SHOCKING MOVIES: the films that made me almost faint or gave me nausea
by gharbinour | created - 24 Oct 2011 | updated - 28 Sep 2014 | PublicCinema 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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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: 65,843
Definitely the most shocking film ever made.
2. Man Behind the Sun (1988)
Not Rated | 105 min | Drama, History, Horror
Japanese 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.
Director: Tun-Fei Mou | Stars: Gang Wang, Dai Yao Wu, Runshen Wang, Zhe Quan
Votes: 7,278
This one is a hard one. I managed to finish it, but I felt sick in my stomach literally.
3. Earthlings (2005)
95 min | Documentary
Using 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.
Director: Shaun Monson | Star: Joaquin Phoenix
Votes: 19,805
Horrifying... just horrifying. Made me sick and depressed.
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: 61,150
The scene with the turtle was indescribably disgusting. I almost through up.
5. 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: 147,673 | Gross: $0.75M
A beautiful film, but very violent and depressing.
6. 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: 43,732 | Gross: $0.21M
Saw it when I was a teenager. I stuck with me for a long time. It's also a great masterpiece.
7. Grotesque (2009)
Not Rated | 73 min | Horror, Thriller
A doctor kidnaps a young couple and forces them into a game of torment that slowly extinguishes their hopes for survival.
Director: Kôji Shiraishi | Stars: Kotoha Hiroyama, Hiroaki Kawatsure, Shigeo Ôsako, Tsugumi Nagasawa
Votes: 7,459
I saw it yesterday. It was pretty good actually, but I felt sick.
8. Twentynine Palms (2003)
Unrated | 119 min | Drama, Horror
David, 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.
Director: Bruno Dumont | Stars: Yekaterina Golubeva, David Wissak
Votes: 5,096 | Gross: $0.05M
The end is nightmarish. Very shocking.
9. Angst (I) (1983)
Not Rated | 87 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
A troubled man gets released from prison and starts taking out his sadistic fantasies on an unsuspecting family living in a secluded house.
Director: Gerald Kargl | Stars: Erwin Leder, Robert Hunger-Bühler, Silvia Ryder, Karin Springer
Votes: 13,470
The best film about serial killers in my opinion. And that's why it is so disturbing.
10. 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: 89,254
Miike was demented at the time. The film is very slow, but the end is terribly disturbing.
11. Strange Circus (2005)
Unrated | 108 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
The 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.
Director: Sion Sono | Stars: Masumi Miyazaki, Issei Ishida, Rie Kuwana, Seiko Iwaidô
Votes: 6,257
Great movie about identity and traumatic childhood. Very disturbing, like often with Sion Sono's cinema.
12. 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: 60,050 | Gross: $0.02M
One of my favorite movies. Pretty insane and awesome. Very violent in a cartoonesque kind of way.
13. 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: 18,631 | Gross: $0.01M
Great, just great.
14.
Masters of Horror (2005–2007)
Episode:
Imprint
(2006)
TV-MA | 63 min | Horror
In 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.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Billy Drago, Shihô Harumi, Michié, Magy
Votes: 7,642
The most shocking episode of the series.
15. 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: 25,804 | Gross: $0.05M
Noe is a great director, but a very provocative one. The protagonist is really instable and he says and does stuff that are shocking.
16. Hole in the Sky (2001)
127 min | Drama
The 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 ... See full summary »
Director: Kazuyoshi Kumakiri | Stars: Susumu Terajima, Rinko Kikuchi, Bunmei Tobayama, Shunsuke Sawada
Votes: 216
Beautiful, disturbing and poetic. Great film.
17. Maniac (1980)
18+ | 87 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A psychopathic man goes on a killing and mutilation spree in New York City.
Director: William Lustig | Stars: Joe Spinell, Caroline Munro, Abigail Clayton, Kelly Piper
Votes: 20,217
One of the best horror film about a serial killer. Prepare to travel in a sick mind.
18. 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: 17,056
Absolutely crazy and somehow fascinating piece of work. Miike is a genius.
19. Benny's Video (1992)
Not Rated | 110 min | Crime, Drama
A 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.
Director: Michael Haneke | Stars: Arno Frisch, Angela Winkler, Ulrich Mühe, Ingrid Stassner
Votes: 18,636
Haneke... again! This boy is freaky!
20. 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: 17,014
Fast your sit belt and be patient, this one will make you think and almost regret to have waited till the end.
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: 106,443
The best french horror to date.
22. The Idiots (1998)
R | 117 min | Comedy, Drama
The group of people gather at the house in Copenhagen suburb to break all the limitations and to bring out the "inner idiot" in themselves.
Director: Lars von Trier | Stars: Bodil Jørgensen, Jens Albinus, Anne Louise Hassing, Troels Lyby
Votes: 33,969 | Gross: $0.01M
Man! Lars von trier is crazy.
23. Daughter of Darkness (1993)
96 min | Comedy, Horror, Thriller
Police suspect a young teenager who was horrifically abused by her family and raped by her father of finally snapping and slaughtering them all.
Director: Kai-Ming Lai | Stars: Lily Chung, Hugo Ng, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Ka-Kui Ho
Votes: 711
24. Flower and Snake (2004)
115 min | Drama, Thriller
Tôyama, 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 ... See full summary »
Director: Takashi Ishii | Stars: Aya Sugimoto, Renji Ishibashi, Ken'ichi Endô, Misaki Mori
Votes: 1,255
I liked this film a lot; it was very kinky and twisted, one of a kind, definitely not for everyone.
25. The Eight Immortals Restaurant: The Untold Story (1993)
Unrated | 96 min | Comedy, Crime, Horror
Macau 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.
Directors: Danny Lee, Herman Yau | Stars: Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Danny Lee, Emily Kwan, Julie Lee
Votes: 4,676
Amazing and atrociously demented.
26. Faces of Gore (1999)
Not Rated | 89 min | Documentary, Horror
Join 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.... See full summary »
Director: Todd Tjersland | Stars: Steve Sheppard, Todd Tjersland
Votes: 365
Bad movie, but shocking.
27. Red White & Blue (2010)
Not Rated | 103 min | Drama, Thriller
A woman attracts the attention of a psychopathic former Army interrogator and an emotionally fragile young man caring for his depressed mother.
Director: Simon Rumley | Stars: Amanda Fuller, Marc Senter, Jon Michael Davis, Nick Holden
Votes: 6,148
An excellent horror movie. Very shocking. One of my favorites from 2 years ago.
28. Beyond the Darkness (1979)
Unrated | 94 min | Horror
A 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.
Director: Joe D'Amato | Stars: Kieran Canter, Cinzia Monreale, Franca Stoppi, Sam Modesto
Votes: 5,666
Joe D'amato's best film of in my opinion. Sick love story.
29. Guinea Pig 5: Mermaid in the Manhole (1988 Video)
63 min | Horror
An 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.
Director: Hideshi Hino | Stars: Shigeru Saiki, Mari Somei, Masami Hisamoto, Gô Rijû
Votes: 2,511
Great and disturbing.
30. Philosophy of a Knife (2008 Video)
Not Rated | 266 min | Drama, Horror
A graphic docu-drama detailing the history of Unit 731, where thousands of innocent Chinese prisoners of war were fatally experimented on.
Director: Andrey Iskanov | Stars: Tetsuro Sakagami, Tomoya Okamoto, Yukari Fujimoto, Manoush
Votes: 1,687
Long and painful.
31. 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: 10,979
Atrociously sick.
32. Family Portraits: A Trilogy of America (2003 Video)
Not Rated | 103 min | Drama, Horror
From acclaimed director Douglas Buck comes an unflinching, disturbingly beautiful look at the underbelly of American family. Three separate narratives (including the shocking film festival ... See full summary »
Director: Douglas Buck | Stars: Jared Barsky, Gary Betsworth, Ray Bland, Sally Conway
Votes: 492
Not all good, but make you think a lot.
33. 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: 25,934
The first real film of Tsukamoto, and the best. Cyberpunk style and crazy ideas.
34. Thriller: A Cruel Picture (1973)
R | 104 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A young woman, rendered mute after a childhood sexual assault, is trained to seek violent revenge on those who kidnapped and forced her into prostitution.
Director: Bo Arne Vibenius | Stars: Christina Lindberg, Heinz Hopf, Despina Tomazani, Per-Axel Arosenius
Votes: 8,523
A reference for Tarantino. It's a great movie; it remains pretty shocking and a bit pornographic.
35. Contraband (1980)
Unrated | 97 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Someone 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.
Director: Lucio Fulci | Stars: Fabio Testi, Ivana Monti, Marcel Bozzuffi, Saverio Marconi
Votes: 2,206
The most violent cop movie ever.
36. 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: 29,383
From Jack Ketchum's novel. This is very unsettling and sad.
37. 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
Crazy short film about a man who has sex with a corpse. It's beautifully shot. Sick film.
38. The Killer Inside Me (2010)
R | 109 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A West Texas Deputy Sheriff is slowly unmasked as a psychotic killer.
Director: Michael Winterbottom | Stars: Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson, Jessica Alba, Ned Beatty
Votes: 35,738 | Gross: $0.21M
Really violent and sick movie. I didn't expect that coming from this director. The killer is just a psychopath.
39. A Dog's Life (1962)
Approved | 108 min | Documentary, Horror
A "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.
Directors: Paolo Cavara, Gualtiero Jacopetti, Franco Prosperi | Stars: Stefano Sibaldi, Rossano Brazzi, Yves Klein, Henning Skaarup
Votes: 4,408
One of the first mokumentary.
40. Crash (1996)
NC-17 | 100 min | Drama
After 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.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: James Spader, Holly Hunter, Elias Koteas, Deborah Kara Unger
Votes: 66,380 | Gross: $2.04M
Mesmerizing and perverse.
41. Ken Park (2002)
Not Rated | 93 min | Drama
Ken Park is about several Californian skateboarders' lives and relationships with and without their parents.
Directors: Larry Clark, Edward Lachman | Stars: Adam Chubbuck, James Bullard, Seth Gray, Eddie Daniels
Votes: 30,811
Nice movie, very provocative though .
42. Scarlet Diva (2000)
R | 90 min | Drama
A 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.
Director: Asia Argento | Stars: Asia Argento, Jean Shepard, Herbert Fritsch, Gianluca Arcopinto
Votes: 2,750 | Gross: $0.02M
I didn't like it so much, but I remember that it shocked me alright.
43. 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: 74,438 | Gross: $2.81M
Great film. A masterpiece in my opinion. A very twisted and intelligent film about American modern society.
44. The Passion of the Christ (2004)
R | 127 min | Drama
Depicts the final twelve hours in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, on the day of his crucifixion in Jerusalem.
Director: Mel Gibson | Stars: Jim Caviezel, Monica Bellucci, Maia Morgenstern, Christo Jivkov
Votes: 251,160 | Gross: $370.78M
Very violent and bloody.
45. 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: 136,555 | Gross: $0.40M
Hated it. But some pretty shocking scenes in there. Beautifully shot!
46. Subconscious Cruelty (2000)
92 min | Fantasy, Horror
An anthology of horror, consisting of four segments all themed around gory subjects.
Director: Karim Hussain | Stars: Sophie Lauzière, Anne-Marie Belley, Brea Asher, Ivaylo Founev
Votes: 2,086
Very sick and perverse and strangely poetic at the same time.
47. Elephant (1989 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 39 min | Crime, Drama
A depiction of a series of violent killings in Northern Ireland with no clue as to exactly who is responsible.
Director: Alan Clarke | Stars: Gary Walker, Bill Hamilton, Michael Foyle, Danny Small
Votes: 2,928
Amazing and shocking short film.
48. The Death King (1990)
Not Rated | 80 min | Drama, Horror
Seven episodes, each taking place on a different day of the week, on the theme of suicide and violent death.
Director: Jörg Buttgereit | Stars: Hermann Kopp, Heinrich Ebber, Michael Krause, Eva-Maria Kurz
Votes: 2,853
The first time I cried watching a horror movie. This film is just amazing and very profound.
49. Singapore Sling (1990)
Not Rated | 111 min | Drama, Horror
A 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.
Director: Nikos Nikolaidis | Stars: Meredyth Herold, Panos Thanassoulis, Michele Valley
Votes: 2,767
Amazing film noir, very twisted and haunting.
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