When it comes to the horror genre, many subgenres exist that have become popular with audiences. Among them are body horror films which, for many decades, have entertained and repulsed audiences in equal measure and resulted in some of the most iconic and important horror movies the genre has witnessed. The image of the human body being morphed, transformed, and twisted in horrific ways has fascinated and terrified audiences for years.
Updated June 29, 2023: If you're a fan of all things gruesome and gory, you'll be pleased to know this article has been updated with additional content and frightening films.
Body horror in modern cinema has been utilized for both comedic and dramatic purposes and, over the years, has evolved alongside trends in special effects as well. When determining which body horror films are the scariest, there are many subjective factors one could determine, from visuals and effects to plotting and creativity; this is a subgenre that's constantly innovating. Let's delve into the scariest body horror films and see which ones are practically guaranteed to make your skin crawl and have you jump out of your seat.
12 Tusk (2014)
In the realm of body horror is strange to find Kevin Smith on the list, yet the director has taken a few cracks at horror movies with mixed results. Tusk is one of his weirdest offerings with a twisted sense of humor. Written and directed by Smith, the casting features Justin Long, Michael Parks, and Genesis Rodriguez.
In the story, we follow a popular podcaster who suddenly gets captured by a deranged retired seafarer. His captor begins to surgically transform his body into a grotesque walrus. The scientist forces his captive to think and behave like a walrus while recounting his life. While the victim manages to get rescued, his life will be very different.
11 Possession (1981)
Possession is the type of movie that demands a certain mindset before sitting down to see it. This body horror film holds off the graphic violence and disturbing visuals right until the movie's end, and it's totally worth the wait. This disturbing feature is written and directed by Andrzej Żuławski, and it'll have you wondering what exactly is going on in the mind of the director. The cast includes Isabelle Adjani, Sam Neill, and Margit Carstensen.
The story focuses on a couple whose marriage begins is slowly disintegrating. As their relationship unravels, the wife seems affected by disturbing visions and otherworldly experiences pushing the boundaries of her sanity and her perception of physical reality. The husband, desperate to understand what is happening with his wife, hires a private eye, who leaves him with more questions than answers. When the reason for her behavior is revealed, you'll be shocked to the bones.
10 The Stuff (1985)
Some of the best body horror movies have the silliest and over-the-top plots you can imagine. Picture this scenario for a moment: a group of artic miners suddenly find a white, glob-like substance in the icy parade. They take a bite of it, and it tastes good! What are they to do with this finding? Well, what else but sell it in the open market as a food replacement? They even have a catchy name for it: The Stuff!
The Stuff is a movie written and directed by Larry Cohen; it's a satirical piece starring working actors such as Michael Moriarty, Andrea Marcovicci, and Garrett Morris. The film presents a world where the mysterious, addictive dessert-like substance becomes a nationwide obsession, with several people refusing to eat it while investigating why this product seems to have taken over everyone so quickly. It's a funny but blunt critique of consumerism and the dangers of blind conformity.
9 Shivers (1975)
It would be so easy to fill this list with most of David Cronenberg's works. Shivers is his third film, and it's one that sinks hard into depravity with body horror elements. The film's written and directed by Cronenberg, and the cast features Paul Hampton, Joe Silver, and Lynn Lowry. The story takes place in a high-rise apartment complex where a parasitic organism suddenly takes over residents.
The organism infects every single tenant causing uncontrollable sexual desires and violent outbursts in each one of them. The contagion spreads quickly, turning the building into a nightmare. A few tenants try to hold off the infected, but the parasite is taking over more people after a few deaths. The last remaining survivor is taken over, with the whole building getting ready to go out in the open and spread their disease to the world.
8 The Thing (1982)
Being trapped in the Arctic is a scary enough prospect, but when you have a bloodthirsty alien possessing people around you, it only adds to the discomfort. John Carpenter left his stamp on the body horror genre with his tense and atmospheric remake of The Thing starring Kurt Russell. The film relies on physical horror as the titular monster jumps from a dog to a human host and evolves throughout. The practical effects here are grotesque yet creative and are considered among some of the best effects in horror.
Carpenter ratchets up the intensity throughout, casting plenty of ambiguity on what form the creature could be taking. The arctic setting adds to the bleak nature of the film, and Ennio Morricone's haunting score perfectly complements the mood. The Thing is an example of how the body horror genre can lend itself naturally to suspenseful and taut filmmaking, and Carpenter intelligently crafts an exquisitely unnerving game of cat and mouse. With its tight pacing, strong visuals, unique setting, and imaginative storytelling, The Thing is an example of the body horror genre at its most richly crafted, resulting in a visceral and captivating experience.
7 Martyrs (2008)
Chronicling the bloody and violent rampage a revenge-seeking young woman leaves in her wake, the psychological body horror film Martyrs follows the traumatized abuse victim as she sets out to seek vengeance against her oppressors along with her childhood best friend. Director Pascal Laugier drew inspiration for the picture from movies like Hostel and The Passion of Joan of Arc, with the intention of wanting to "make a movie about pain" as he was in a severe state of depression at the time he wrote the screenplay. Laugier wanted the audience to understand and be a forced spectator to the tremendous violence and pain represented in the spine-tingling picture.
Martyrs caused quite the stir upon its release, with a man collapsing at one screening and a woman vomiting due to the graphic nature of the brutal flick. It is widely considered a prime example of new-era French horror films and has been praised as one of the greatest horror films of the 21st century, with both Rolling Stone and IGN ranking it on their respective lists.
6 Re-Animator (1985)
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Technically billed as a horror comedy, Re-Animator still manages to amp up the gore and thrills factor and deliver a nasty yet sly package of body horror. The film, which loosely plays off of classics such as Frankenstein and the H.P. Lovecraft book Herbert West: Reanimator, involves two medical students who discover a way to resurrect dead bodies and begin a series of tests which end up taking a wrong turn.
The film is a rollercoaster ride of outlandish visuals, dark humor, and a chilling cautionary tale about the dangers of playing god. While the film does have plenty of edgy humor, it isn't without its moments of chills and suspense and offers up some truly inventive special effects and gore in the process. At a brisk 90 minutes, Re-Animator is an uncompromising, hilarious, yet original dose of body horror that both delights and disturbs in equal measure.
5 Splinter (2008)
Toby Wilkins dialed up the gory and grisly when he directed Splinter, centering on an escaped convict and his addict girlfriend who take a young couple hostage after carjacking them; when the four stop at a remote gas station, they are terrorized by a deadly horde of parasites that mutates their victims into lethal hosts. Wilkins set out to initially create a "classic siege movie" before settling on a parasitic creature with the ability to take over a human's body, believing this element heightened the fright factor. Splinter features stomach-churning scenes involving fungus-like creatures that grotesquely infect their hosts, mutilating their bodies in the process.
Splinter was well received by critics and went on to win six awards, including Best Picture at the Screamfest Horror Film Festival. In their glowing review of the horror flick, the New York Times wrote, "With Splinter, the director Toby Wilkins honors the conventions of the horror genre with skill and enough wit to keep the scares sharp."
4 The Fly (1986)
A list of the finest body horror has to offer couldn't possibly not include the maestro of the genre, director David Cronenberg. While he has many films that could easily land on this list, his 1986 remake of The Fly feels the most appropriate, somehow simultaneously his most mainstream and perhaps his most icky. The film tells the tragic story of Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum), who suffers a freak accident involving an experiment and begins to slowly morph into a human-fly hybrid.
The film's visual effects are notably grotesque, but Cronenberg also utilizes the body horror aspect for genuine emotion as well. The way he depicts Goldblum's character transformation slowly adds to the tragedy and suspense, so while The Fly delivers plenty of the gore and thrills fans look for in the genre, its mature storytelling and affecting performances elevate it to masterpiece status. The Fly proves that body horror can be equally adept at pulling the heartstrings as it is at turning our stomachs. Since then, it's continued to be critically acclaimed and has joined the ranks of other great, award-winning horror films.
3 Invasion of The Body Snatchers (1956)
While this (alongside Fiend Without a Face) is more a progenitor of the subgenre, there's no stronger case for body horror than your friends and family being impersonated by something possibly evil, yet looking no different. The classic sci-fi film Invasion of The Body Snatchers plays upon this concept to profoundly disturbing effect. The 1956 film offers a chilling commentary on McCathisim while also being an intelligent and crafty thriller that expertly plays off of paranoia.
While it isn't as gory or sensation-driven as other entries on this list, it does have some nice, gross little special effects. The real basis of its body horror is the human impersonation angle here, taking the concept to a more personal and haunting perspective. The film has since been noted as a strong piece of social commentary that has continued to resonate. Invasion of The Body Snatchers has been remade several, allegorically different times, most notably in 1978, starring Donald Sutherland. As an example of body horror, Invasion of The Body Snatchers is still regarded as a masterwork.
2 Cabin Fever (2003)
Eli Roth made his stellar directorial debut with the skin-crawling hit Cabin Fever, telling the startling tale of a group of college friends who set out to celebrate their spring break in a remote cabin, where they encounter a ghastly flesh-eating virus that quickly infects them one-by-one. The film horrifically depicts the devastating effects of the bacteria and includes many nauseating scenes such as one involving a female who goes to shave her legs, and her flesh begins to peel off in the process.
Roth created the premise of the story after developing a harsh skin infection while working in Iceland, and he initially faced pushback from studios who felt the film's premise was too unsettling and that the horror genre was unprofitable. With Cabin Fever, the director paid homage to low-budget horror flicks and earned praise for his unique perspective, with Quentin Tarantino himself lauding the cult classic and calling Roth "the future of horror."
1 Slither (2008)
Long before he became known for his work on franchises such as Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad, director James Gunn crafted a chilling, edgy yet darkly comic piece of body horror known as Slither. In the vein of classics like The Thing, the film involves a parasitic alien that begins to possess a small town. Slither works, thanks to its impressive effects and clever set pieces, along with its respect for the genre. The self-aware nature of Slither allows it to bypass much of the clichés and conventions and offer up a fresh and exciting experience.
For fans of body horror, it provides the gore, thrills, and suspense required but with an artistry and personality that's truly invigorating. For those looking for an underrated gem to add to the body horror catalog, Slither is a worthy choice that more than 15 years later still holds up as a cult classic.
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