Warning: The article below contains spoilers as well as content that is extremely graphic.

Die-hard horror fans will know there are plenty of movies out there claiming to be classics, and, for the most part, they’re right.

Works like The Blair Witch Project, which basically created the Found Footage genre, or Night of The Living Dead, which, although the concept of Zombies already existed, completely revolutionized the trope. Now even if you don’t like either, or both of those movies you can admit that one, you have heard of them before; and two, they were described to you as a “must watch classic horror movie”.

However after some time things seemed to shift a little.

Yes there are still horror movies being produced today, and yes, some of them are doing quite well in the box office, but now is when the question really starts to matter: “what is worthy of being considered a classic piece of horror cinema?”

While most horror movies are derived from concepts of terror and other such things, each one establishes, in one way or another, the lines they are willing to cross. Some movies start out tame then eventually spiral into a chasm of blood and gore (e.g. the Saw franchise), while some choose to start out as violently as possible: Hellraiser. However there are plenty of films out there that decide to not hold anything back, whose purpose is to fully and utterly terrify the audience, by any means necessary.

Longtime horror fanatics can easily present a list of titles deemed beyond the realm of creativity and artistry, into the human psyche of repressed violence and depravity.

A few of them, such as the Guinea Pig Experiments, a film series that had the police convinced the actors involved in it had been killed, or Salo, also known as 120 Days of Sodom, famous for being so disturbing it was banned from viewing in multiple countries, have kept such a reputation, even after all this time.

In fact movies with these reputations have started to appear in lists challenging anyone to get through the whole thing without turning it off; as always some pass, while others don’t, but what’s truly fascinating, is that not every list is exactly the same.

After reviewing countless of these lists and creating one of my own, I’ve found 10, mutually agreed upon, movies that have earned the title of “10 Horror Movies So Disturbing, You Might Not Be Able To Finish Them.” The movies will appear counting down from 10 – 1, the least terrifying to the most, additionally, the way they are listed is not how I feel about them but how they were ranked as “fear inducing” films. All the descriptions were found through Google.

I’m here to see if these truly deserve such a title. However before we begin please know that these movies involve extremely violent content which I will discuss in my review, and if you feel like watching these movies, in the same hopes of making it to the end, please be aware of, and heed my warnings. I wish you well, and good luck.

10.  JeruZalem

“Three friends Sarah, Rachel and Kevin take a holiday in Jerusalem and are having a great time in the ancient city. But the tide soon turns and they enter a biblical nightmare where they are chased by winged demons from hell.”

Genuinely, I liked this movie. The writing was pretty good, the characters and acting was believable, I’ll even admit for a horror movie  there were quite a few scenes that made me teary-eyed. One especially has been haunting me ever since the credits rolled, even now as I type this I begin to grow weary.

However as much as it pains me to say it for all the good there was in this movie, there is quite a bit of downfall.

I’ve never been one to sit and wait for a show or a movie to get good no matter how many people say it gets better so if it weren’t for this being an “assignment”, of sorts, I would’ve turned this off after the first ten minutes of literally zero action. I’m not kidding when I say the first sign of danger started after the one hour mark.

As for blood, the special effects team definitely could’ve tried harder or at least put some more research into it as I’m sure when someone has their organs exposed and trailing out of their stomach there should be a fair amount of blood, right? 

Plus the names, the antagonist creature are often referred to as zombies yet the official description for the movie refers to them as “demons”, so for the sake of being accurate i’ll just refer to these things, as creatures, and yes I have a big enough issue with this naming for me to take points off for how I felt about the movie overall.

9. Cannibal Holocaust

“During a rescue mission into the Amazon rainforest, a professor stumbles across lost film shot by a missing documentary crew whose goal was to study the region’s indigenious cannibalistic tribes.”

 Honestly, I can see why people didn’t like this movie. The gore is usually unexpected and textbook accurate but when it comes down to necessity. To whether or not there’s blood just for the sake of blood; in the end, it’s not really necessary. Killing animals for sustenance. That’s understandable, I mean there are plenty of cultures that do it today but when someone decides to shoot a pig just to intimidate others that’s going beyond necessity to just “killing because it’ll make me feel stronger than I actually am.” 

If you think that’s bad, wait till a turtle has its head chopped off and organs feasted upon, raw, while the head is still gasping for breath and its feet still trembling trying to escape this cruel fate, and yes this is all shown on film.

Besides inexplicable animal cruelty and this films affinity for subjecting women to rape, there’s not much here to be impressed with. 

However just because I didn’t absolutely love it doesn’t mean someone else won’t. It was a good movie, just if anything a bit too overhyped.

8. Teeth

“Dawn (Jess Weixler) is an active member of her high school chastity club but, when she meets Tobey (Hale Appleman), nature takes its course, and the pair answer the call. They suddenly learn she is a living example of the vagina dentata myth, when the encounter takes a grisly turn.”

  Concept? Not so good. Execution? Even worse! Whatever the producers had in mind certainly didn’t show on screen. 

The “villians” if you could call them that were all pervertedd sex-obsessed highschoolers that all want to get with the main protagonist. In fact the biggest adversary is her brothers that’s been dreaming of having sex with her since he was 5, and no I’m not making this up or exaggerating anything the literal first scene we see of them together is as young kids, no older than toddlers, as her brother insists she shows him her genitalia and then reaches for it; in full view of their parents! 

Plus for a highs chooler why is this girl so obsessed with chastity and abstinence. I mean I can understand it being a personal choice but when it becomes your entire personality I think it’s gone beyond an interest to straight up obsession.

Not to mention the gore. It’s not bad compared to other movies, but it’s also not good; its just fine, and for a movie that’s on this list, knowing that makes the entire experience even worse. 

If you like acting so awkward you’ll cringe at every scene, this movie is right for you but even then I still say please don’t watch this movie. Don’t put yourself through that torture.

7. Hereditary

“When the matriarch of the Graham family passes away, her daughter and grandchildren begin to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry, trying to outrun the sinister fate they have inherited.”

Now whether or not you liked this movie, we can all think back on its debut. In the world of cinema at the time nothing was as highly talked about as Hereditary.

In my opinion, they’re absolutely right. The first death scene is a funeral, not too bad and nothing really unexpected, just a woman who died of old age. The second, a young girl is decapitated by a phone pole while being driven to the hospital, due to an allergy. Something that I was not expecting and audibly gasped upon seeing it.

Yet the despair is not over as the remaining family is left in shambles as their relationship begins to fall apart, as does their sanity.

If you’re not one to be frightened easily by blood and violence, don’t worry, one of the most famous aspects of this film is its psychological thriller status. The musical score? Absolutely haunting, guaranteed to leave your ears ringing and thoughts full of paranoia. Attention to detail? Exactly the same, every way I described the soundtrack could also be said for this.

Trust me, if there’s ever a movie you need to watch again, if nothing more than to look over all the hidden messages and masterful jumpscares, it should absolutely be this one.

6. The Descent

“A woman goes on vacation with her friends after her husband and daughter encounter a tragic accident. One year later she goes hiking with her friends and they get trapped in the cave. With a lack of supply, they struggle to survive and they meet strange bloodthirsty creatures.”

While I’ve been trying to talk about these movies based on the chronological order of their events; the perfect way for this one to start is by its end.

Practically every horror movie strives for a twist ending. Some even ruin what would’ve been a decent movie with a rushed “twist” ending that usually falls flat. 

However that absolute despair caused by this ending genuinely made me sit and stare into the void, for what felt like hours, just contemplating. That feeling of accomplishment, of overcoming all obstacles and making it to the end, just for it all to be worth nothing, is truly one of the worst feelings in the world. 

Put yourself in the protagonist’s place, all your friends have died in horrific ways, literally being torn to pieces, one of which by your own hands, and finally you’ve escaped, you’re free; but in the blink of an eye that turned out to be one big beautiful lie. You haven’t escaped in fact you’re still trapped down there with all your guilt surrounded by the very things you tried so hard to escape. Fully knowing that this is the end; there’s not a single thing that can be done to resolve this.

Enough about the ending though, this cinematic masterpiece is filled with so many exceptional things I hardly have enough room to list them all here. No I’m serious, genuinely if I were to write down everything I liked about this movie, I could produce a never-ending novel series. 

5. Raw

“Raised as a vegetarian, freshman Justine arrives at the reputable Saint-Exupery veterinary school. As she leaves the family home, Justine abruptly moves into a mad new world of strange school traditions and vicious initiation tests, and before long, she will have to chew over her unshakable herbivorous beliefs. More and more, as Justine descends deeper and deeper into a hidden world of uncharted animalistic tendencies, an unprecedented and equally morbid craving for meat will transform her into something she would have never expected. However, now that Justine’s corporeal awakening is finally complete, is there a point in denying her hunger for raw flesh?”

I absolutely adore foreign films, especially the scary kind. Maybe it’s the attempt of bridging the gap between two powerful cultures that makes me love them so, and Raw is no different.

What I like about this film is the uncertainty and strangeness of someone fresh out of highschool traveling away from home, and all its comforts, to a “promised land” of new opportunity. It’s somewhat comforting to see, as an up-and-coming graduate, that not everyone is prepared for a life of new found solidarity.

However there are quite a few moments that should be called to attention; if nothing more than their absurdity.

Dream sequences, often a trademark to represent the protagonist’s inner turmoil or, more for our benefit, a glimpse of what will happen next. We get a few here, which are decent quality, but completely useless; they do nothing besides exist.

The conflict, or what you could consider as the “antagonist”, has no specific source, or motivation. 

Not to mention the token gay friend that has sex with women, multiples times, and while he says it won’t happen again it does; not only that but he’s killed off, not even ten minutes, later.

There’s some good parts here and there, decent effects, mediocre execution, awful representation.

4. Carnage Park

“After taking a young woman hostage, two hardened criminals face a desperate fight for survival when they inadvertently enter a remote stretch of land owned by deranged Vietnam Veteran Wyatt Moss.”

I’m very uncertain whether or not I actually saw this movie. Why do you ask? Well, to put it in lamest terms, this movie feels like the perfect mesh of a fever dream and an art film. 

For those who don’t know, an art film can be described as “a motion picture produced as an artistic or experimental venture”; something that focuses more on the visionary’s outcome. 

Carnage Park gets its inspiration from a number of films with time sequence jumps, similar to pulp fiction, mocking the “based on true events” narrative, a direction most horror movies take, and an almost identical rip-off of the slasher’s costume in “My Bloody Valentine”. Looking at both film posters side by side it takes several minutes to realize the difference between the two costumes, worn by the antagonists, have only one difference; the choice of weaponry, the rest is exact.

Not to mention the second half of the movie which is shot “almost” completely in the dark. I say “almost”, because when the scene first started I thought my tv had suddenly turned off, but after pausing the film, closing all the blinds, and getting close enough to the tv that I had to take my glasses off; I could just barely see the vague silhouette of the actress. 

Enough of the negatives, for all the bad there’s more than enough to make up for it. Creativity? No doubts about it. Gore? Incredibly accurate, and well done. Production? Definitely well up there. It may not be the best of the best but it’s definitely a project with a lot of work put into it. 

Despite being an obvious low-budget B-movie, it’s pleasant enough to be watched a second time.

3. The Exorcist

“One of the most profitable horror movies ever made, this tale of an exorcism is based loosely on actual events. When young Regan (Linda Blair) starts acting odd — levitating, speaking in tongues — her worried mother (Ellen Burstyn) seeks medical help, only to hit a dead end. A local priest (Jason Miller), however, thinks the girl may be seized by the devil. The priest makes a request to perform an exorcism, and the church sends in an expert (Max von Sydow) to help with the difficult job.”

As cheesy as it may sound, I really enjoyed this movie. Perspective-wise there are many things that make this film a masterpiece. 

Most people are unaware that The Exorcist began its journey as a novel, of the same name, written by William Peter Blatty. Having both read and watched The Exorcist I’m surprised, and delighted, to say that the final product is so on par with the source material not a single line is said on screen that can’t be found in the book. Going back a little farther than that you’ll learn the novel was based on a real-life exorcism; although the author is unable to specify a single one, and attributes the idea to a mesh of different supernatural cases. 

Going back to the film itself, perhaps the most impressive thing it has to offer is special effects. CGI is such an advantage in film making that nowadays mostly everything relies on it, and unfortunately this is not always the best case scenario. Some movies might have fared better if they tried to use their own imagination to create such imagery.

The Exorcist, and movies in that era, had no computer to generate the effects for them and instead relied on their own ingenuity to make their vision a reality. What I witnessed was nothing short of spectacular

As always nothing is exactly perfect, because as extensively as I want to praise this revolution of horror cinema I have to put aside my bias and get to the facts; The Exorcist isn’t scary in the slightest. 

Maybe “unwatchable” by the standards of young children, but not to someone that watches horror movies for fun.

2. The Conjuring

“In 1970, paranormal investigators and demonologists Lorraine (Vera Farming) and Ed (Patrick Wilson) Warren are summoned to the home of Carolyn (Lili Taylor) and Roger (Ron Livingston) Perron. The Perrons and their five daughters have recently moved into a secluded farmhouse, where a supernatural presence has made itself known. Though the manifestations are relatively benign at first, events soon escalate in horrifying fashion, especially after the Warrens discover the house’s macabre history.”

This movie wasn’t good, and while I hate to be harsh outright and try to find at least, no matter how minor it is, anything good that I can expand upon; I just don’t feel pleased with this film.

It’s unfortunate too since the director of the film, James Wan, is known for his work in the horror genre. Whether you’re a fan of his latest work, Malignant, or rather like to think of the “good old days”, I can guarantee you’ve heard the name before James Wan. Even while looking through and making my own list the name Insidious appeared frequently. Which I think is why I’m more personally disappointed than I expected to be. 

The acting is fine at best, and I can even appreciate the work/dedication put forth by the main leads, but when you’ve been picked up by an unseen spirit and thrown around the room, or let’s say you’re daughter’s trapped with a dangerous entity; you’d think anyone especially their parents would do anything in their power to get them back right? Wrong, these people despite being haunted are strangely more concerned about messing up the architecture of their house than their own kid dying.

Which brings me to my next point, common sense. Not a single person in this movie has any of that; not even the so-called “experts”. To put this in full view, let’s start before the family moves into their new house. 

Buying a house at an auction? Understandable, and I will admit the house is very nice. However, no one bothered to check the house? Hearing that you’re not allowed to look at the house before moving into it, getting an inspector to make sure the house is suitable to live in, or knowing its history isn’t a massive red flag to you?

There’s so much wrong with these parents do you have no concern for your children’s safety? I could go on for hours, but I’ll just stop here. Watching this felt like an eternity of waiting for something that wouldn’t even be worth it, which it wasn’t.

1. The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence)

“A depraved mamma’s boy (Laurence R. Harvey) goes on a killing and collecting spree to recreate the experiment portrayed in ‘The Human Centipede (First Sequence)’.”

What an experience, the process of both watching this movie, and writing this article. Like I’m genuinely not sure what to write here. Now that doesn’t mean it was scary, unsettling, probably, but the best way to describe it is just odd. 

The concept itself is something straight out of a fever dream; which it actually is. The entire movie turns out to be a dream with none of the events actually happening. Bringing me to something, that at least I found, very intriguing; coincidentally starting with an “i”.

Intrusive thoughts. Have you ever just been sitting around perhaps playing on your phone when suddenly the most random of thoughts appears in your head, “what if I throw this phone across the room?” You have no warning or time to prepare yourself for this sudden intrusion.

No matter your personality or moral ideation, everyone is susceptible to intrusive thoughts. Even me and even you.

The lead actor envisions himself playing out the events of the first movie, “The Human Centipede (First Sequence)”, in vivid detail. Not uncommon at all, but here I must propose the question, “was everything we witnessed simply an unwanted thought that shall sooner or later be dismissed, or were the events of this movie a glimpse into the future?”

Is Martin truly a man capable of bringing fantasized atrocities into the real world? Is he truly the depraved man we saw earlier? Is he perhaps just another person caught up in the excitement of a movie and victimized by his own subconscious? Maybe he is, and maybe he isn’t.

This move can be a conversation piece, a comparative thesis for a film essay, or a peek into the human psyche, but whatever it is to you, beware of the horrible things you’re about to witness.