Halloween is the perfect time to watch horror movies, but these films challenge even the toughest viewer with extreme violence and over-the-top gore. Horror has always been about pushing the envelope, and each generation of filmmakers has found new ways to frighten and gross out the audience. Though the means have changed, horror remains an outsider art form.
However, the rising popularity of horror media has created a somewhat homogenized approach to the genre, and there are dozens of bland movies for the average viewer to consume. On the other hand, there are plenty of horror movies that exist outside the mainstream, films that aren’t afraid to be controversial.
Those movies are perfect for the Halloween season because they actually challenge the viewer, and are in keeping with the traditions of the so-called spooky season. In a sea of boring horror films, the most extreme movies still manage to send some viewers bolting for the exits, and they aren’t for the faint of heart.
Martyrs (2008)
One of the crown jewels of the New French Extremity movement, Martyrs puts a stomach-churning spin on the revenge plot format. A young woman exacts revenge against those who kidnapped her as a child, but things take an odd and gruesome turn. At only an hour and a half, Martyrs packs nearly every frame with something shocking and depraved.
The special effects are top-notch, and they are shot beautifully. Unlike other New French Extremity films which sometimes border on humorous absurdity, Martyrs is sincere from start to finish. The gore is excellently crafted and scary, but it is in service of a strong story that is ripe with symbolism.
Maniac (1980)
Horror often reflects the real-world fears of its era, and 1980’s Maniac is rife with urban paranoia about unmotivated crime. The film is from the POV of a deranged murderer who preys on unsuspecting people on the streets of New York City. Artistic and weird, Maniac stands out from many of its early ’80s horror contemporaries.
The film is not like most ’80s slashers because it’s about the mind of a killer, and not about the spectacle of a body count. Joe Spinell’s natural performance is the most convincing part of the film, and it really feels like a descent into madness. Maniac isn’t just unsettling because of its violence but also because of its surrealism.
Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer (1986)
Loosely based on the crimes of Ottis Toole and Henry Lee Lucas, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer lives up to its name. Michael Rooker leads as Henry, a killer who uses his murder spree as a way to supplement his meager income. Film is ultimately a moralistic art form, but Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is completely detached.
The film forces the viewer to take part in Henry’s sadistic crimes, and the gritty execution almost has a documentary quality. The story is so unflinchingly bleak that it actively challenges the audience to keep watching. The movie has plenty of gore, but it’s the ideas behind the story that are more frightening than any blood-splattered scene.
Funny Games (1997)
Michael Haneke was making more than a horror film when he directed Funny Games, and the film itself is a critique of horror. Set at an idyllic lakeside home, a helpless family is tormented by two young men who take pleasure in torturing them. The film’s concept is accentuated by the fact that the main villain breaks the fourth wall.
Funny Games refuses to let the audience play bystanders in the action, and they are invited into the story by the antagonist. The terror comes from the slow and methodical nature of the crimes, and how the movie’s flat lighting implies it’s just another day. The family dynamic is dissected, and it delivers a harrowing experience with very little gore.
Faces Of Death (1978)
Faces of Death isn’t really a horror film per se, but it has gained a reputation as one of the most shocking and disturbing movies ever made. The mondo video is framed by a narrator who presents stock footage of actual deaths, intermixed with obviously fake gore segments.
Released at the beginning of the videotape boom, Faces of Death is one step beyond normal horror. While some sequences are hokey, the actual footage hasn’t lost its edge. Unlike most horror films which can be explained away as fiction, Faces of Death is partially real. Even the most seasoned horror hounds struggle with the mondo classic.
Audition (1999)
Generally regarded as one of the greatest examples of Japanese horror cinema, Audition is a deeply disturbing experience from start to finish. A sleazy filmmaker uses his audition process to sort through prospective dates, but his obsession with one young woman has dark consequences. Audition moves slowly, but it builds to a nightmarish climax.
The finale of Audition is not only an expertly-crafted piece of film, but it uses every aspect of the art to terrify the audience. It’s equally gross, gory, and creepy, without ever passing into goofy territory, and some of the images are absolutely unforgettable. However, it’s more effective than other horror films because of what it means in the end.
American Mary (2012)
The Canadian horror film, American Mary, is a love letter to the body horror subgenre, and it’s a fitting tribute to the squirm-inducing classics. The story involves a medical student who begins performing bizarre illegal surgeries in order to make extra money. Though its critique of plastic surgery culture is pretty obvious, it’s the gore that really sells the movie.
The surgery sequences are some of the most disgusting ever filmed, and even hardened gore fans will struggle with the realism. American Mary is far from perfect, but it’s an extreme horror flick that usually soars under the radar. Its humor is also underrated, and it manages to be pretty funny while also causing some viewers to lose their lunch.
High Tension (2003)
Perhaps the most famous film from the New French Extremity movement, High Tension is one of the oddest slasher films ever made. While staying with a close friend’s family in the country, a young woman must escape a killer. Though it sounds like a cliché slasher, High Tension is anything but straightforward.
Though it has one of the worst endings in horror movie history, the ride to get there is still compelling. There are plenty of gory slashers, but High Tension pulls out all the stops with outlandish violence that almost borders on the absurd. Casual horror fans probably won’t be able to handle the buckets of blood spilled onscreen.
Society (1989)
Brian Yuzna’s Society isn’t a particularly scary or gory horror film, but it falls squarely in the surreal WTF category. A teenage boy notices his family is acting oddly, and he begins to uncover a dark conspiracy involving the local elites. Blending sex and horror, Society is thinly-veiled commentary about class.
Effects wizard Screaming Mad George provides the monstrous creatures, and Society is disgusting in ways that other horror films could only dream about. There is a terrifying sliminess to everything, and the implications are scarier than any overt horror shown onscreen. It would be an understatement to say that Society challenges the viewer, it actively tries to repulse them.
Dead Alive (1992)
Years before he was ushering audiences into Middle-earth, Peter Jackson was making some of the grossest movies of the video nasty era. Dead Alive is his unorthodox zombie horror story about an infected monkey bite that gets out of hand. There are gory films, and then there’s Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive.
Dead Alive is known as Braindead outside of North America.
Every scene intentionally pushes boundaries, and breaks nearly every taboo, including violence against children. The pitch-black sense of humor allows the film to dip into absurd territory, but it’s so gross that it turns even the most iron-clad stomach. Horror movies are supposed to be controversial, and Peter Jackson took that idea to heart.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
