The Top 10 Most Disturbing Films...

[frendo]

Here's a blog/note that I wrote for facebook. The people I have there may have already read it, but figured I'd post it here too:


I don't know about the rest of you (okay, I know about some of you...), but I'm the type of person that when I hear "this is SO hard to watch", I feel it's a challenge of sorts that I'm compelled to undertake. This doesn't always end so happily. But it does give me enough watching experience to make this list for all the rest of you individuals who share the same mindset (don't thank me yet...you may not want to after watching some of these...). At least I'm not this lady at Peets who has been talking loud as shit regurgitating what someone else said about a novel and other meaningless bullshit that I've had to hear while writing this.

I do want to state that I have not yet seen Cannibal Holocaust, and probably won't, since I've seen quite enough, fuck you very much. Anyways, here are the ten most depraved, disgusting, and disturbing films I've seen. Thanks to Justin and Denny for their help, in helping me remember the images I tried so hard to forget. It's kinda like thanking someone for kicking you in the balls, but whatever...

1. Salo (1975) -- The 70‘s were a fucked up time. Passolini’s last film (he was shot and killed for making this horrendous metaphor about abuse of power) is so hard to watch that I only recommend it to people who wish to feel like Alex in Clockwork Orange (I have a copy somewhere for those interested). The plot basically revolves around a group of aristocrats in WWII fascist Italy, who kidnap a group of pre-teens and take them to an expensive mansion where they can torture them in all kinds of ways while hearing fucked up stories of sexual deviancy from a group of prostitutes, all set to beautiful piano music and gorgeous Italian-side cinematography. People fed nails, girls nipples burned off, and rape of both sexes abound. When I first watched it, the fucking DVD messed up halfway through, making me watch the rest a different day. I still haven’t forgiven myself. Worst scene: the title for part two is Circle of Shit. I don't want to discuss it anymore.

2. Pink Flamingoes (1975) -- If I was to count John Water’s films separately, they would probably take up the whole list, so I limited it down to the worst. The plot revolves around two families vying for the title of most disgusting people. They really should just call it a tie. The Egg Lady is enough to make it weird (and when the fuck were eggs ever delivered?), not counting the cannibalism of cops, the fucking of a girl with a chicken (cock...get it?), or the famous eating of dogshit scene. I heard in an interview that the only catering they had on set was speed and acid. It was enough to make me never want to do either. As Justin once told somebody, "A couple kidnaps girls to artificially inseminate them and sell their babies to lesbian couples to fund small businesses and local heroin dealers...and that's a third of the movie." Worst scene: (tie) the scene where a guy dressed like a girl sucks off her flaccid son all over the house, and the singing asshole.

3. Irreversible -- This French film is actually brilliant in the sense that it shows the destruction of beauty from present to past. Most of it is not too bad, but the parts that are are bad enough to get it high on this list. The beginning scene consists of a camera spinning fast in a bondage club. The director put sounds that cause nausea and vertigo underneath the score. 1/3 of Cannes left in the first ten minutes. But the really bad scene comes about halfway through, and is done ad-libbed with one camera angle. NEVER recommended this to a female. Worst scene: 9 minute rape scene, which I don’t ever want to see again.

4. Bloodsucking Freaks (1975) -- Of all the Troma films, this is the only one Lloyd questions about having put out (from what I read). When I first heard about it, it was described as “if you think a midget named Ralphie throwing fingers into a cage filled with naked women is funny, you’ll love this”. So I watched it. And it wasn’t as funny as it sounds (even for my humor, which is admittedly kind of sick to begin with). One of Eli Roth’s favorites, it basically follows a magician and his sidekick as they kidnap women and torture them for their show. I actually felt my stomach getting sick at times during this one, mainly because all the violence is against women (not sure if this quite makes me chivalrous, but I don’t nearly mind violence against dudes as much...). A girls ass being used as a dartboard, girls locked in cages and turned to animals eating raw meat, and so on. Worst scene: when the doctor comes in, drills a hole in a girls head, and sucks the brain out with a straw.

5. Ichi the Killer -- Everyone touts Takashi Miike’s Audition as his sickest, and best, film. And it is pretty sick, but you have to sit through an hour and twenty minutes of near boredom to get to it. In Ichi, there is no waiting. Shit’s fucked up all the way through. Following a hitman avenging his masters death, and those who oppose. Scenes of sick bondage abound, as does violence. The rape scene is necessarily violent (unlike Hollywood rape, where it seems they try to make it sexy...a fact that I find more disgusting than any film on this list), and the rest follows from there. Worst scene: when Ichi slowly cuts out his own tongue as an act of apology (it’s like, seriously, a sorry will probably suffice).

6. Things Behind the Sun -- A young girl is raped by the guy she likes older brother. This film shows her, and the guy she liked, as adults trying to deal. More of a serious film than a gore project, it’s really just hard to watch due to the real way it takes on it’s subject more than anything it shows. Worst scene: after seeing film, I watched through the credits, and under the thanks column saw “Thanks to _____ and _____ for walking me home that day”. Like I didn’t feel bad enough already...

7. Last House on the Left -- Possibly Wes Craven’s only really good film, minus Scream, people actually walked out of the theater when it first aired. It looks like a snuff film, with the way it is shot. Basically, killers kidnap two girls, torture and kill them. The killers car breaks down and they go to a house to stay, which happens to be the parents of one of the kids, who get revenge in bad enough ways. Note to males: if you torture and kill someone, NEVER let their mom blow you when your hands are tied. Idiot. Worst scene: alot to choose from, but I’d say probably the scene where they make one of the girls pee their pants. I had a friend who wanted to watch that scene because it sounded funny. He didn't laugh once.

8. Maniac -- A guy kills people while talking to mannequins, which talk back later in the film. The title kind of says it all. When I first saw it, I was high (back when we smoked, years and years ago...) on Halloween with a buddy and it was on IFC. We were eating ice cream (come on, we were high) and when the fucked up score kicks in, we had to put it down because it turned our stomachs too much (and, once again, when high, ice cream is REALLY good). Pretty crazy shit. Worst scene: pretty much whenever that fucked up score comes on.

9. Clockwork Orange -- First saw this one late at night on Encore when I was in high school (knowing how big a loser I am/was, it was probably a Friday or Saturday). First thought was, “how the fuck could they film something this fucked up in the 70’s”. Later, I saw the ones higher on this list, and the surprise ended. Based on a indecipherable novel (go ahead and try...I’ll be surprised if you get through four pages), follows a killer and his droogs in a future. He’s caught, they try rehab of sorts, and it goes from there. Unlike most on this list, this is a must-see due to Kubricks direction and the fact that it has something real to say. Worst scene: rape on the stage. When i saw it younger this scene really fucking shocked the shit out of me.

10. Gummo -- This take on middle America (I think...) made me sad the first time (and only time for that matter) I saw it. It was disturbing in the sense that there are actually people who are like this out there, and this is their daily existence. Don’t know why, but it affected me enough to make the list. Worst scene: when they are shooting animals. Makes me feel good being pescatarian.


Honorable Mention:
--Bad Lieutenant -- Harvey Keitel gives new meaning to corrupt cop. At one pont, he jerks off making hookers show him body parts. It kinda sticks in your mind...

--Thirteen -- If you have a kid, be happy he’s a boy. This descent from good girl to drug addled promiscuity is true to life...which makes it worse.

--GG Allin and The Murder Junkies: Live -- The only reason this isn't on the list is because it's a concert vid, but it's fucked enough to make it on here. You see the man take a shit on stage, roll around in it, drink piss, stick a drumstick up his ass and leave it there for most of the show, get chairs thrown at him, and hit himself in the face with the mic until he's bleeding. I first heard of him on one of those VH1 shows where they were talking about who the "baddest" musician ever was. George Thorogood thought it was Paul McCartney. Rob Zombie said it was GG Allin. Rob Zombie should kick the crap out of George Thorogood.

--Everything not mentioned above by John Waters and Takashi Miike.

[W]

I've only seen one (A Clockwork Orange) and it was in springtime of this year. I got through about four chapters of the book and then rented the film. The last chapter in the English (as in not American) book was cut out for the American audiences and wasn't in the film. Or maybe it was the other way around, anyhow the film misses the last chapter of the book. I keep telling myself that I'll go back and read the last chapter of the book, but it's been about six months and I have yet to do so.

The "Singing in the Rain" part is iconic.

[Donte77]

You should have cut and pasted my response to it so I wouldn't have to. LOL

Seen 7 of the 10.

[numbersix]

I haven't seen the GG Allen gig but I did see the documentary- it's pretty fucked up.

[Nicodemus]

Here's my personal list of watch-between-my-fingers films:

[10] Sunshine (2007)
[9] Event Horizon (1997)
[8] The Fly (1986)
[7] Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
[6] The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
[5] War of the Worlds (2005)
[4] The Thing (1982)
[3] Schindler's List (1993)
[2] Natural Born Killers (1994)
[1] Hannibal (2001)

Honorable Mentions: Deep Blue Sea (1999), The Ring (2002), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Hellraiser (1987), The Blair Witch Project (1999).

[Leestu]

Here's a blog/note that I wrote for facebook. The people I have there may have already read it, but figured I'd post it here too:


I
--Thirteen -- If you have a kid, be happy he’s a boy. This descent from good girl to drug addled promiscuity is true to life...which makes it worse.

.

So true. One of my first comments after watching Thirteen was to my wife along the lines of "I am so glad we have 3 sons and no daughters".

Off the top of my head a couple of others I found disturbing were:-
Kids - for similar reasons to Thirteen,
Last Exit To Brooklyn - the scene behind the pub, &
Sick: The Life & Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist - nailing a hammer into his penis and his actual death (or seconds before and after) being examples of why.
I also find (senseless?) violence hard to understand, especially against women or people from different races, so Once Were Warriors or Romper Stomper have a scene or two that get to me, but they are both still exceptional movies.

[NSpan]

I Spit On Your Grave was, easily, my most uncomfortable movie theater experience.. but that's not what we're talking about... out of the movies listed, i gotta go with Ichi the Killer.. that movie makes me squirm every time--yet, for some reason, i've rewatched it multiple times.. (unlike, say, Kids--which wasn't so much disturbing at it was simply gross and unworthy of being considered entertainment.. i think a movie has to have some inherent merit in order to achieve the lofty rank of "disturbing"..... otherwise, you can just visit somethingawful.com if you want to turn your stomach)

[10] Sunshine (2007)
[9] Event Horizon (1997)

we finally got these two on blu-ray--but we've been waiting to watch them in order to do a double-feature.. sometime this weekend, perhaps

I also find (senseless?) violence hard to understand, especially against women or people from different races

but senseless violence against white dudes is easy to understand? remind me not to walk through your neighborhood at night

[Leestu]

remind me not to walk through your neighborhood at night

Well I do live in the bogan capital of Australia, where mates are greeted with a punch on the arm, a slap on the back, or a running tackle to the ground.

[numbersix]

I found the original ring movie, Ringu quite disturbing upon first watch. It's still pretty creepy today, much more than its sequels or remakes.

Although I find something like rape disturbing, I'm rarely truly disturbed by violence in movies. Perhaps it's because they're usually treated in an exhilerating manner. Also perhaps it's because I find that murder and violence is somewhat predictable and a given in human society, so seriel killer movies and the like rarely affect me (although again that's mostly because they're rarely realistic).

I do however find Seven disturbing, no because of the grotesque murders, but because of he attitude of Morgan Freeman's character, in that the police don't prevent anything, they merely make a record of what already happened.

[BarcaRulz]

I would put Happiness on a list of most disturbing movies. The Cook, The Thief, His wife, and Her Lover is pretty messed up, more weird than disturbing though. Cement Garden was also very disturbing.

[Buscemi]

Happiness is disturbing but I'm still trying to figure out why the MPAA rated it NC-17. It's not like they showed anything graphic.

[numbersix]

This still freaks me out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZLQW2qr5Hs

[Ron Burgundy]

cool list 6,

Ive seen A clockwork orange, that pretty disturbing. Bad Lieutenent is a sick movie, and also sickening. Salo sounds 'orrible but i might just watch it one day...just for kicks....or to go insane. Last House on the Left has been on my list ever since i heard of the remake.

Event Horizon? come on.

So does that mean if i ever see u in Perth leestu, i have to tackle u to the ground? cool, im up in scarbs.

Some that come to my mind are:

Oldboy
Silence of the Lambs (agreed there nico)
Requiem for a Dream
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Saving Private Ryan
Norbit (still haven't seen but im sure it belongs here)
Full Metal Jacket
The Shining (kubrick seems to be good at disturbing people)
Trainspotting (mainly just the bit with the baby)