Ok so I guess it is strange to be posting an honorable mention list before the top ten list. There is a reason to the madness. I have the top ten list but am publishing it first on Associated Content. Why, you ask? You are asking right? Well Associated Content pays much more than I am making on the blog right now. I hope that changes someday and I can post everything here first. Anyway here is the honorable mention films that will not be on my most disturbing list
The films mentioned her were not left off the list due to any deficiency in them. In fact these films may be more disturbing than some, if not all of the films in the top ten. Why then here and not above? Well for a variety of reasons. Some I do not consider a true horror film. The horror-non horror line can be very thin at times and I am sure I have crossed it above in some people’s eyes. This however is a list based upon my opinion. Hate me if you will. Others I simply have not seen and felt hypocritical adding them to the list, while reputation alone demands they garner mention here. On to the list in no particular order.
Oldboy- One of my favorite films, leaving it off the list was like pulling a tooth, which happens in Oldboy. Oldboy is a revenge film from director Park Chan-Wook and it has several cringe worthy moments. A truly beautiful film it is nevertheless hard to watch at times. Especially near the end when the truth starts to unfold. The last fifteen minutes will shake you. The last scene will leave you disturbed in its quiet peaceful horror. It is a film everyone should see, but be warned it will move you and leave you numb.
Salo- This is a film that I have not seen and almost made the list on reputation alone. I do feel that adding without watching it would be wrong and a bit hypocritical. I also have no plans on watching it soon. I have to be in a mood to watch a overly disturbing film. Plus after seeing a clip it contains elements of copraphagia which I find especially disturbing. You could say it was too disturbing for my list of the most disturbing films. The film is loosely based on the writings of the Marquis de Sade and set in Fascist Italy.
Eraserhead- I have seen parts of this David Lynch film but never been able to sit all the way through it. At least not yet. The parts I have seen are definitely disturbing and strange but also slow and it simply was not able to hold my attention. What I have seen also leaves me to question whether it belongs on a list of horror films. Right now I am reserving my judgment until I can watch the whole film.
Ichi the Killer- More bloody and disgusting than Miike’s Audition, the main reason I left it off was due to it being as much a comedy as a horror film. Some would say it is more of a thriller or just a revenge flick and they would all be right. Still I could have added it and been fairly comfortable except I was reluctant to add to many films from one director and Miike could have legitimately had at least four film on the list.
Visitor Q- Another Takashi Miike film that would most likely have made the list if I had actually seen it. It is probably the most disturbing of Miike’s films. Is it a horror story or not? Personally from what I have heard it is not really a horror story although it contains elements normally found in horror. The film contains Incest, necrophilia, sodomy (performed at the same time as the necrophilia), breast feeding and much more objectionable and twinge worthy elements.
Pet Semantary- The scenes of the killer child gage almost earned this a spot. If the scenes of Gage’s death were a little more explicit or closer to the book it probably would have made it. The scenes truly are disturbing especially to a parent. There are other killer child/baby films but I feel Pet Semantry is the most viscerally disturbing. The book by Stephen King is much more disturbing than the film. Like I mentioned it was a close call but I decided to leave it off.
Inside- Another film which has every right to be on the list but I decided not to include it. Why? Mainly because even though this is a best of list, I wanted to cover a wide range of films. The same basic argument as to why I did not include more Miike films. The French extreme genre was covered by the far better, and far more disturbing Martyrs. The story of a woman fighting for the life of her unborn child is haunting and ripped right out of today’s headlines. Mothers to be may find it impossible to watch. It is bloody, visceral and unrelenting
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