Most Disturbing & Intense Films
Kind of like my other list but more comprehensive. Keep in mind that although I am eighteen I live with my Mom and Dad and they won't let me watch "The Human Centipede" or anything like that, probably because of my anxiety problems. Nevertheless, feel free to recommend movies!
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- DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsEllen BurstynJared LetoJennifer ConnellyThe drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island people are shattered when their addictions run deep..
- DirectorMatthias GlasnerStarsJürgen VogelSabine TimoteoAndré HennickeA man is released from a mental institution after serving 9 years for multiple rape.
- DirectorSimon RumleyStarsLeo BillRoger Lloyd PackKate FahyA descent into Hell is triggered when "Ex-Lord" Donald Brocklebank finds that he must leave Longleigh House for London to find a way to pay for the medical treatments for his wife Nancy. Alone, his over-protected, delusional, adult son, James, fancies himself in charge of the manor house with his terminally ill mother, and barricades the two of them into the house for a series of ever more panicked home treatments, mistakenly protecting her from the arrival of Nurse Mary and any outside help.Again, not a 'hardcore' film but definitely makes you feel uncomfortable and sad for all the people in the situation. Brings you face to face with extreme mental problems and the realities of a life-threatening illness. Good acting all around.
- DirectorMark HanlonStarsAidan GillenEmmanuelle SeignerSusan TyrrellAn introvert relieves the tedium of caring for his invalid mother by spying on his neighbor.This puzzling film about a stuttering Roman Catholic voyeur (Aidan Gillen) and his mental disintegration is not as disturbing as some of the movies on this list, but it definitely takes you out of your comfort zone, and forces you to empathize with an unattractive and discomforting character. Aidan Gillen really pulls of this role and it is hard to believe he began series 1 of "Queer as Folk" playing promiscuous gay sex object Stuart Alan Jones the same year.
- DirectorSteve McQueenStarsMichael FassbenderLiam CunninghamStuart GrahamIrish republican Bobby Sands leads the inmates of a Northern Irish prison in a hunger strike.Michael Fassbender starves himself down to a human skeleton in this highly realistic portrayal of the Irish Republican hunger strike. "Some Mother's Son" with Aidan Gillen is a good but less disturbing movie on the subject.
- 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.
- DirectorMichael HanekeStarsDaniel AuteuilJuliette BinocheMaurice BénichouA married couple is terrorized by a series of surveillance videotapes left on their front porch.Disturbing because of unexpected scene (whose nature I won't reveal) and a actual animal killing dream sequence. Also prepare to be frustrated by the character of Georges who ruins another person's life as a nasty little kid and refuses to face up to his actions as an equally nasty little man. my introduction to Haneke.
- DirectorLars von TrierStarsEmily WatsonStellan SkarsgårdKatrin CartlidgeOilman Jan is paralyzed in an accident. His wife, who prayed for his return, feels guilty; even more, when Jan urges her to have sex with another.
- 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.
- DirectorFabrice du WelzStarsLaurent LucasBrigitte LahaieGigi CoursignyMarc, a traveling entertainer, is on his way home for Christmas when his van breaks down in the middle of a jerkwater town with some strange inhabitants.Two words- Pig Rape.
- DirectorPål SletauneTony SpataroStarsKristoffer JonerCecilie A. MosliJulia SchachtJohn has just been left by his girlfriend Ingrid. That day he allows himself to be seduced into a mystical and scary world, where it is impossible to separate truth from the lies
- DirectorSteven SheilStarsPerry BensonDido MilesOlga FedoriLena, a young Polish immigrant working as a cleaner at an airport, is invited to the family home of a co-worker, which turns sinister quickly as the family intend to 'adopt' her.
- DirectorShane MeadowsStarsPaddy ConsidineGary StretchToby KebbellA disaffected soldier returns to his hometown to get even with the thugs who brutalized his mentally-challenged brother years ago.
- DirectorLars von TrierStarsBjörkCatherine DeneuveDavid MorseAn Eastern European US immigrant with a love for musicals has to cope with the gradual loss of her vision.
- DirectorSean HoganAndrew ParkinsonSimon RumleyStarsLuke de LaceyHolly LucasSiubhan HarrisonComposed of three disturbingly sensual and terrifying short narratives, unified by the twin themes of sex and death.The short films in this are not very good except for Simon Rumley's "Bitch" but "Bitch" is so ingeniously twisted that it makes the list. A couple engage in BDSM-themed role play and fool around in dog masks until something changes between them, and the male begins to plot up a particularly sadistic revenge.
- DirectorNicolas Winding RefnStarsTom HardyKelly AdamsLuing AndrewsA young man who was sentenced to seven years in prison for robbing a post office ends up spending three decades in solitary confinement. During this time, his own personality is supplanted by his alter-ego, Charles Bronson.
- DirectorPaddy ConsidineStarsPeter MullanArchie LalJag SangheraJoseph, a man plagued by violence and a rage that is driving him to self-destruction, earns a chance of redemption that appears in the form of Hannah, a Christian charity shop worker.
- DirectorNeil JordanStarsStephen ReaFiona ShawEamonn OwensThe antisocial son of an alcoholic father and a bipolar mother grows up in 1960s Ireland.
- DirectorSteve McQueenStarsMichael FassbenderCarey MulliganJames Badge DaleA sex addict's carefully cultivated private life falls apart after his sister arrives for an indefinite stay.
- DirectorDanny BoyleStarsEwan McGregorEwen BremnerJonny Lee MillerRenton, deeply immersed in the Edinburgh drug scene, tries to clean up and get out despite the allure of drugs and the influence of friends.
- DirectorAlejandro JodorowskyStarsAxel JodorowskyBlanca GuerraGuy StockwellA former circus artist escapes from a mental hospital to rejoin his armless mother - the leader of a strange religious cult - and is forced to enact brutal murders in her name as he becomes "her arms".
- DirectorJacob EstesStarsRory CulkinRyan KelleyScott MechlowiczWhen a teen is bullied, his brother and friends lure the bully into the woods to seek revenge.
- DirectorHarmony KorineStarsEwen BremnerBrian FiskChloë SevignyA portrait of the effects of schizophrenia on family life is the central focus.
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsPhilip Seymour HoffmanEthan HawkeAlbert FinneyWhen two brothers organize the robbery of their parents' jewelry store the job goes horribly wrong, triggering a series of events that sends them, their father and one brother's wife barreling towards a shattering climax.
- DirectorTodd SolondzStarsHeather MatarazzoChristina BrucatoVictoria DavisAn awkward seventh-grader struggles to cope with inattentive parents, snobbish class-mates, a smart older brother, an attractive younger sister and her own insecurities in suburban New Jersey.
- DirectorLynne RamsayStarsTommy FlanaganMandy MatthewsWilliam EadieA naïve young lad navigates the dirty squalid streets of 1973 Glasgow and the poor youth around him.William Eadie gives a heart-breaking performance in this unrelentingly bleak drama set during a Glasgow garbage strike. Filth, squalor, and suicide are all present, and barely a sliver of sunshine can get past all that ugliness and misery... so yeah, it definitely deserves a spot here.
- DirectorSatoshi KonStarsJunko IwaoRica MatsumotoShinpachi TsujiA pop singer gives up her career to become an actress, but she slowly goes insane when she starts being stalked by an obsessed fan and what seems to be a ghost of her past.I basically had no idea what what going on through this entire movie, which made it kind of hard for me to enjoy... and this from a lover of weird/confusing movies. Still undeniably disturbing at times.
- DirectorTony KayeStarsEdward NortonEdward FurlongBeverly D'AngeloLiving a life marked by violence, neo-Nazi Derek finally goes to prison after killing two black youths. Upon his release, Derek vows to change; he hopes to prevent his brother, Danny, who idolizes Derek, from following in his footsteps.Oh, that scene, that scene (y'all know the scene I'm talking about if you've seen the movie.) Somewhat mainstream, but still pretty frickin' frackin' disturbing. And yes, Edward Norton rocks.
- DirectorDavid LynchStarsJack NanceCharlotte StewartAllen JosephHenry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newly born mutant child.
- DirectorBenjamin RossStarsHugh O'ConorAntony SherTobias ArnoldThis film is based on a true story about a British teenager who allegedly poisoned family, friends, and co-workers. Graham is highly intelligent, but completely amoral. He becomes interested in science, especially chemistry, and begins to read avidly. Something of a social misfit, he is fascinated by morbid subjects such as poisons and murder. His family environment is intolerable to him and, in particular, his stepmother torments him. He decides to poison those who annoy him, first with antimony and later with thallium. He smugly thinks himself cleverer than all those around him, but nevertheless he is caught and sentenced to 'rehabilitation' at a psychiatric institution. Once there, he undertakes to deceive the new eminent psychiatrist sent there to 'cure' him, thereby securing his release.
- DirectorNathan HynesChris PowerStarsAnthony AlvianoAl BernsteinJean-Marc FontaineA documentary by two desperate young filmmakers who stumble upon the ultimate subject, a 33 year old cannibalistic serial killer named Anthony McAllister, who has agreed to let them document every aspect of his horrifically violent life-style. Initially terrified, the filmmakers get to know Anthony as a person. They even begin to identify with his ecological and philosophical justifications for his cannibalistic lifestyle. It's only when they investigate further that the filmmakers begin to doubt Anthony's accounts of his past. Tensions noticeably rise as the filmmakers continue to confront Anthony on his conflicting stories and ever-changing philosophies. During an awkward interview, the filmmakers interview Merle, the father of a young girl who was abducted and never found. This abduction was Anthony's first child victim. Merle welcomes them into his home and gives them a heart-felt experience that even Anthony is touched by. As the documentary reaches its conclusion Anthony begins to become uncomfortably aware of the how much of his life he has revealed to these filmmakers. In a final interview with Anthony a deadly confrontation erupts and all that remains is a broken camera and this footage. This film will challenge the audience to view a horrific side of humanity and will deliver a social commentary that leaves the audience thinking about the world they live in and the power and effect of all media.Low budget but good docu-horror, with better gore effects than you might expect. Anthony Alivano effectively plays the main killer, who takes an immoral film crew along with him while he plays hockey, visits his senile mother and kills and eats hookers. Mmm, hooker stew! The scene that sticks with me is the one where he guts and mutilates the body on fast-motion to classical music. Weird stuff.
- DirectorBen WheatleyStarsNeil MaskellMyAnna BuringHarry SimpsonNearly a year after a botched job, a hitman takes a new assignment with the promise of a big payoff for three killings. What starts off as an easy task soon unravels, sending the killer into the heart of darkness.
- DirectorFruit ChanPark Chan-wookTakashi MiikeStarsBai LingLee Byung-hunKyoko HasegawaAn Asian cross-cultural trilogy of horror films from accomplished indie directors.
- DirectorMichael HanekeStarsSusanne LotharUlrich MüheArno FrischTwo violent young men take a mother, father, and son hostage in their vacation cabin and force them to play sadistic "games" with one another for their own amusement.
- DirectorWilliam FriedkinStarsMatthew McConaugheyEmile HirschJuno TempleWhen a debt puts a young man's life in danger, he turns to putting a hit out on his evil mother in order to collect the insurance.
- DirectorCraig ZobelStarsAnn DowdDreama WalkerPat HealyA normal Friday service at a fast food restaurant becomes interrupted by a police officer who claims an employee stole from a customer, but something more sinister is going on.
- DirectorMichael WinterbottomStarsAmanda PlummerKathy JamiesonSaskia ReevesEunice is walking along the highways of northern England from one filling station to another. She is searching for Judith, the woman, she says to be in love with. It's bad luck for the women at the cash desk not to be Judith, because Eunice is eccentric, angry and extreme dangerous. One day she meets Miriam, hard of hearing and a little ingenuous, who feels sympathy for Eunice and takes her home. Miriam is very impressed by Eunice's fierceness and willfulness and follows her on the search for Judith. Shocked by Eunice's cruelty she tries to make her a better person, but she looses ground herself.
- DirectorJustin KurzelStarsLucas PittawayDaniel HenshallLouise HarrisBased on true events, 16 year-old Jamie falls in with his mother's new boyfriend and his crowd of self-appointed neighborhood watchmen, a relationship that leads to a spree of torture and murder.
- DirectorTom SixStarsLaurence R. HarveyAshlynn YennieMaddi BlackInspired by the fictional Dr. Heiter, disturbed loner Martin dreams of creating a 12-person centipede and sets out to realize his sick fantasy.
- DirectorLucky McKeeStarsPollyanna McIntoshBrandon Gerald FullerLauren Ashley CarterWhen a successful country lawyer captures and attempts to "civilize" the last remaining member of a violent clan that has roamed the Northeast coast for decades, he puts the lives of his family in jeopardy.
- 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.