Most unsettling horror film?

[PackBacker]

A lot of folks think all horror films are unsettling. I think that the best ones truly are, but most thrown our way today are not.

I'm wondering what the most unsettling horror film is in your opinion. It's these that I want to see.....I'm tired of the been there, done that slasher flicks or monster movies.

Off the top of my head, I would have to say "Last House on the Left." I'm not easily made uncomfortable by gore or other situations but this flick really did it to me. A couple scenes in there that really were disturbing and it didn't help that I was in the house alone.

I'm not talking about the most frightening (though that could be a good thread and may be what this turns into) but the most disturbing in the sense of "Why the hell am I watching this?"

[The Arrow]

Last House is up there. The original Texas Chainsaw disturbed me. So did Maniac and Henry Portrait Of A Serial Killer.

[QUENTIN]

I agree that last house is definetly up there but I'm gonna have to say Santa Sangre and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer are probably the most distubing although they are kind of in an unclassifiable genre I would say that it does fall under highly disturbing horror.

[PackBacker]

Santa Sangre just confused me, although the scenes with the dying/dead elephant were truly disturbing.

[doctor drew]

holy crap, I can't believe someone else saw that! I saw Santa Sangre at a repertory house during a midnight showing in my area (God Bless Cinema Du Parc, it rules, RIP the Palace). Man, I don't think I've ever walked out of a movie so confused. The elephant burial, the midgets, the incest with the mother with no arms, the murders, man, that movie made no sense. Strangely enough, Roger Ebert claims this to be one of his favorite films of all time. Packbacker, kudos for mentioning that wild movie, definitely unsettling.

When I was a kid, like 8 or 9, I saw the Gate and Trolls, two movies which completely freaked me out and gave me horrible nightmares. They were real trippy.

'drew

[PackBacker]

I think I would have to throw "Freaks" in there as well. Knowing that these folks weren't wearing makeup or using special effects made it particulary unsettling.

[QUENTIN]

I'm gonna definetly have to agree with Pack on that one Tod Browning's Freaks is certainly one of the most unsettling pictures I've ever seen (great ending too). Particularly the fact that they used real circus freaks to do it. But I have to warn people out there see it on a American Movie Classics style channel DO NOT RENT IT unless your sure you've got an unedited copy. Most prints to this day are extremely edited and run between 51 and 64 minutes the film is actully about 70 minutes. just a warning about this great and definetly unsettling classic.

[Cashturn]

Damn, the above movies looking incredibly intriguing. Off to the video store I go.

[QUENTIN]

Suggestion to casturn don't go to BlockBuster
they won't carry Santa Sangre because it's NC-17 and if they carry Freaks it will be severely edited.

[DarkLight]

Dying elephants? Incestuous midgets?

Santa Sangre sounds like on wacky movie. They don't have that anywhere I can see. Darnit, I want to know what real confusion feels like (<- add drug and booze joke here)!

Something pretty disturbing that I've seen recently were some of the Urban Gothic series showing on terrestrial TV over here in jolly ol' England. If any of you get a chance to see these, do so... they're really good. My favourite so far is one where they do a mockumentary where they follow a real life vampire around the streets of London and interview his friends. I was surprised to see the graphic throught slashing and wrist slashing on British TV and for a second there I could have sworn I thought to myself, "and why the hell am I watching this?"

DL

[leeloo]

What about the Basketcase films?!They were bizarre and pretty grubby.I did ask myself "Why the hell am I watching this?" but I think thats just coz they were terrible films.If someone else in the world has actually seen these films please let me know as I don't like the thought that maybe I imagined them...

[bob]

it's not a horror movie,but i found fight club unsettling at times

[yvonne]

i havent seen any of the above mentioned films /ubb/frown.gif and i cant even think of a movie that has truly disturbed me in the longest time.....its sad cuz i love all the "scary" movies, but nothing chills me anymor....any suggestions---yvonne

[J. Numbskull]

I can agree w/Henry, one of my favorites of the genre. Unfortunately i don't have much sympathy for Last House, which i think (in my opinion) is one of the worst horror movies ever made.
Off the top of my head, my votes would go for Se7en, Texas Chainsaw, Carnival of Souls, NOTLD....and maybe even I Spit on Your Grave, but more so as an afterthought...

[QUENTIN]

How can you think I Spit On Your Grave is better than Last House On The Left?

[Tuukka]

Didn't anyone found The Shining unsettling? That's the scariest film I have ever seen!

[J. Numbskull]

hey Mr. 13-year Old, I didn't say I Spit on Your Grave was BETTER than Last House. They're equally trashy in my book, and their plotlines aren't without their similarities. We're talking about unsettling movies here, and what Spit did for me is probably what Last House does for someone else... I love this red-faced fellow.

[yvonne]

i finally found a movie the left me unsettled.....stephen king's storm of the century....where the "man" made the town choose between giving up a child or disappearing...they made the wrong choice....and it was too easy for them...i was very mad at the end, i am a mom of three..and u dont do that to your kids....yvonne

[The Arrow]

A movie that disturbed me: First Wives Club...I hurled.

I saw the first Basket Case and actually liked it. You guys should check out Braindamage. It's a funny messed up movie.

[barbarella_cult]

I am so suprised and smitten that someone actually brought up Santa Sangre! I love this movie! I also found Freaks disturbing, but unfortunatly, I may have watched the edited version.(Damn you Blockbuster!) Now I wonder what I missed. Other movies I found disturbing were Texas Chainsaw Massacre, American Psyco(loved it, but I don't think I could read the book), and (don't laugh) Mothers' Day.

[raven52]

The Texas Chainsaw massacre was just plain sick but a good movie,also Luther the geek was sick too.

[KeyserSoze]

What about House on Haunted Hill. The new one. I know the ending sucked, but the first 80 minutes were really good. The start of the movie with all the crazy people attacking the doctor, and the part where the woman can see the dead people only with the videocamera. There are others too. Old movies just don't do it for me. Even though I want to see Last House on the Left. I heard it is really freaky. Exorcist re-release in October? I can't wait.

[Mr. Meat]

What about The Exorcist? I just seen Henry, buy The Exorcist takes the cake for the most unsettling movie for me...

[Scarface]

I haven't seen many "freak" movies but of what I have seen Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation was probably the worst but most messed up movie i've seen.

[ColonelColinCaine]

The tree-rape scene in Evil Dead.
Dawn of the Dead: The scene in the basement of the apartments in the beginning, where the residnets keep all of the zombies caged up. Something about that slow-motion shot as Peter is entering the pen, along with that freaky music.
Blair Witch Project: Every nighttime scene, beginning with, and following the attack on the tent. The sounds of the children laughing, along with whatever that demon noise was, are truly unsettling, as is the final scene.
Kingdom of the Spiders: The final shot of the town covered in spider webs. (Well, unsettling when I was a little kid.)

[QUENTIN]

Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer: numerous scenes but, particularily the filmed murder of the family.

Santa Sangre: the elephant burial and then the devouring of the carcass.

The Blair Witch Project: see above where CCC pointed them out.

The Exorcist: the demon face that is superimposed over Linda Blair's face and is in Father Karras' dream.

Last House On The Left: the rape

The Texas Chinsaw Massacre: the "how they kill cows" discussion and the old man.

Se7en: "you got what you deserved" and then he's still alive

Adam Sandler movies: any scene that Adam is in (they REALLY disturb me).

and that's all I could think of right now. It's hard to disturb me, but it's a lot easier than scaring me, no film can really do that.

[i,am jacks bb name]

last house on dead end street a sick film about snuff films. salo 100 days of sodom the film in witch sick films are judged bloodsucking freaks. th guinea pig series,in a glass cage and the one the only..... CANNIBAL HOLLICOUST!!!!!!! one of the few films to get its filmaker put in jail banned in many countries could be the sickest mos disturbing fim ever made and a great influence ((( the word rip off is hearby banned geeze))) see it and salo if you can take it

[kerryanne]

I remember seeing a movie when I was a little girl about a woman who turned into a spider--- I cannot for the life of me remember the name of it, and I think it had Patty Duke(don't know for sure about the name either) But that was very unsettling. Giant Spider movies are just unsettling period.

[maurice_supple]

in the company of men was a quite disturbing flick, more a drama than a comedy, two guys go out witha deaf girl and they decide to break up with her at the same time to screw with her head.

also special mention to tim robbins for his role in jacobs ladder, on scene where he is going mad his beutiful girlfriend starts shouting at him but for a flicker we see her eyes are jet black and her teeth are jagged and she looks evil, then he looks again and shes sitting there smiling, also when he runs a tempreture they stick him in a tub of ice and he screams your killing me!
very good. (but not scary)

also american pyscho when hes on the phone telling his lawyer he killed people thats pretty cool.

[leatherface66601]

What's the Last House On the Left About?

[leatherface66601]

Where can i rent movies like the last house on the left and henry portrait of a serial killer and that santa movie withe elephants?
Will a local video store carry them?

[leatherface66601]

Would hollywood video carry it?

[leatherface66601]

I found 8mm disturbing even though its not a horror

[PackBacker]

leatherface- I found 8mm disturbing because it starred Nic Cage (that one's for you SirReal!) /ubb/smile.gif

Last House on the Left is about two girls who go to the city and meet up with the wrong folks. They are tortured horribly and eventually killed. Killers break down outside the parents of the victims house. Revenge becomes the keyword. Some nasty stuff.

As for renting these films I would try a local non-commercial video shop. It seems that ones like BlockBastard pick and choose which ones they get and often don't carry the nc-17/unrated ones like Santa Sangre. I want to say that LHOL has two versions- R and unrated. Best bet is to find an independant shop....you should go there anyways because they often have these cultish flicks that the bigger companies won't carry.

[screamfan]

Blockbastard??? hehehe /ubb/biggrin.gif

[leatherface66601]

thanx

[Brock Landers]

Definitely Maniac starring Joe Spinelli, what was with the scalps on the mannequins?

Last House was pretty decent but there should have been more Deliverance style raping to complete the picture. I love the ending.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre II: Dennis Hopper makes the film and the settings are so full of filth and squalor, I will never forget the radio station or picking his head with a hook and eating the crap that comes off, although it needed a Marilyn Burns scream queen like the first.

I always get creeped out by Creepshow's roach chapter.

favorite repeat tales from the crypt from film and TV is "All Through The House". You know, the Santa Claus as an escaped axe-murderer trip, it inspired Silent Night, deadly Night.

Really creepy, Stephen King's "IT". God I hate clowns. I have this really twisted picture of John Wayne gacy as a clown and it says a quote of his, "Clowns can get away with murder".

Also check out a film by the makers of "Brother's Keeper" titled "The Robin Hood Hill Murders". It features Metallica music and is creepy because it is real doc on satanic killings. Check out the kid named Damien.

Keep on rockin' and rollin' makin' better films.

[QUENTIN]

"The Robin Hood Hill Murders" is actually called Paradise Lost, The Robin Hood Hill Murders is the sub-title of the film.

[viper]

Hasn't anyone seen "The Hills Have Eyes"? Has to be one of the freakiest movies out there

[PackBacker]

The Hills Have Eyes was fun and unsettling in parts, but paled in comparison to Last House on the Left IMHO.

[Brock Landers]

Hey, I call it what I want...ever heard of TB II aka Tobe Hooper II aka Texas Chainsaw Massacre II: Electric Bugaloo?...man, at least you get the point. Next thing you know, you will be spell checking me.

The guy from "The Hills Have Eyes" is cool as the television producer in "Man On The Moon", "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" and my personal fave "The People vs. Larry Flynt". Where did they find him, what a freak...

[ProzacMan]

Some of the movies listed above are unsettleing but by far the most unsettleing I've seen ,and I couldn't watch it all the way through, has to be Nekromantik! Oh my it is repulsive.

[The Troll Man]

The new(ish) Miike Takashi film Audition (Odishon) is amazingly disturbing... new Ed Gein movie (directed by the guy who did Henry 2) pretty good that way too...

[VIRGIL]

wow, good people with disturbing movies.

Dead Ringers.
Shock Corridor.
In The Mouth of Madness.
The Shining.
Black Sunday.
The thing under the stairs. (HP Lovecraft)

I love all of the movies you guys have mentioned... good work, gentlepeople (to retain PC)

[bung]

All films mentioned do have their own disturbing elements however the most unsettling would have to be the guinea pig series from japan. pure unadulterated horror.

[Monkeyman]

The only time a film unsettled me enough to make me turn off was when I was about 7 or 8, it was the toymaster guy from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I was scared of going into toyshops for years...