a ton of "gore" movies that are disturbing just because they're gross, Nekromantik, the Guinea Pig series, Hostel, the later Saw films (the first was excellent). Xtro, mostly because I saw a trailer for the alien monster attacking someone when I was a kid and it grossed me out. Seeing it later it wasn't as bad but I guess an early horror sticks with you.
I'm surprised We Need To Talk About Kevin isn't on this list. Brilliant movie which I will never watch again. A year or two later I saw the poster for The Perks of Being a Wallflower and couldn't figure out why looking at it upset me. It was just three kids standing in front of a green wall, so why did it disturb me so much? Then it hit me. One of those kids was KEVIN (well, the same actor, obviously).
This list reminded me of two movies: The Good Son, starring Macaulay Culkin and Elijah Wood, which I found disturbing. I saw it when I was very young and it really scared me. The other movie, which I think was amazing but I won't watch again, is Taxidermia. That movie is just weird
I loved The Good Son. Both boys performed well, but Culkin took it to the next level. I did hold my breath at the climax. I don't know what I would have done.
Load More Replies... Shocked "The Peanut butter Solution" isn't on this list. There is a community of people that were convinced it was a horrible dream from their childhood.
No one I know seems to remember this movie and they look at me like I'm crazy when I try to describe it.
Load More Replies... WHY is the wave (the 3rd wave) not on the list???? A teacher that starts en experiment after students ask how Hitler got to do what he did. It did not scared the hell out of me for days but weeks probably months and acually still does...... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wave_(1981_film)
I saw that in school. Very frightening.
Load More Replies... Life is Beautiful. I watched it once decades ago and still tear up now remembering.
"Man Behind the Sun"......tells the true story of the horrific medical experiments and tortures that the Imperial Japanese Army did to Chinese & Russian POWs at Unit 731 during WWII. It's estimated that up to 300,000 people were tortured and killed there. One of the most graphic and disturbing films I've ever seen.
Had to scroll down to find this. To me, this is the most horrific film I have ever seen.
Load More Replies... painted bird and the boy with the striped pajama I may watch monsters and demons but I never get over human cruelty
City of god, that movie shook me bad. Had just become a mom and the scene when they shoot the orphan kid i just lost it and started crying.
I don’t think The Talented Mr Ripley belongs on this list, but I watched it when I was 8 and it SCARRED me
Oh, same here. The surprisingly realistic murd3r scenes were a little too scary for me back then... recently rewatched it and got a similar effect, especially when Mr. Ripley hit the guy with the statue head/bu5t - such a messy scene. (Thanks, BP censors).
Load More Replies... *Nekromantik II* & *We Need to Talk About Kevin* come to mind. One I saw decades ago about a girl who goes to stay with her eccentric grandmother, the grandmother dies & the girl doesn't know what to do--can't remember the title. No sex, no gore, just an all-too-believable nightmare.
Water by Deepa Mehta. I have seen it more than 10 years ago and it still resonates in me.
Surprised this isn't there. Ill be honest, it left such a mark on me as a kid when i first saw it I honestly think it has contributed to a reoccuring nightmare. ...... But that would be the TV movie "The Day After" released back in the 80s. I had buried it so much in my brain that I nearly forgot about it until I saw a doc about making the movie. It wouldn't get passed the studio brass today (hell it barely did back in the 80s) ... I just remember this one scene with a mom holding her baby and just thinking of it brings tears to my eyes
Can't believe The Mist is not on this list. I won't spoil it, but anyone who has seen the movie knows exactly what I'm talking about.
Because this movie is a must watch every time you’re considering travelling to the Australian outback. :p
Load More Replies... For me it’s The Impossible, about the 2004 Tsunami. I’ve seen it once and that’s it. I never want to see it again.
For some reason I found Melancholia very disturbing and the final scenes have stayed with me.
I found it oddly comforting, I felt very much at peace at the end of the movie.
Load More Replies... "Safe", with Julianne Moore. No blood, no gore, no violence, but a disturbing downward spiral of person's mental health. [ ................ ] "The Long Good Friday", Bob Hoskins. Cripes, the violence in this movie is brutal. It's like "Deadpool" without any comedy. No heroes, no good guys, no winners.
No one mentioned Pan's Labyrinth. I was so angry at the end of that movie I wanted to hit someone. And I am very non violent.
No mention of "Speak no Evil" so far? You'll find yourself shouting at the protagonists "get the f out you idiots" through the entire movie.
Forgot about that one " Now, imagine she was white " is a fantastic line, such a perfect way to sum up the film....
Load More Replies... "The Fourth Kind" - Horrible and the pseudo-documentary style just made it worse.
Not many people have heard of this film, let alone seen it, I think it works very well...,
Load More Replies... Dogville - unknown masterpiece! A barren soundstage is stylishly utilized to create a minimalist small-town setting in which a mysterious woman named Grace (Nicole Kidman) hides from the criminals who pursue her. The town is two-faced and offers to harbor Grace as long as she can make it worth their effort, so Grace works hard under the employ of various townspeople to win their favor. Tensions flare, however, and Grace's status as a helpless outsider provokes vicious contempt and abuse from the citizens of Dogville.
Love the film and the plottwist at the end.. it was intense and disturbing.
Load More Replies... I'm surprised the Saw series isn't on here. I know a lot of people love the series but for me it's a hard hell nope.
two movies, by the same guy. raising the red lantern and to live. saw them both when i was 14 and it scarred me
It was on the original list, however, it's now shorter, but it was on there....
Load More Replies... I'm surprised The Last King of Scotland isn't on here. That was f***ing brutal to watch! Also Children of Men really did a number on me.
A Serbian Film is by far the best/worst disturbing film on the list. I'm a real fan of disturbing movies and I haven't seen anything else come close. But a close second was a movie called No Child of Mine. You can watch it on YouTube but I'm not sure if they cut scenes (I can't imagine they didn't). I just downloaded it. It's a 90s movie about a 10-year-old child who is r@ped and abused by her father and he ends up pimping her out to his friends. Her mother does nothing to help. She gets taken away only to be abused in the foster system by both a social worker and a foster parent. She becomes a prostitute just so she can save money. It's pretty graphic for a cable movie. A good story about how horrible the system is and how easy kids slip through the cracks. A movie like that would never be made today. The closest you'd find to it is probably Bastard Out of Carolina, with Jena Malone, who should've gotten an Oscar for that role.
Blood Sucking Freaks. I think I saw maybe 20 minutes of it before I walked out. Only movie I've ever walked out of.
The super-cheesy effects kept me grounded enough to finish that one.
Load More Replies... Vanilla Sky disturbed me, but after reading a few of the plot lines foe the films in this list, I appear to be a bit of a lightweight.
I am a total wuss, I've only seen one of the films on this list, and I will be sure to avoid all the others. I approve of historical films because we need to know, and films are the way to reach the most people. But I don't see it as entertainment
Load More Replies... How did 'Lolly Madonna' aka ''The Lolly Madonna Wars' escape this list? That actress had problems after the filming and I may have had a few myself..
I have one to top them all: Men Behind the Sun (1988). On the subject of human experiments on Chinese civilians by the Japanese Unit 731. Historical, accurate and very real. The director used corpses to get a realistic effect on body horror.
Peeping Tom, vilified at release now viewed as a classic Once Were Warriors, brutal shocking, tragic but important to watch once
Terrified (NOT Terrifier, with the annoying clown). Although I don't usually watch foreign films (my eyes have trouble focusing on screen and Close Caption at the same time) and this one was filmed in Argentina, I watched the trailer and decided to give it a try. Whoa...some really weird things going on there! I'm a HUGE horror fan, but there were things in this film I've never seen before! Just...see it and you'll see what I mean...
The Thing, the original one, where the dog turns into the alien is the only movie moment that gave me a jumpscare but i love it, the practical effects are amazing wish they didnt go over them with cgi in the remake
" Switchblade Romance " ( " High Tension " ), " Incident In A Ghostland " , " Landmine Goes Click " - very enjoyable films, however, can't watch more than once....
Brazilia (1985), but I had read "1984" some time before that so it kinda saved me ftom being more "traumatized".
Is that the Terry Gilliam film starring Jonathan Pryce? It's known as "Brazil" in my country. Michael Palin is creepy as hell in that.
Load More Replies... The Girl Next Door. I had no idea what it was based on and the true story that inspired it is even WORSE. Made me cry watching it and I'll never see it or any film that's remotely like it again. (TW: child torture/r@pe/k*lling)
I can't remember the name of it, but I remember watching a movie that used a ton of weird audio and visuals that made me physically ill. This was back around 2005 but it might have been made in the 90's. It was a jumbled mess of nonlinear scenes with nonsensical visuals/static/audio. I just tried to find it but I couldn't 🫤
A disturbing film that I highly recommend everyone watch is "The Endless." It's not disturbing like the gory ones on this list, but it lingers in your mind forever afterwards. Or maybe it's just me, but the entire premise is mind-bending in a way that makes it hard to sleep if you dwell on it too long.
Not as bad as A Serbian film but Saviour with Dennis Quaid. Can't unwatch that
...the terrible comedy film with Emma Thompson and Jeff Goldblum?
Load More Replies... The Children under the stairs, and Voices with Ryan Renyolds, for sure.
Not a horror, but Bridge to Teribithia is very shocking and depressing. Did not expect that when I first saw it. May rewatch it eventually, but not anytime soon...
Kinda surprised no one mentioned Men Behind the Sun. Fake documentary style film about the events of the *real* Japanese Unit 731 who performed truly horrific biological experiments on Chinese prisoners in WW2. Some really nasty gore effects made worse because they apparently performed similar experiments for real.
Suic*de Club. Japanese film. messed me up bad. cannot rewatch. the women tied in bags by the gangs alone just made me sick....
I forgot about that movie! It’s all a metaphor about isolation and technology
Load More Replies... Quo Vadis, Aida? It was film about the events of the Srebrenica massacre. Nothing explicit, just incredibly sad.
I would add 'Perfect blue' here. It is actually a good anime horror movie. Great storyline and actually watchable amount of horror. Not like some movies here which are plain disgusting. Also I will recommend analog horror on yt for y'all. Especially Mandela Catalogue
What part of "this s**t is disturbing" equals cancelling? As a former (ancient) art student, l've watched A LOT of cinema, even got my credentials as investigator to get in the filmoteque, and l still wish l could unsee Saló, so what? Get off your very high horse before you fall off and hurt that righteous neck.
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