On Fluther, someone asked about
the most disturbing books and movies that people had ever experienced. I took the opportunity to add some things to my Netflix queue and Amazon wish list. Here's a set of movies that my fellow jellies found disturbing and that piqued my interest.
Martyrs (2008)
Years after she escaped from an icy torture chamber in an abandoned slaughterhouse, Lucie (Mylène Jampanoï) enlists the help of her closest friend, Anna (Morjana Alaoui), to track down the family who tormented her and exact her revenge. But when Lucie and Anna investigate further, they discover that they've only scratched the surface of an unspeakably vile secret organization. Pascal Laugier directs this ultraviolent horror film.I'm not sure what to say about this movie. I liked it. A lot. But I wouldn't recommend it to just anyone. Immediately after I finished it, I gave it a 3.5 star rating, but I decided to let in sink in before I tried to write about it. The brutality faded fast for me, and the cerebral aspects came to the forefront, and my star rating went up a bit. I'd watch it again. I
will watch it again. Probably several times. But never right in a row. Because it
is brutal. I've decided, though, that I really like this new wave of French horror. [Rating: 4 stars]
Feed (2005)
After uncovering a sexually charged Web site that features morbidly obese women being held captive and taunted with fattening food, Australian cop Richard (Jack Thompson) travels to Ohio to investigate. Viewing the Aussie's appearance as an opportunity for a fun game rather than a reason for him to go offline, the site's sadistic webmaster (Alex O'Loughlin) lures Richard into a dangerous game that's unappetizing, to say the least.That... I... Why did I even try watching this? That was foolish. I
know food squicks me, even when it's not used in a sexual manner. After about the third eroticized feeding scene, I had to mostly stop watching. I didn't turn it off but I angled my DVD player so that I had to lean a little to see the screen and I just listened while working on some stuff on the computer. [Rating: 1 star]
The Collector (2009)
Desperate to be free of his financial debt to his ex-wife, Arkin (Josh Stewart) breaks into his employer's house to snag a jewel he knows will buy him independence. Too bad for him, someone else has gotten there first in this Marcus Dunston-helmed horror fest. Now, Arkin just wants to survive the night when he finds the house's residents tied up, the house rigged with deadly traps and a masked madman engaged in a deadly game of cat and mouse.I'd read that the script of this movie was originally meant to be a
Saw prequel, so my expectations were pretty low. I wound up with a fairly pleasant surprise. The movie started out slow. It's only an hour and a half long and after 25 minutes I commented that there hadn't really been anything to qualify it as horror yet. Almost as soon as I sent that (it was a text message) I had to send another saying, "Oh. Wow. Never mind. There it is." And after that, it was nonstop tension. The slow start was really beneficial, IMO. The reason why I hated the first
Saw so much was because I didn't give even the teeny tiniest crap about any of the characters. The first thirty minutes of this movie make sure the characters aren't pointless stock characters. They will feel real and you will care. Also, I loved the soundtrack. There is one thing in particular that I was warned about ahead of time, and I'm very glad of it, so I will warn you, too, in case you decide to watch: the part with the cat...? OMG. Just ... be prepared to make D: faces. [Rating: 3.5 stars]
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
One of the most notorious films of the 1980s still terrifies. Serial killer Henry serves as mentor to dim-witted fellow killer Otis and as the object of his sister's affections. Trouble is, Henry's heart is too hard for friendship to penetrate. Disturbing, chilling and full of knockout power, this cult classic includes a half-hour interview with writer-director John McNaughton.Boo. There were maybe ten minutes total that I didn't find hopelessly boring. And I couldn't separate the actor who played Henry from his role in Mallrats... [Rating: 1 stars]
Man Bites Dog (1992)
A satirical look at how the media affects and promotes violence in modern society. Spoofing reality television, a fascinated documentary crew follows a charismatic yet unrepentant serial killer on his murder sprees. The crew attempts to objectively document the horror, but as the violence escalates, they ultimately get sucked into participating. Man Bites Dog won the International Critics' Prize at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.Well, that was ... disturbing. Yeah, I know, this set of reviews is for "disturbing" movies, so why am I surprised, right? But most people, when asked to name films that they found disturbing, will name horror and/or thriller flicks. I tend to list crime and/or documentary films. And this sort of hits on both of those categories, and throws in satire, which is just about my favorite thing in the world when it's done well and effectively. This was. Thumbs up. [Rating: 3.5 stars]
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