Backstory: David Cronenberg’s breakthrough film is a sexually explicit satire featuring a parasite transferred through intercourse that leads to psychosis.
It’s a zombie film with fucking, in other words, and one that so upset the Canadian media (it was made with tax money) that it was debated in parliament and received press so stinging Cronenberg was thrown out of is apartment.
Sickest Scene: Barbara Steele is washing herself happily in the bath when a parasite begins to wriggle revoltingly towards her through the water.
If It Was Family Friendly: The parasite would be spread by kissing, and wouldn’t lead to murderous madness but a funnier, less deadly ailment, like not being able to lie or having to walk everywhere backwards.
Antichrist (2009)
Blue Velvet (1986)
Shivers (1975)
Martyrs (2008)
Man Bites Dog (1992)
Begotten (1991)
Aftermath (1994)
The Human Centipede (2010)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Flowers Of Flesh And Blood (1985)
The Last House On The Left (1972)
Irréversible (2002)
Nekromantik (1987)
Men Behind The Sun (1988)
I Spit On Your Grave (1978)
Happiness (1998)
Funny Games (1997)
Visitor Q (2001)
Salò, or 120 Days Of Sodom (1975)
Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
In A Glass Cage (1987)
Eraserhead (1977)
Audition (1999)
Threads (1984)
The Exorcist (1973)
Comments
PulpFiction87
Aug 16th 2010, 10:16
Can't believe Ichi The Killer wasn't on the list
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PulpFiction87
Aug 16th 2010, 10:18
Or Switchblade Romance and the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre
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DonisFun
Aug 16th 2010, 11:49
Predators because I could believe how disturbed I was, as it was that bad. God I hate Adrien Brody........... you sick b*****d!!
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tommylennie
Aug 16th 2010, 12:18
Can't believe Society isn't on the list. I'd make that my number 1.
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stefan1979
Aug 16th 2010, 12:47
'I Stand Alone' should be there, and Martys and irreversible way higher on the list, like 1st and 2nd.
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Bex1310
Aug 16th 2010, 12:54
Well I'm officially disturbed! Job well done I suppose...
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TweetTiger
Aug 16th 2010, 19:04
Not a lot of horror or blood and guts, but Apt Pupil and Picnic at Hanging Rock are both plenty disturbing as well.
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jkoopa
Aug 16th 2010, 19:45
Very happy (ha) that Happiness is in the top ten, its as disturbing as it is compelling. Don't know if anyone at TotalFilm has seen a 1994 german animated film called Felidae? That wold be in the top ten for sure, amazing film
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Hadouken76
Aug 17th 2010, 1:05
Does Meet the feebles count as disturbing even though its all puppets? Oh and Elf picking gum off new york subways and Van Wilders doggie buns...not well.
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reefradioray
Aug 17th 2010, 8:00
Deadgirl(2008)
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paskuniag
Aug 17th 2010, 19:19
"I Spit On Your Grave" should be shown to every man or woman who is in prison on a rape or rape/murder conviction. Watch the sexual assault numbers go down!
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Serrano
Aug 18th 2010, 0:53
'A Serbian Film' should definitely be on this list.
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bonjourmiette
Aug 18th 2010, 2:00
Really, you guys thought that was the most disturbing scene in Man Bites Dog? Did you not make it through the rest of the film?
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lipstick
Aug 18th 2010, 2:06
Most disturbing of all: someone presumably paid to write doesn't know the difference between "it's" and "its" :) Good list, though.
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DilvishW
Aug 18th 2010, 4:29
How can Singapore Sling not be on this list? It's got incestual necrophilia, a girl giving her hermaphrodite mother a b*****b, a knife d***o, lots and lots of very realistic vomit, and one of the sickest dinner scenes ever filmed involving force feeding and regurgitation. And why is the Exorcist at the top of this list? I mean it's a good film, but the third one's better and none of them are really that disturbing. Glad to see Glass Cage, Salo, and Visitor Q on there though.
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debkakes
Aug 18th 2010, 18:41
Good list! But you missed my favorite totally discomfiting movie: Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer -- of which Man Bites Dog was sort of a parody. Truly disturbing.
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youngnedyoung
Aug 19th 2010, 0:36
Just to repeat and add to what's already been said... Where's Ichi, Serbian Film, Society, Braindead, Hole in my Heart, Hard Candy, Reqiem for a Dream, I Stand Alone, Peeping Tom and Teeth? Oh, and anything with Danny Dyer...
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nomdejour
Aug 20th 2010, 5:56
PulpFiction87 has it right--Ichi the killer is as disturbing a movie as I've ever seen. It's a good list, but The Exorcist isn't as terrifying as anything else on this list, thanks to that papier-mache devil. Also missing; Cronenberg's remake of the Fly. More disturbing than Videodrome or The Brood because it's frighteningly disturbing. And Repulsion by Polanski. Jesus.
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nomdejour
Aug 20th 2010, 5:58
Also, good call by debkakes on Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. There's a story that when the film debuted in Chicago, a woman walked out because she was terrified, and she ran into the actor who plays Henry on the street. She let out a bloodcurdling scream and almost passed out. Irreversible was rubbish, btw.
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nomdejour
Aug 20th 2010, 6:04
Sorry, on The Fly I meant frighteningly realistic. Casting a real-life couple made a huge difference.
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NDitum
Aug 20th 2010, 12:38
Hello! I'm the man responsible for the list. Nobody's come up with a movie yet that I didn't consider when putting the list together, but I had to make some hard choices. Ichi The Killer seems to be the sorest omission - surely it's a comedy? Visitor Q freaked me out *waaaay* more.
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Punchbowl
Aug 20th 2010, 17:56
August Underground? That one's a f****r
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BooBoo1981
Aug 20th 2010, 18:54
Martyrs was F#@ked. Eeeewwwwwwy.
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solidgameboy12
Aug 20th 2010, 19:20
To those who bring up "A Serbian Film", I argue that it's most difficult scenes to watch are the last 15 minutes, but it did NOT deserve to be on this list. This was an interesting list, a lot of these movies I have on my Netflix Queue, if I didn't add most of them. I just hope as far as disturbing movies go, there is some kind of respectable reason besides "It's a difficult scene to watch" has something here.
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h4x0r3d
Aug 22nd 2010, 10:02
this list definitely had some messed up movies in it.. but it missed one that I bet you have never seen and never want to see: Holy Mountain ... look it up if you dare...
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Nickey09
Aug 23rd 2010, 6:53
This list a great list! Very fun to talk about and debate. Some of my personal favs are just about anything by Cronenberg, Lynch, or Waters. C'mon, let's not forget the fart guy from "Pink Flamingo". I totally agree with "Ichi", "Texas Chainsaw", and definitely "Meet the Feebles"!!! One of my recommendations is 2002's "May". I must admit, I also enjoyed the disgustingness of the recent 2005's "House of Wax". But if you want to watch something REALLY awful, rent "Teeth". ...Ugh.
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flk1940
Sep 14th 2010, 2:09
the untold story its NEVER on these lists should be everytime the have a camera that is under a table when anthony wong cuts a little boys head off right after he has killed the whole family chopstick rape scene should get this here just for that ... disapointed
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taxidermizt
Oct 8th 2010, 1:00
Interesting list NDitum. Im impressed Aftermath is on here, Balamguero is a promising director. I would include the french film Inside a.k.a. "À l'intérieur"; and japanese 'the suicide club' . Cheers Mate
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DanielMcA
Oct 8th 2010, 20:39
Yes yes yes. All very good, but where is Pollux et le chat bleu?
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FATALITY
Nov 1st 2010, 4:29
I'm not agree with the 1st place... Antichrist deserve something better than a last place. A l'interieur is really a distubing movie... but is not very good...
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Malina
Nov 5th 2010, 11:41
The War Zone Daniel & Ana Old Boy Twentynine Palms
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squadiee
Jan 11th 2011, 2:43
No Ichi the Killer? That had some really hard to watch moments...
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glegs
Jan 21st 2011, 15:58
Two major faults with this list; The Exorcist is a great movie, but I think every other movie there is more disturbing than it, except for Human Centipede which I just can't take seriously. Also Antichrist should be in like the top ten, it freaking messes with your head. And the only reason that August Undergrounds Mordum isn't number one must be that you haven't seen it, or simply don't consider it a film, more of a f****d up strange video.
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discobloodfeast
Oct 20th 2011, 17:31
Wh in the world is A Serbian Film not on this list??
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FBNBoisjolie
Jan 28th 2012, 1:48
The Exorcist is number one? Not all that disturbing.
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FBNBoisjolie
Jan 28th 2012, 1:48
The Exorcist is number one? Not all that disturbing.
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FBCDespair
Feb 2nd 2012, 0:33
Why theres no vomit gore triology listed? :(
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FBMJarvie
Feb 2nd 2012, 3:22
Sorry, Requiem for a Dream takes the cake. It just escalates into complete and total despair so vividly, carrying any viewer strong enough to make it to the end into complete and total madness along with it.
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