PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Even though I write for a horror magazine, I love all movies, especially when directors inject tension into comedies, violence into dramas, and insert dreamlike scenes that dissolve into terror. But “shocking” doesn’t just mean violence. It can mean anything that disturbs the audience. That clarified – let’s get to the movies!
Come and See
Directed by Elem Klimov
Synopsis
The invasion of a village in Byelorussia by German forces sends young Florya (Aleksey Kravchenko) into the forest to join the weary Resistance fighters, against his family’s wishes. There he meets a girl, Glasha (Olga Mironova), who accompanies him back to his village. On returning home, Florya finds his family and fellow peasants massacred. His continued survival amidst the brutal debris of war becomes increasingly nightmarish, a battle between despair and hope.
I knew it would be a very cruel film and one that hardly anyone would be able to watch. I told the co-author of the script, writer Ales Adamovich. But he said, ‘Then let them not look. This is something we must leave behind. As a testimony to war, and as a plea for peace.
Nightcrawler
Directed by Dan Gilroy
Synopsis
Los Angeles denizen Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) survives by scavenging and petty theft. He stumbles into a new career as a cameraman and — armed with a camcorder and police scanner — begins nocturnal forays across the city in search of shocking and grisly crimes. When he catches the eye of a shopworn news director (Rene Russo) who welcomes the chance to raise her station’s ratings, Louis goes to increasingly greater lengths to catch the “money shot.”
Ah, the media. While I am sure there are still good reporters out there, Louis Bloom isn’t one of them. Bloom is is a sociopath with a smile that’s a little too wide and absolutely nothing behind his eyes. But reporters like this would not exist without an audience. We, the watchers, are absolute ghouls for lurid news, and Bloom is there to deliver it. This is Gyllenhaal at his very best.
Silenced
Directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk
Synopsis
Gang In-ho uncovers sexual and physical abuse at a school for hearing impaired children. With the help of a human rights activist, Gang fights against the community to expose the abuse and put a stop to it.
This film has scenes in it that are the most disturbing I have ever seen (only the rape scene in Irreversible is arguably worse). Silenced is based on a true story, and while it does dramatize a few details, the facts are heartbreakingly accurate. After viewing this film, South Koreans successfully called for changes to be made to laws that punish sex abusers of children and the disabled.
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Directed by Lynne Ramsay
Synopsis
Eva Khatchadourian (Tilda Swinton) is a travel writer/publisher who gives up her beloved freedom and bohemian lifestyle to have a child with her husband, Franklin (John C. Reilly). Pregnancy does not seem to agree with Eva, but what’s worse, when she does give birth to a baby boy named Kevin, she can’t seem to bond with him. When Kevin grows from a fussy, demanding toddler (Rocky Duer) into a sociopathic teen (Ezra Miller), Eva is forced to deal with the aftermath of her son’s horrific act.
This movie brilliantly shows sociopathy/psychopathy from the parent’s point of view. So often after a mass killing by a young person the question is always asked: ‘Where was the parent?’ This film really shows that Eva, while not a perfect mother, was a woman mentally drowning after giving birth to Kevin. There are no right answers in this one.
Kids
Directed by Larry Clark
Synopsis
Amoral teen Telly (Leo Fitzpatrick) has made it his goal to sleep with as many virgin girls as possible — but he doesn’t tell them that he’s HIV positive. While on the hunt for his latest conquest, Telly and his best friend, Casper (Justin Pierce), smoke pot and steal from shops around New York. Meanwhile, Jenny (Chloë Sevigny), one of Telly’s early victims, makes it her mission to save other girls from him. But before she has a chance to confront him at a party, everything goes horribly wrong.
This movie came out when I was in college, and I actually saw it in the theater. I remember people walking out in the first few minutes of the film. It’s hard to really blame them. The depiction of of sex and drug use by the young children in the film still feels shocking, even today. Clark even used real street kids, adding a very real level of authenticity that makes the entire film even more disturbing.
Eastern Promises
Directed by David Cronenberg
Synopsis
Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen), who is both ruthless and mysterious, has ties to one of the most dangerous crime families in London. He crosses paths with Anna (Naomi Watts), a midwife who has come across potentially damaging evidence against the family, which forces him to set in motion a plan of deceit, death and retribution.
This film has aged so well. It features a masterful performance by Viggo Mortensen as the morally ambiguous mob enforcer. By far the most frightening character in the movie is Armin Mueller-Stahl’s mob boss, who chillingly uses the sweet grandpa routine as a paper thin mask to cover up his casual cruelty.
The Nightingale
Directed by Jennifer Kent
Synopsis
Clare, a young Irish convict, chases a British officer through the rugged Tasmanian wilderness and is bent on revenge for a terrible act of violence the man committed against her family. On the way, she enlists the services of Aboriginal tracker Billy, who is marked by trauma from his own violence-filled past.
This movie takes place in one of the most beautiful places on Earth – Tasmania. But there is nothing beautiful about the lives of Clare and Billy. Clare has been the victim of the most unspeakable violation, while Billy (like so many natives), has brutally suffered under the yoke of colonization. These shared traumas make the two wary of each other, but also unites them. This is bold, visceral filmmaking that deserves to be seen.
Climax
Directed by Gaspar Noe
Synopsis
When members of a dance troupe gather in an empty school, drug-laced sangria causes their jubilant rehearsal to descend into a dark and explosive nightmare as they try to survive the night — and find out who’s responsible — before it’s too late.
Starting with a dazzling dance sequence (linked below!), this film devolves into a pretty effective anti-drug warning. Once the LSD hits, the dancers spiral into a paranoid nightmare of sex, violence, betrayal, and self destruction. All of it shot, by Noe, like a gorgeous, terrifying hallucination.
Breaking the Waves
Directed by Lars von Trier
Synopsis
In a small and religious coastal town, a simple, devoutly religious Scottish woman, Bess McNeill (Emily Watson), finds a partner in an oil rig worker from Norway, Jan Nyman (Stellan Skarsgard). However, the relationship grows strained when Nyman breaks his neck in a horrific work accident on the rig and becomes paralyzed. Unable to perform sexually and suffering mentally from the accident as well, Jan convinces Bess to have sex with other men, which she comes to believe is God’s work.
Anchored by a mesmerizing performance by Emily Watson, this is a film that is full of sweetness, the greatest faith, and the absolute power of love. On the other hand, it’s also one of suspicion, disapproval, pain, heartbreak, and brutal sacrifice. It’s not an easy watch, but I saw this movie in the theaters in 1996, and have never, ever forgotten the final images.
Jesus Camp
Directed by David Farrier and Dylan Reeve
Synopsis
This documentary focuses on three children who attend a Christian summer camp in Devils Lake, North Dakota, called Kids on Fire School of Ministry. Here, the children are taught about the prophetic gifts they have and are prepared to one day take back America for Jesus Christ.
So while I have no problem with people practicing their religion, brainwashing is never ok. The tactics used at this camp to instill militant religious fervor in children are nothing short of cult-like brainwashing. The fact that camps like this exist in the world makes it one of the most disturbing films I’ve seen in a long time.
What’s the most shocking non-horror film you’ve seen? Did it make the list? Tell us in the comments!
