Horror isn’t always harmless jump scares and campy slashers. It can be exciting to laugh along with Freddy Kruger’s famous one-liners or recoiling at the sight of a woman crawling out of a TV, but few horror films dare to tread the waters of truly testing what their audiences can handle. There comes a certain point where horror crosses the threshold from fun to relentlessly depraved. Though not all extreme horror films are deprived of humor, they often do choose to forgo any sort of comedic or emotional relief. Just as is done with the characters, these films refuse to grant audiences some reprieve from the gravity of the dire situations playing out on screen. No monsters are vanquished and there is no room for happy endings.

Absolute terror can take many different forms and extreme horror movies tend to favor how the worst monsters are usually other people. These films really push the envelope on what can be shown on screen. If you’re grossly uncomfortable or even angry, they have succeeded in what they have sought to do. While these films are definitely not for everyone, they undoubtedly generate countless conversations regarding how, if at all, showcasing extreme violence on film can be a productive vehicle to highlight how utterly wicked society can be.

Proceed with caution.

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Angst (1983)

Recently, Austrian filmmakers have become quite well known for producing some of the most unsettling works of horror like Goodnight Mommy and Funny Games. This lesser known Austrian gem, however, very well may be the most depraved of the bunch. Not only is Gerald Kargl’s film utterly brutal, but the camera’s erratic movement brings the film to life. The whole film feels like the fever dream of a psychotic killer. In many ways, that’s exactly what it is. The camera is just as much of a character as the people shown on screen. It quakes and circles as its lens captures extreme close-ups of events that feel as though they should have remained unseen. Kargl disorients his audience and refuses to reorient them.

The film follows an unnamed serial killer (Erwin Leder) after his release from prison. Unable to suppress his urge for another kill, he finds his way into a remote home occupied by an unsuspecting family. While the events take place on screen, the killer's internal monologue walks viewers through his past and present. All the elements of the film culminate into an incredibly disturbing experience that leaves you feeling both dirty and used.

A Serbian Film (2010)

You know a film is polarizing when even mentioning its name is a conversation starter in itself. Unsurprisingly, it has become a long-running internet joke to mention Srdjan Spasojevic’s film in any conversation even remotely related to disturbing horror. Due to its unwavering descent into the deepest recesses of the pornography industry, many heated debates have taken place online regarding its artistic validity. If anything, this film has pushed its audiences to have conversations about violence and art in ways that they may have never had. With all of that said, this one is a doozy.

It follows a retired porn star named Milos (Srđan Todorović) who decides to return to the industry due to financial issues. He’s met with an offer that’s too hard to refuse and signs on to participate in a pornographic “art film.” This is a film that oozes anger and takes it out on its audience. Due to the nature of its plot, it tackles brutally sexual themes that one should thoroughly consider before pressing play. It’s widely considered the mother of extreme horror for a reason.

Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

How many films can you name that have had to prove to a judge that the actors weren’t killed in the process of making it? If the answer is none, now you have one. Widely considered the first found-footage horror film, Ruggero Deodato’s Cannibal Holocaust follows the story of an American film crew who venture into the Amazon rainforest to make a documentary on the indigenous tribes who live there. They never return, and the film involves their rescue team retroactively witnessing the crew’s fate after obtaining their left-behind footage.

Part of what makes this film so disturbing is its interrogation of monstrosity. From its title, audiences are led to believe that the natives are the undisputed villains but that narrative quickly unravels. Upon first meeting the tribes, the documentarians lament that the natives don’t necessarily act in the ways they had in mind. In an effort to capture the disturbing material they want, they begin brutally terrorizing the natives. Animal lovers, beware. The animal deaths on screen are, sadly, very real.

The Human Centipede (2009)

This is the first film in a trilogy that aims to push the limits of intensely grotesque imagery even further with each installment. It’s also exactly about what the title suggests– A mad doctor absolutely hellbent on surgically binding a group of people to create a human centipede. There’s not too much subtlety in Tom Six’s film that boasts the slogan “100% medically accurate.”

Its goal is to gross you out, and it totally manages to deliver on that promise. Though it is contentious as to which installment is the most disturbing, the first is the most notable in the ways it became absolutely viral upon release. Many watched it due to sheer curiosity or from dares at sleepovers. If you have any questions regarding the logistics of how a human centipede would function, those questions don’t stay unanswered for too long. After watching, you may have a newfound appreciation for your kneecaps.

Martyrs (2008)

One thing about Pascal Laugier’s film is that it has absolutely no problem with thrusting you into the action without a second thought. The best way to describe it is that it’s like one of those roller coasters that go from zero to sixty miles per hour in mere seconds. From the beginning, you’re meant to care deeply about Lucie (Mylène Jampanoï) and Anna’s (Morjana Alaoui) friendship only for them to ultimately fall apart. It is a horror film, after all.

Like an onion, Laugier’s film has so many layers that it often feels as though it’s two movies in one. If you think the first half is tough, the second half manages to make it look a bit tame. Both halves of the film beg the question of how far one will go to get the answers they’re looking for and if it's worth it. Martyrs has one of the most horrifying body transformations put on screen and no amount of warning will prepare you for the feeling of emptiness that creeps up once the credits start rolling.

Inside (2007)

The word that best describes this film is “blood,” and lots of it. If Stanley Kubrick’s infamous elevator scene from The Shining became its own feature length film, it would be Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s Inside. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that you might even find yourself wanting to take a shower after watching this one, especially since a lot of the action takes place in a bathroom. The film follows a pregnant widow (Alysson Paradis) on Christmas Eve who finds herself face to face with a murderous woman who is only credited as La Femme (Béatrice Dalle).

Out of all the films listed so far, this may be the one that surprises you the most in terms of just how much the stakes continue to heighten. The gore never seems to stop and only gets nastier as the film goes on. There are several moments of momentary reprieve where odd shots of the baby in utero show it reacting to being jostled around which can be pretty funny, but those uncomfortable chuckles will be quickly followed by visceral disgust.

The Sadness (2021)

Zombie films have a rep for not being taken completely seriously, but Rob Jabbaz really switched things up with his take on this much trod sub-genre of horror. Instead of the zombies having relatively no agency or being rather predictable in their actions, The Sadness reimagines zombies as hypersexual sadists. They’re crafty and ruthless. To a large extent, these zombies are still sentient but only able to act upon their most carnal and depraved instincts. This plot truly makes its audiences wonder what sort of secret urges the strangers around them suppress on a daily basis.

Deranged, twisted, and utterly brutal in its execution, this film is unpredictable and action packed. Beneath the flashy gore, this film brings forth a deep existential dread that really makes one realize just how quickly the world can fall apart. There’s something deeply unsettling about being confronted with how much an individual’s safety is contingent upon the active choice strangers make to not harm them. You might want to save yourself from some heartbreak by not getting particularly attached to any of the characters.

Salò: Or 120 Days of Sodom (1975)

Would any list discussing stomach churning films be complete without mentioning Pier Paolo Pasolini’s infamous Salò? It’s hard to imagine a day when its place is no longer cemented among discussions about the most demented films. Over forty years after its release, Salò still manages to deeply disturb even the most seasoned horror fans. The film follows a group of fascists who imprison a group of teenagers within a mansion and proceed to subject them to unspeakable acts of torture for 120 days. The story is based on the writings of the Marquis de Sade.

This is just a hard movie. It’s a whirlwind of emotions presented on a dirty platter. Similar to A Serbian Film, the anger is palpable, and its political implications are incredibly strong. By the end of the film, audiences are guaranteed to be angry at what they have witnessed, and they should be. Just remember these words: Don’t worry, it’s just chocolate.

Society (1989)

Think of Brian Yuzna’s film as the dirty little palate cleaner of this list. The vast majority of this movie feels like a cheesy teenage horror flick and it kind of is. Society is what one could expect if, in a parallel universe, John Hughes and David Cronenberg decided to team up on a horror film. In true coming-of-age fashion, the film follows a wealthy young teenager (Billy Warlock) as he begins to suspect that his ritzy lifestyle is more insidious than he could have ever possibly imagined.

So why is it on this list? The final act will undoubtedly be burned in your brain forever. It is sweaty, sticky, and oh so ooey gooey. Body horror fanatics should be all over this underrated cult classic. No amount of words can prepare anyone for the great “shunting,” that takes place in the film’s final thirty minutes. It really brings a whole new meaning to the term “butt head.”

Terrifier (2016)

Ah, finally we have Damien Leone’s Terrifier. This is probably one of the most brutal slasher films that has been released in a very long time, if ever. There’s a reason why the film’s antagonist, Art the Clown (David Howard Thorton), has slowly amassed a large and fiercely devoted fanbase. It manages to maintain a sense of humor without taking away from the gravity of the violent kills that become the main spectacle of Art’s grand performance. If anything, Art’s dark sense of humor only makes the film more disgusting. It takes a stomach of steel to not twist and turn as Art grossly violates the bodies of his victims with a large (bloody) smile on his face. It’s Art’s world, and we’re truly just living in it - if we're lucky.

Though it is a large departure from the other films on this list, Terrifier’s spot in the gross-out hall of fame is incredibly well deserved. If you’re not repulsed at how well Art uses a saw, you’ll be disgusted at yourself for finding the film to be a little fun. It’s a dirty and sleazy grindhouse that makes the Sawyer home in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre look like a 5-star hotel.