We are all here because we love a good horror, no matter how much it scares the living hell out of us. Some scholars attribute our interest in horrors as a desire to be stimulated, both positively (adrenaline rush) and negatively (anxiety). Others note that watching a scary movie where someone (or many people) get killed makes us feel good, because we’re not at their place.
Despite all this, we are still very much human and we have our fight or flight instinct that might be triggered when we watch a particularly scary horror movie. So today, we will be talking about the flight response, and in particular the horrors that most people find too unbearable to finish.
The films on our list are not in any particular order; they are just really, really scary.
A Serbian Film
We’re starting out with the big guns, mostly because we want to get this film out of our system ASAP. A Serbian Film (2010, dir.by Srđan Spasojević) is honestly horrific. There are no words to describe the sickening plot that explores the hidden snuff film industry.
It’s one of the most, if not the most, famous example of a horror so petrifying that you just have to hit the pause button and take a hot contemplative shower.
Caligula
If you know your history, you’ve definitely heard of Emperor Caligula, the depraved tyrant who despite having been dead for two millennia, still sends chills down our spine. Well, someone thought that film should truly capture the horrors enacted by the blood-thirsty emperor and that’s how Caligula (1979, dir.by Tinto Brass) was born.
While the movie is not technically a horror, it features a lot of graphic scenes depicting extreme violence, along with the very R-rated sex scenes (some of which unsimulated and included as extras). Many people left the theatres when it came out and the film was banned in lots of countries.
The Human Centipede and The Human Centipede 2
We believe each one of these films, The Human Centipede (2009, dir.by Tom Six) The Human Centipede (2011, dir.by Tom Six) deserves its own article, but we decided to group them together, because the feelings they aroused in us are quite similar and the plot is of course centred around a maniac creating a human centipede.
The depiction of the process is so graphic and the idea itself so utterly disgusting. We personally could barely make it through either of them, but we have to admit that the second one is somehow even “worse”; an opinion shared by many people online.
Ju-On
The Ju-On trilogy (Katasumi and 4444444444, Ju-On: The Curse, Ju-On: The Curse 2, dir. by Takashi Shimizu) will make you think twice before you buy a house. The captivating plot and the terrifying visuals make us still sleep with the light on sometimes.
This successful Japanese franchise spawned an American version (The Grudge films), as well as a few reboots, TV shows, novels, and games. Still, nothing really compares to the original, and we recommend you start with it, if you dare.
Ring & The Ring
While we gave props to the original Japanese films in the previous section, we can’t do the same for Ring (1998, dir. by Hideo Nakata) and The Ring (2002, dir. by Gore Verbinski); they are equally terrifying and brilliant. In fact, the American version was the reason we decided to write this article in the first place.
Once we watched the original Japanese film, we realised that the girl in the well causes nightmares in each language and setting. It might take some mental preparation, but we actually suggest you watch both films and try to indulge in their cinematic artistry.
Mother!
When we heard that our favourite Darren Aronofsky had made a new film, we were thrilled as we expected to watch another mind-blowing thriller with impeccable characterisation. What we didn’t expect was Mother! (2017). A lot of people say they can’t finish Requiem for a Dream (2000), but we bet they changed our tune after seeing Mother!.
Similar to other Aronofsky films, the tension builds up gradually until it climaxes in the last 5-10 minutes leaving us begging for more. We certainly didn’t beg for more when we watched Mother!. The biblical psychological horror is still a masterpiece, but one that not many people can sit through.
Teeth
There are few words to describe Teeth (2007, dir.by Mitchell Lichtenstein) and its gory and uncomfortable scenes, but we are quite impressed that the writer-director managed to find a fear so irrational, yet so potent, to make so many viewers squirm in their seats and perhaps to even begin practicing abstinence.
Raw
The rest of the films on this list have a great deal of notoriety about them, but we decided to end this article with a lesser-known film that has a notorious viewership story. When Raw (2016, dir. by Julia Ducournau) premiered, many viewers left the theatres before the real bad parts had even begun; other less lucky patrons even lost consciousness. Proceed at your own risk!