Top 10 Truly Disturbing Films

Posted by: Michael I have watched thousands of movies throughout my life and I am one of those folks who enjoys films from every single genre but in particular films that leave their mark on me long after I turn them off. I own well over 500 horror films and of those some are so disturbing that they have stuck with me to this day. Its worth noting that I am not a fan of gore and I am not a fan of films like HOSTEL which for me are nothing but torture porn. Gore for the sake of gore does nothing for me but movies with intricate stories and truly disturbing content and messages not only resonate with me but leave me truly terrified. This list is the 10 Most Disturbing films that offer enticing stories, great characters, and most of all a truly terrifying experience.
Blindness: This movie was not only highly disturbing it was a stunningly well done sci fi experience. Starring Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo it tells the story of a world that comes apart as literally everyone goes blind. As the blindness sickness spreads the blind are isolated into make shift camps to prevent the infection from spreading. The entire film is well done but the most disturbing moments come towards the middle of the film as the infection spreads and society in the ‘concentration camp’ degenerates and victims turn on victims with vicious results. A shocking and fantastic film which every apocalyptic film fan should see.

Jack Ketchum’s The Girl Next Door: The Girl Next Door is based on a true story and apparently there was another version of the film which starred Ellen Page star of Juno and WHIP IT. I have no idea who disturbing An American Crime was but Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door was so violent and dark it stayed with me for weeks. The tale of a young girl who is victimized not just by the neighbourhood kids but a brutal woman who lives next door and is filled with hate for her. The Girl Next Door is graphic and violent but also done within the context of an over arcing and intense story. So where as most films of this nature I would find highly offensive the focus on story telling makes this movie disturbing and emotional and definitely one that will leave you feeling violated.

Frontieres: It seems for a good dark and disturbing horror film you really need to turn to the French these days. They are not afraid at all of crossing the lines of good taste and brutalizing the main characters in their films. Frontieres tells the story of a brutal gang of bank robbers who go on the run and run into something much worse then them a sadistic and evil family that is pleased to see them.. and make them their new victims. Very brutal its a far superior film to High Tension both in disturbing content and depth of character. Very disturbing, very believable it stays with you and certainly will have you grimacing in certain scenes.

Last House on the Left Remake: Most remakes are very very tame. When Wes Cravens Last House on the Left came out in the 70’s it was considered one of the most disturbing films of its time. When I heard that Rogue Pictures was doing a remake I really expected your typical watered down PG-13 remake but this film was anything but. Easily as brutal and violent as the original Last House on the Left is a story of pain and suffering with a final call for vengeance. Easily one of the more brutal films to come out of mainstream studios in a very long time and one of the few remakes that truly does pay homage to the original. Directed by Dennis Iliadis, he has been tapped to direct the remake of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds and if he can do the same justice for it as he did for Last House on the Left I am sure we will be terrified!

Jack Ketchum's The Lost: I have never read a Jack Ketchum book and was not a fan of his before I saw The Girl Next Door but having seen that film I had to see them all. Jack Ketchum's The Lost also makes my list for the same reasons that The Girl Next Door did it really left a mark. Where The Girl Next Door left very little to the imagination and actually showed off alot of its brutality The Lost has the ‘jaws’ effect where alot of the brutality is implied off screen which for me made this movie all that more disturbing. There is a particular scene ripped right from the Manson murders which will surely leave its mark on you. The film tells the story of a psychopathic 20 something who sets out to do what psychotic killers do best. An extremely disturbing tale of young love, murder and brutality.

INSIDE: I owned Inside for over a year before I finally could muster up the strength to watch it. The film tells the story of a pregnant woman who falls victim to a psycho who wants her baby... whether its ready to come out or not. I have two children and at the time my youngest was only a month old so I could not stomach the idea of watching this film. Sufficed to say that when I finally did watch it about a month ago it lived up to what I expected. With the exception of an extremely flawed ending INSIDE is a very disturbing film that lacks the usual cliches in the ‘deranged killer’ genre that has an extremely graphic and brutal ending that much like the films above on this list stayed with me for a long time.

TEETH: This movie unlike the other films on this list was actually quite humorous but its the kind of movie where one moment you are chuckling at the dark humor and the next minute you are groaning. Especially if you are a male. Teeth tells the story of Vaginal Dentate and I will let you all google that to figure it out but in a nut shell its a story of a young teen girl who has teeth where no girl should have teeth and how her simple and domestic life quickly falls apart. Spiraling out of control her simple suburban life degrades into a story of violence and revenge. Dark and well written its a film you will chuckle at and wince.

Hard Candy: Starring Ellen Page this movie much like The Lost relies on the ‘jaws’ effect for most of its terror but its still one of the most disturbing films you can see. It tells the story of a young teen who is befriended by an older man with evil intentions. Things quickly spiral out of control as the young girl played by Ellen Page decides whether she wants to be the victim or the victimizer. Intense and dark its a great thrill ride that twists and turns throughout leaving you wondering who is going to end up the victim and who will survive.

Martyrs: Martyrs is one of two movies in my entire life that I had to use the fast forward button during. Not because the movie was bad but because the content was so disturbing I literally had to fast forward to keep from being sick. That being said it is still one of the most intense and intelligent films I have ever seen. A young girl who was victimized as a youngster sets out with her friend to seek revenge but what starts out as a path of vengeance quickly spirals out of control. A story of vengeance, torture and the human spirit it is easily one of the most disturbing and well done films I have ever seen. Be warned though this will not be an easy one to sit through!

Dead Girl: Last on my list is Dead Girl but that by no means puts it at the bottom. Dead Girl is a  coming of age story about a group of high school boys who discover a woman chained to a bed in an abandoned hospital. What happens next is perverted and vile and sets the course for a confrontation between friends as they try to decide what to do with the ‘Dead Girl’. Extremely hard to watch its an intelligent and extremely dark film that is both disturbing and entrancing. I was sent a screener of this movie a year or so before it hit dvd and raved about it and all of my friends who have seen it loved it but agreed it is clearly not for the faint of heart.

Having now read my list I encourage you to post your own. What films scarred you and left you feeling violated while still mesmerizing you with a powerful film making experience?