The appeal of disturbing horror movies is one of the few aspects of the horror community that has remained alive throughout the evolution of the genre. Trends and filmmakers have sailed through decades where censorship has tried to avoid the consumption of graphic horror movies and has often failed. It seems there's always a new way to shock, and viewers are always exploring new ways to be shocked.
However, in the case of the following movies, you may find yourself witnessing films that are not only hard to endure, but they're also movies where excessive violence has a purpose. Regardless, you will probably only watch them once and then deal with the aftermath of such a horror experience in your own way. Fortunately, streaming service Shudder has made them available, even if you will most likely cover your eyes from the carnage and gore.
10 Zombi 2 (1979)
Lucio Fulci's Zombi 2 follows Anne, a woman from New York City who gets questioned by the police because a boat belonging to her father drifts into the harbor with no one inside it. Anne decides to take her investigation to Matul, the island where her father lives and where people have been cursed with something that turns them into zombies.
Fulci's Ability to Shock Is Undeniable
Surrounded by all kinds of mysteries, re-releases, uncredited and unauthorized footage, Zombi 2 is a gorefest that fans of the genre will surely recognize because of its iconic poster displaying a rotten corpse. The film is so violent and extreme that it was part of the video nasties catalog in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s.
9 Faces of Death (1978)
John Alan Schwartz's Faces of Death is a 1978 mockumentary where forensic pathologist Francis B. Gröss goes through several pieces of footage in order to understand why he sees death as just a random event that we're all part of. This footage contains the most gruesome deaths you can think of.
The One That Made Everyone Doubt
The Mondo horror film is an exploitative collection of shocking sequences. Many scenes were recreated for the movie in order to cause shock, while others are reported to be real. Trying to guess which is which has become the reason why Faces of Death is such a memorable horror experience, with many people cataloging it as a real snuff film. It was banned in several countries and stamped with a "video nasty" label, and even after a few cuts, it remains a very hard film to watch.
8 Hunter Hunter (2020)
In Hunter Hunter, a family of three living off the grid suspects a wolf is eating the caged animals they breed. Joseph, the father, decides to hunt the animal down, but he discovers dead bodies in the woods in a scene that reeks of ritualistic murders. Meanwhile, Anne and Renee have stayed at home, and a wounded stranger appears on their doorstep seeking help.
A Perfect Act of Revenge
The film stars '90s heartthrob Devon Sawa in a great career return. You will probably guess where this one goes in the third act, but trust us when we say the ending of Hunter Hunter is unlike anything you can think of. Anne is forced to go on a journey of revenge, and she does so with unthinkable force and violence. You won't recover from this one easily.
7 The New York Ripper (1982)
The New York Ripper follows Lieutenant Fred Williams as he tries to catch a ruthless serial killer who likes to slice and dice innocent women. Williams is forced to seek the help of a psychoanalyst who will help him figure out the disturbed mindset of a very violent individual.
Fulci Gets Serious and More Violent
The legendary Italian director drifts away from supernatural horror tropes and focuses on the vicious acts of one of the most underrated serial killers in cinema in the 1970s, a period when these films were extremely popular. The murder scenes are some of the most graphic and extreme ever to be put on film and definitely the most memorable in Fulci's filmography.
6 Nekromantik (1987)
In Nekromantik, Robert makes a living by cleaning up sites where horrible accidents have occurred. However, he doesn't seem to mind, as he and his wife, Betty, are openly into necrophilia. When Robert picks up a rotten corpse and presents it to his wife as a present, he realizes she prefers the body over him for sexual intercourse.
This Film Will Give You a Hard Time
It is obviously a very controversial film because of the subject matter, but it also has to do with when it was released and where it came from: West Germany in the late 1980s. It pushed boundaries more than practically any other film of its time, and chances are you'll never see anything like it ever again. That's unless you do a double feature with Nekromantik 2 in order to lose more sleep.
5 Speak No Evil (2022)
Speak No Evil follows a Danish couple with their daughter who meets another family while vacationing in Tuscany. The couples hit it off, and Bjørn and Louise are invited to spend a weekend at Patrick and Karin's house in the Netherlands. What they don't know is that the idyllic couple holds a very dark secret that they will sadly discover soon.
A Perfect Display of Nihilism
The film ends with a horrific realization of Patrick and Karin's purpose in inviting strangers over, and no, it isn't very pretty. On the contrary, the innocent couple and their daughter are subjected to the darkest display of human evil. Trust us when we say you won't recover from its nihilistic ending quickly.
4 When Evil Lurks (2023)
Demián Rugna's When Evil Lurks takes us to the Argentinean countryside where legendary monsters are part of folklore and people's mindset. Siblings Pedro and Jaime find a dead body in the woods, and upon investigating if this has to do with a local legend, they realize a demonic entity is spreading through the town.
The Film Dared to Do the Unspeakable
The film is a masterclass in folk horror and body horror, with practical effects being responsible for some of the nausea you'll feel when watching it. A scene involving a dog will make you jump and grab your head thinking about how they managed to break one of horror's golden rules. It goes great with Rugna's other signature horror film, Terrified, also available on Shudder.
3 Mandy (2018)
In Mandy, Red and Mandy live together on the outskirts of town. Mandy is an artist and Red is a former alcoholic war veteran. The leader of a cult becomes infatuated with Mandy and decides to kidnap her, but ultimately kills her. Red decides to go on a maniacal journey to avenge the death of his loved one. You have never seen a film like this one.
An Invasive Attack on the Senses
The film by Panos Cosmatos isn't excessively graphic, but it still feels invasive when depicting Red's journey into an underworld of crime, religion, and psychedelia. However, it does have a fight involving chainsaws, and you can guess where it goes. The performances by Nicolas Cage, Linus Roache, and Andrea Riseborough are very haunting and will stay with you for days.
2 The Sadness (2022)
A Taiwanese import, The Sadness follows Jim and Kat, a couple on their usual daily tasks who witness the rise of flesh-eating zombies in Taipei. Jim is able to return to their apartment and see if Kat returns as well, but she gets trapped in the train while commuting. The Sadness is as extreme as it gets, and it's set for those with a strong stomach.
The Goriest Modern Zombie Film
A gory zombie film shouldn't be as disturbing today because, by this point, audiences have become desensitized. However, The Sadness has enough violence to make you cover your eyes every once in a while as Jim and Kat navigate through a zombie pandemic where the subjects are calculating maniacs. Rob Jabbaz, a Canadian director, debuts with a solid horror film that will cause viewers to look for a barf bag.
1 Kidnapped (2010)
In Kidnapped, Jaime has moved with his wife Marta and their daughter Isa to their new home. The same day they move, the moving crew reveals themselves to be thieves who will stop at nothing before they get all the money and subject the family to inexplicable acts of torture. And these aren't your regular movie kidnappers.
You May Find Yourself Pausing This One
Miguel Ángel Vivas' home invasion horror thriller is one of the best films of its genre, and the director mainly focuses on achieving realism above anything else. This makes Kidnapped a very difficult experience that features impressive camerawork (some shots will leave you breathless), as well as a horrific story that'll make you distrust your own shadow.
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