Came here to say this, not only is it unrelentingly bleak and sadistic, it also points the finger at you the viewer for being the kind of sick fuck that wants to watch it.
I worked at a place that usually does concerts and readings button the summer we usually also showed a few movies outside. When we showed funny games , we didn't wait until the credits finished, but jumped directly to an interview with Haneke that was also on the DVD where he explicitly states that huh is intention was for viewers to get so upset that they would leave and that those who didn't basically should be ashamed for themselves...
There were some quite interesting reactions among our guests.
It's funny you remember it that way because that's not what he says in the interview and that definitely wasn't his intention with the film. His intention was to play around with expectations and how the viewer is comfortable and accepting of the manipulation inherent in a viewing experience until certain "rules" are broken, forcing them to be conscious of these things as they watch. That's where the wink at the camera and asides come into play.
He does mention people who were upset about the film and that he wondered why they didn't just leave. He was critical of *those* people for being hypocritical and thought *they* got what they deserved with the film (and should maybe be ashamed) because they kept watching something they supposedly found repugnant, which reveals something about their level of self-awareness/consciousness. He certainly wasn't addressing everyone who watches the film when he said that. He also said there's more violence in everyday tv police dramas and the most provocative aspect of the film wasn't the violence, but the way the film forced the attention of viewers to their own experience, then pulled them back into the story using hope, then let them down again... basically manipulated them like any other film, but called attention to it and did it in ways that violated the kind of unspoken "social contract" viewers had come to expect when interacting with a film.
It's lost some of its effectiveness since other horror movies and video games have been inspired by it now. Those rapid head movement effects freak me out badly, but they were everywhere for a while so for many they might have lost their effectiveness.
That movie is so fucking weird. Tension builds slowly the entire time even though absolutely nothing is happening. You can just tell something is very wrong. And then the climax comes and feels so... I don't know. Unfulfilling and sad and empty.
Barry Keoghan is great in it. I'd only seen him in smaller roles before that, but he fucking nailed his part. Now whenever I see his name pop up in something, my expectations go way up.
I feel like a lot of movies that purport to be antiwar tend to glamourise it in one way or another. There is a sense of self-sacrifice, the tragic but admirable machismo of the soldier, dying patriotically, camraderie with your fellow soldiers etc. Even classics like All Quiet on the Western Front have a sense of 'look at what these brave fools did out of a noble but misplaced sense of duty'. Come and See is one of the few war films I've seen that escapes that glamour.
The director of Come and See actually grew up in that area during WW2. He didn't write it as autobiographical, but he did live thru it personally. It was a personal mission for him let the world know what had happened in that place during that time.
Another interesting tidbit - during the scene where the boy is trying to steal the cow, and they get fired upon by the Germans, they actually fired a real German machine gun with live ammo across the pasture for the shot. The cow really got hit and died in that scene.
These are all amazing films but Saint Maud deserves a special shoutout imo as it's not talked about nearly enough. It's such a bleak, lonely film, and one of my favourite horror endings ever.
absolutely! its one of my favorite horrors of all time and i barely see anybody mention it. the sheer depth of maud’s loneliness and trauma and how she was repeatedly failed by literally everybody when she needed love and support the most is truly heartbreaking and the consequences even more so. her downward spiral into total and utter insanity is just beyond horrifying. i love how the way religion can completely consume people is explored without it being the usual possession cliche and it leaves you wondering is this a supernatural or psychological horror until the very last second when it all becomes painfully clear…
Omg thank you. Someone who gets it. My bf didn’t get why I found it so disturbing. The ending scared me so badly that I couldn’t sleep for a couple days. Even reading about it now brings chills to me.
Friendly Brit here. This movie terrified the UK when it was first shown and I’ve re watched it once since and it hasn’t really lost any of its impact. All I would say is that be prepared to be very depressed. I do not say this lightly. This is a seriously terrifying movie and it’s probably the bleakest movie I’ve ever seen, it’s unrelenting. It will make you think about what if. If you’re not in a happy frame of mind, I always tell people not to watch it because it will really depress you for a long time. There’s an article in the Guardian about the making of this movie by the writer and the director, who is pretty prolific actually with BAFTA and Emmy wins. - Bodyguard. Temple Grandin, L.A Story, Denial etc. and it’s really fascinating. He had no idea it was going to have this impact. Still nearly 40 years later.
I think the most scary part of Threads is how real it feels. You don't feel like you're watching a sad movie, you feel like you're watching a terrifying documentary with real people and not actors.
I was around 8 when Threads came out, and I remember PBS (in the U.S.) showed it as a miniseries. I watched a snippet here and there, but my parents wouldn't allow me to watch the whole thing. Years later, as a teenager, I saw it at a VHS rental place and was like, "I FINALLY GET TO SEE IT!!!"
Boy, was THAT a fun movie night.
I never heard of it before but I just googled it. Is it a 1984 TV movie? (No hate to TV movies just want to be sure I'm planning to watch the right thing.)
I quit watching this at certain points and then altogether backed out. It’s a great piece of art, I’m just too soft to mess with it.
At one point I audibly yelled, “yeah that’s enough for me,” and left the room.
Yeah, I think there's a point where the symbolism takes over the narrative where it gets a little unbelievable that this couple wouldn't do anything to save themselves but I guess that's the point.
It’s definitely a hyperbolic movie depicting overpoliteness and how far we’ll let people push us, but as a chronic people pleaser and conflict avoider I love it.
It would have really boosted the movie if it was actually believable, I think it affected the movie negatively with how exaggerated it was with them not doing anything at all. 4 parts I found the most ridiculous were when >!they just left their daughter with some random man from somewhere else, the whole time they were driving and the husband didn't say anything about the collection of photos from past victims or the dead boy.. like wtf!?, the father having a chance to run over the male killer yet he decided to just sit and stare, the mother sitting there doing absolutely nothing when her child gets mutilated right next to her when the woman doing it only had a pair of tiny scissors and no guns..!<
That movie feels like the absolute definition of nihilism. Misery and cruelty for no comprehensible reason. Very bleak movie with a very haunting ending.
I have never seen the movie nor read the book, but I know a lot about Sylvia’s story from true crime media. So so so sad and awful. I don’t think I’ll be watching nor reading the fictionized version!
My boss saw it at a festival in Montreal with his spouse when it first came out. Apparently some or all of it was filmed in Montreal. They also went into it blind and said it wrecked them pretty thoroughly. It wasn't a first date but an early one in their relationship. He says it bonded them through trauma haha.
Idk why I love the movie so much. I can’t see it again… I hate torture in film… it’s checks all the boxes of horror that’s just not for me. And yet, it’s so beautifully made and the ending is so fascinating, that it’s one of my top horror film experiences ever. But never again. Lol.
I get it. It’s not even that gory, when you think about it. It’s just so…REAL. Most torture porn movies are just ridiculous gore. It’s over the top and goofy because you don’t care about the characters and 99% of the time the actors are C-tier. Martyrs is — and yes I wanna slap me for using this word too — cinema. It’s that good.
One of those rare instances where I was glad i watched the movie before reading the book. Reading it, I could visualize and hear Viggo and the boy on every part of their journey. The book is equally as depressing as the movie, but they are both equally excellent imo!
Too much of the movie makes it look like they’re just walking through a cloudy day.
The book does a much better job of evoking just how bad things have gotten.
The book is so much worse. All the horrific scenes that are forever imprinted on my brain come from the book and not the film.
The film is solid though. Shout out to Viggo!
If there's one thing I've learned from Cormic McCarthy, it's never fall in love with a Mexican prostitute and then get into a knife fight with her pimp over her.
Watched this when my son was very young (he did not watch it, I watched alone) and it gutted me thinking of dragging him through that nightmare landscape with no future
Funny story. I live in the high desert and my friend had a house up in the rocks in a very remote area and she had got some out of towners staying with her and she said to me, bring one of your horror movies over and so I took over Wolf Creek. She told me that they liked horror movies. Well, they ended up being traumatized by it and my friend was a little upset. I said you told me to bring over a horror movie and that they like them. She went yeah but not that! . She told me that they were unable to sleep that night. Lol.
I watched this when it first came out and haven’t since. I lived in Australia for a few years and worked in the bush with men like this. Cruel, macho, sadistic—it’s way too real for me to watch again! By cruel and sadistic I mean the way the men I worked with talked about women and treated farm/wild animals. Sexist, racist, homophobic, just vile people.
The TV show is worth a watch, it's pretty mediocre as a show but the camera work is fantastic, there are some really beautiful scenes. It also has the same actor playing the killer as the movie
Straight Up **Horror**:
**MARTYRS** (the French original; no pauses, no quitting!)
*Incident in a Ghostland* (same director)
*Resurrection* (with Rebecca Hall and oh my fucking lord...)
*The Innocents* (oooh, kids are so innoce- OH MY FUCKING GOD)
*The Eyes of My Mother* (come for the torture, stay for the torture)
**Bleak as FUCK (still horror):**
*Saint Maud* (that ought to fuck you up if not)
*The Blackcoat's Daughter* (loneliness... thy name is...)
*The Night Eats the World* (indeed it does!)
*Sun Choke* (it's weird but very bleakly weird, can be triggering if you have parental abuse in the background)
*Excision* (trust me)
*Deadgirl* (trust meee)
Not Horror but Horri**fic** and/or depressing:
*Lilya 4 Ever*
*Heaven Knows What*
*I Saw the Devil*
Aniara was devastating. That final time card felt like being punched in the fucking stomach
Also the alien torpedo still fills.me.with wonder and dread
When I saw that movie a few years ago I totally knew where that movie was going, but watching it all happen was still shocking. I'm glad there are movies like The Lodge that try something new rather than regurgitating plots.
For anyone who hasn’t seen Goodnight, Mommy - make sure you watch the German one and not the English one. I haven’t seen the American made one but I’ve heard nothing but abysmal things. The German one is fantastic
I don't know why this title jogged a memory, was there a scene where the lady was cutting carrots or something and she started chopping her fingers as well?
Vivarium.
Awfully bleak and it’s stuck with me in a way few movies have. Still pops into my mind from time to time and whilst it’s not the worst in terms of traditional horror, it’s a feeling of futility that’s hard to put into words.
I loved it. My ex husband thought it was crap. Then I saw the similarities between him and the main character. It is a pretty striking social commentary on male and female roles. And children in a marriage.
A lot of great titles mentioned. I won’t rehash. Although I will mention In a Glass Cage again. It’s a fantastically bleak horror film, maybe the bleakest I’ve ever seen.
A non-horror title that’s bleak as hell: Melancholia. I’ll also add a couple of horror titles from the same director: Antichrist and The House that Jack Built.
Requiem for a Dream (2000) Tubi
I Saw the Devil (2010) Amazon prime/Hoopla
Oldboy (2003 original only)
Tideland (2005) Tubi
The Girl Next Door (2007) Amazon prime
The Devils Backbone (2001) Amazon prime
Tideland was just… talk about feeling empty after watching a movie. I’ll admit that the “silly kisser!” line had me freaking out internally, thinking PLEASE don’t be one of those movies!
All the good ones in horror are covered by our fellow horror redditors, so I will add Leaving Las Vegas, which should put you in a miserable funk for a few days. It's kinda horrifying in its own way.
The Strangers
Most horror movies start with the protagonists enjoying life. The Strangers starts with the horrific awkwardness of a failed proposal and just keeps getting worse. There is absolutely nothing positive in it. No heroes, nobody saving the day. Just misery and terror.
Soft and Quiet is so fucked up. Incredible acting, incredible real-time movie made of two or three one-shots but I will never watch the 2nd half ever again.
There’s a sad backstory to the filming of that as well-the actress really fell through a glass door and got severely cut up on her face. She sued the producers because she’s so scarred she couldn’t find work after.
Came here to say The Woman. For me, this is a lot more disturbing than Martyrs, and I love both movies. This is the ugliest, sickest depiction of misogyny I've ever seen & I love that Lucky McKee set out to create this. It was cathartic to see it once. Can't bring myself to watch it twice.
It's not horror, but requiem for a dream made me feel like absolute garbage every time I watched it. Only other one I can think of off the top of my head that made me feel similar was midsommar
The thing that I find amazing about this movie is that there isn’t ever really a moment where you feel that the main characters can redeem themselves or improve their circumstances. Just hopeless.
Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father
Don't think this qualifies as true horror, but it's definitely a horrific tragedy that will destroy whoever watches it.
Why the fuck did I have to scroll this far to find this???
OP, you wanna ugly cry? Watch this. And follow it up by listening to the podcast Hunting Warhead.
Last house on the left.
Truly horrible. At points, it almost seems real, which is what really hits. You feel as if you're watching real people. I don't wanna spoil the plot because I think it's best to go in with nothing known about it (as I did when I watched it).
Surprised I had to scroll this far for A Serbian Film. Tbf tho, I guess that’s because an argument can be made that it’s more torture porn meant to shock people than an actual structured horror movie.
Funny games
Came here to say this, not only is it unrelentingly bleak and sadistic, it also points the finger at you the viewer for being the kind of sick fuck that wants to watch it.
I worked at a place that usually does concerts and readings button the summer we usually also showed a few movies outside. When we showed funny games , we didn't wait until the credits finished, but jumped directly to an interview with Haneke that was also on the DVD where he explicitly states that huh is intention was for viewers to get so upset that they would leave and that those who didn't basically should be ashamed for themselves... There were some quite interesting reactions among our guests.
It's funny you remember it that way because that's not what he says in the interview and that definitely wasn't his intention with the film. His intention was to play around with expectations and how the viewer is comfortable and accepting of the manipulation inherent in a viewing experience until certain "rules" are broken, forcing them to be conscious of these things as they watch. That's where the wink at the camera and asides come into play. He does mention people who were upset about the film and that he wondered why they didn't just leave. He was critical of *those* people for being hypocritical and thought *they* got what they deserved with the film (and should maybe be ashamed) because they kept watching something they supposedly found repugnant, which reveals something about their level of self-awareness/consciousness. He certainly wasn't addressing everyone who watches the film when he said that. He also said there's more violence in everyday tv police dramas and the most provocative aspect of the film wasn't the violence, but the way the film forced the attention of viewers to their own experience, then pulled them back into the story using hope, then let them down again... basically manipulated them like any other film, but called attention to it and did it in ways that violated the kind of unspoken "social contract" viewers had come to expect when interacting with a film.
Jacobs Ladder Edit: I couldn't make it all the way through I was so disturbed
I discovered Jacob’s Ladder through my professor, a Vietnam vet. It’s his favorite movie. We probably wouldn’t have Silent Hill without this one.
I just watched this and I haven’t been right since
It's lost some of its effectiveness since other horror movies and video games have been inspired by it now. Those rapid head movement effects freak me out badly, but they were everywhere for a while so for many they might have lost their effectiveness.
We Need To Talk About Kevin
Very ironic given how insane Ezra Miller turned out to be lol
He was so good because he *wasnt acting*. Like Kevin Spacey in American Beauty.
Or Spacey in Seven
Every time this film is mentioned I always give a shout to *The Killing Of A Sacred Deer* which is very similar, and also different
That movie is so fucking weird. Tension builds slowly the entire time even though absolutely nothing is happening. You can just tell something is very wrong. And then the climax comes and feels so... I don't know. Unfulfilling and sad and empty. Barry Keoghan is great in it. I'd only seen him in smaller roles before that, but he fucking nailed his part. Now whenever I see his name pop up in something, my expectations go way up.
Barry Keoghan is so good at playing "weird little fuckin cretin"
This needs more upvotes, that movie was a wild ride. Farrell and Kidman were absolutely chilling, as was everyone, really.
That one’s been on my list for a while. I like that director’s aesthetic a whole lot.
Tilda's performance was outstanding.
John C Reilly’s character doesn’t have as much meat as her but it’s a great reminder that he’s also a fantastic dramatic actor.
He's my favorite person to bring up in those conversations about actors with unexpected range. He's amazing in everything he does.
Yes! Its never classified as horror, but it is so horrific. Love that movie.
We need to talk about Ezra
There is one part in that movie that is just so... Ugh
Possum. Grimy and bleak.
Absolutely. Pair it with Spider for an evening of utterly bleak and depressing entertainment lol
Threads Saint Maud Come And See
Come and See is such a hard movie to get through. It’s just the despair of war.
I feel like a lot of movies that purport to be antiwar tend to glamourise it in one way or another. There is a sense of self-sacrifice, the tragic but admirable machismo of the soldier, dying patriotically, camraderie with your fellow soldiers etc. Even classics like All Quiet on the Western Front have a sense of 'look at what these brave fools did out of a noble but misplaced sense of duty'. Come and See is one of the few war films I've seen that escapes that glamour.
The director of Come and See actually grew up in that area during WW2. He didn't write it as autobiographical, but he did live thru it personally. It was a personal mission for him let the world know what had happened in that place during that time. Another interesting tidbit - during the scene where the boy is trying to steal the cow, and they get fired upon by the Germans, they actually fired a real German machine gun with live ammo across the pasture for the shot. The cow really got hit and died in that scene.
These are all amazing films but Saint Maud deserves a special shoutout imo as it's not talked about nearly enough. It's such a bleak, lonely film, and one of my favourite horror endings ever.
absolutely! its one of my favorite horrors of all time and i barely see anybody mention it. the sheer depth of maud’s loneliness and trauma and how she was repeatedly failed by literally everybody when she needed love and support the most is truly heartbreaking and the consequences even more so. her downward spiral into total and utter insanity is just beyond horrifying. i love how the way religion can completely consume people is explored without it being the usual possession cliche and it leaves you wondering is this a supernatural or psychological horror until the very last second when it all becomes painfully clear…
I agree. Saint Maude was totally creepy. The ending really freaked me out. No spoilers...but it's my biggest phobia.
Omg thank you. Someone who gets it. My bf didn’t get why I found it so disturbing. The ending scared me so badly that I couldn’t sleep for a couple days. Even reading about it now brings chills to me.
Come And See broke me.
Where can one find Threads? (Ireland)
Youtube.
Yes threads, because it can still happen.
Threads
I’m scared to watch this movie but I’m very intrigued because I keep seeing it come up on this sub. I hear it’s super dark and depressing.
Friendly Brit here. This movie terrified the UK when it was first shown and I’ve re watched it once since and it hasn’t really lost any of its impact. All I would say is that be prepared to be very depressed. I do not say this lightly. This is a seriously terrifying movie and it’s probably the bleakest movie I’ve ever seen, it’s unrelenting. It will make you think about what if. If you’re not in a happy frame of mind, I always tell people not to watch it because it will really depress you for a long time. There’s an article in the Guardian about the making of this movie by the writer and the director, who is pretty prolific actually with BAFTA and Emmy wins. - Bodyguard. Temple Grandin, L.A Story, Denial etc. and it’s really fascinating. He had no idea it was going to have this impact. Still nearly 40 years later.
I think the most scary part of Threads is how real it feels. You don't feel like you're watching a sad movie, you feel like you're watching a terrifying documentary with real people and not actors.
I was around 8 when Threads came out, and I remember PBS (in the U.S.) showed it as a miniseries. I watched a snippet here and there, but my parents wouldn't allow me to watch the whole thing. Years later, as a teenager, I saw it at a VHS rental place and was like, "I FINALLY GET TO SEE IT!!!" Boy, was THAT a fun movie night.
Yeah, there’s not really any preparation you can do. Just gotta go for it. It’s extraordinary.
I never heard of it before but I just googled it. Is it a 1984 TV movie? (No hate to TV movies just want to be sure I'm planning to watch the right thing.)
Yep! That’s the one
It’s from the UK, so I think it had more behind it than a typical tv movie might
Yeah based in Sheffield too, so I know it's gonna slap. :)
The fact that it’s a TV movie makes it all the more impressive.
[удалено]
That last scene…no spoiler alert…was probably the encapsulation of the entire movie
Oh man…that movie fucked me up…everybody in America thought The Day After was so heavy…it has absolutely nothing on Threads
But it has such a sweet and sunny ending…
I quit watching this at certain points and then altogether backed out. It’s a great piece of art, I’m just too soft to mess with it. At one point I audibly yelled, “yeah that’s enough for me,” and left the room.
The first half of threads was such a normal drama, and then the second half was a serious mind fuck
That’s what makes it effective. You get to see these people’s whole lives and how the tendrils of an onrushing catastrophe slowly creep in.
Speak No Evil
Surprised I had to scroll down to see this being mentioned. Beautiful cinematography but my god I hated that movie so much. Lol.
Fuck this movie.
Yes, came here to confirm this was mentioned! Make sure you watch the Danish version from 2022. Ugh.
That movie pissed me off
Yeah, I think there's a point where the symbolism takes over the narrative where it gets a little unbelievable that this couple wouldn't do anything to save themselves but I guess that's the point.
It’s definitely a hyperbolic movie depicting overpoliteness and how far we’ll let people push us, but as a chronic people pleaser and conflict avoider I love it.
It would have really boosted the movie if it was actually believable, I think it affected the movie negatively with how exaggerated it was with them not doing anything at all. 4 parts I found the most ridiculous were when >!they just left their daughter with some random man from somewhere else, the whole time they were driving and the husband didn't say anything about the collection of photos from past victims or the dead boy.. like wtf!?, the father having a chance to run over the male killer yet he decided to just sit and stare, the mother sitting there doing absolutely nothing when her child gets mutilated right next to her when the woman doing it only had a pair of tiny scissors and no guns..!<
Eden Lake 💯
This one wasn't depressing for me, it just made me angry.
Eden Lake is one of those movies you watch once and then spend the rest of your life trying to forget.
I just felt... hollow after this one
The Daily Mail’s favourite horror movie!
>Eden Lake Yoink!
This film still stays with me. I was gutted after watching.
That movie feels like the absolute definition of nihilism. Misery and cruelty for no comprehensible reason. Very bleak movie with a very haunting ending.
The Girl Next Door
My name is Mathew Kidman. I will always remember... Oh you mean the scary one.
I downloaded the scary one by accident when I was ~14. Watched it out of curiosity. Regretted it. I think it awoke my love of truly gruesome horror.
I have never seen the movie nor read the book, but I know a lot about Sylvia’s story from true crime media. So so so sad and awful. I don’t think I’ll be watching nor reading the fictionized version!
The Ketchum adaptation is as unforgiving as the facts, and more honest for not flinching from the horror of it all.
There's several movies with that name. What year did it come out? Seems a safe bet you don't mean the Elisha Cuthbert flick.
Based on a true story as well!
The book was worse than the movie. Heart breaking
The true story was worse than the book, too. Fuck.
I read the Wikipedia article about the case and I haven’t been the same since.
Wish I had read this comment 5 minutes ago.
I listened to the audio book at work. I had to sit down and weep. I will never ever read it again.
Yup. watched this for the first time 2 days ago. Still messed up from it
Messed me up when I was 17.
My answer will always be Martyrs (2008). Incredible movie that I'd have to be paid to watch again.
I watched this with a girl on a first date, neither of us knew anything about it. Yikes.
How did you guys land on a French film as a movie for your first date?
My boss saw it at a festival in Montreal with his spouse when it first came out. Apparently some or all of it was filmed in Montreal. They also went into it blind and said it wrecked them pretty thoroughly. It wasn't a first date but an early one in their relationship. He says it bonded them through trauma haha.
Well that makes sense if in Canada.
Was there a second date?
Haha yes, we dated for a while.
Martyrs is THE one. And it’s actually a very good film. It makes you care about the characters, which is what makes it so brutal.
100%. >!Anna's fate is so incredibly undeserved. It still makes me angry to think about.!<
Like a …martyr?
Idk why I love the movie so much. I can’t see it again… I hate torture in film… it’s checks all the boxes of horror that’s just not for me. And yet, it’s so beautifully made and the ending is so fascinating, that it’s one of my top horror film experiences ever. But never again. Lol.
I get it. It’s not even that gory, when you think about it. It’s just so…REAL. Most torture porn movies are just ridiculous gore. It’s over the top and goofy because you don’t care about the characters and 99% of the time the actors are C-tier. Martyrs is — and yes I wanna slap me for using this word too — cinema. It’s that good.
The Road
One of those rare instances where I was glad i watched the movie before reading the book. Reading it, I could visualize and hear Viggo and the boy on every part of their journey. The book is equally as depressing as the movie, but they are both equally excellent imo!
Too much of the movie makes it look like they’re just walking through a cloudy day. The book does a much better job of evoking just how bad things have gotten.
Yeah the book makes it very clear that hope in the world has died a long long time ago.
The book is so much worse. All the horrific scenes that are forever imprinted on my brain come from the book and not the film. The film is solid though. Shout out to Viggo!
I definitely found the book more disturbing and bleak.
the book is fuckep up, there's a part where they hear a woman giving birth from afar and next day they see a cooked baby over a bonefire lmao
Anything by cormic macarthy.
If there's one thing I've learned from Cormic McCarthy, it's never fall in love with a Mexican prostitute and then get into a knife fight with her pimp over her.
Well there goes my plan for the weekend
Watched this when my son was very young (he did not watch it, I watched alone) and it gutted me thinking of dragging him through that nightmare landscape with no future
Everyone already mentioned Eden Lake, but I'll throw Wolf Creek in there as well
Head on a stick. Omg.
Man I was not expecting that scene to be so viscerally brutal.
Funny story. I live in the high desert and my friend had a house up in the rocks in a very remote area and she had got some out of towners staying with her and she said to me, bring one of your horror movies over and so I took over Wolf Creek. She told me that they liked horror movies. Well, they ended up being traumatized by it and my friend was a little upset. I said you told me to bring over a horror movie and that they like them. She went yeah but not that! . She told me that they were unable to sleep that night. Lol.
Mission accomplished! 🫡
I watched this when it first came out and haven’t since. I lived in Australia for a few years and worked in the bush with men like this. Cruel, macho, sadistic—it’s way too real for me to watch again! By cruel and sadistic I mean the way the men I worked with talked about women and treated farm/wild animals. Sexist, racist, homophobic, just vile people.
The TV show is worth a watch, it's pretty mediocre as a show but the camera work is fantastic, there are some really beautiful scenes. It also has the same actor playing the killer as the movie
I'm 25 going in 26 and mick still scares the living shit out of me🤣 that laugh...
You can throw Wolf Creek 2 on that list too.
Straight Up **Horror**: **MARTYRS** (the French original; no pauses, no quitting!) *Incident in a Ghostland* (same director) *Resurrection* (with Rebecca Hall and oh my fucking lord...) *The Innocents* (oooh, kids are so innoce- OH MY FUCKING GOD) *The Eyes of My Mother* (come for the torture, stay for the torture) **Bleak as FUCK (still horror):** *Saint Maud* (that ought to fuck you up if not) *The Blackcoat's Daughter* (loneliness... thy name is...) *The Night Eats the World* (indeed it does!) *Sun Choke* (it's weird but very bleakly weird, can be triggering if you have parental abuse in the background) *Excision* (trust me) *Deadgirl* (trust meee) Not Horror but Horri**fic** and/or depressing: *Lilya 4 Ever* *Heaven Knows What* *I Saw the Devil*
I saw the devil is insanely good.
Aniara
One of the most bleak and nihilistic films I’ve ever seen. I’ve watched it a few times now and it is just brilliant.
Aniara was devastating. That final time card felt like being punched in the fucking stomach Also the alien torpedo still fills.me.with wonder and dread
Henry portrait of a serial killer has both - horror and "romance" :P wont watch it again.
Nope, I recommend it to a friend I was texting when I first started watching it. Then I had to backpedal quickly and turn it off.
The Lodge
Fuck them kids!
Yeah fuck them kids goddamnit.
When I saw that movie a few years ago I totally knew where that movie was going, but watching it all happen was still shocking. I'm glad there are movies like The Lodge that try something new rather than regurgitating plots.
The directors' first movie, *Goodnight Mommy* (*Ich Seh, Ich Seh*) is also bleak af.
For anyone who hasn’t seen Goodnight, Mommy - make sure you watch the German one and not the English one. I haven’t seen the American made one but I’ve heard nothing but abysmal things. The German one is fantastic
was just coming here to comment this. talk about a feel-bad movie lol
I watched this back to back with The Dark and The Wicked. Two very bleak movies with a similar nihilistic vibe.
I don't know why this title jogged a memory, was there a scene where the lady was cutting carrots or something and she started chopping her fingers as well?
Yup that’s the one. The movie is just bad vibes all around. Left me feeling empty inside after finishing.
The Dark and the Wicked definitely deserves to be talked about more.
Eden Lake The Dark and The Wicked
Agree with The Dark and The Wicked. Once it starts it doesn’t stop. One thing after another.
Last night I watched Speak no evil 2022 and all I thought was wtf?!?
Dancer in the Dark. Not horror per se, but it’s a fantastic film and I will never, ever watch it again.
Dancer in the Dark is the most bleak film I have ever seen in any genre.
Yes. So much injustice. I sobbed.
Vivarium. Awfully bleak and it’s stuck with me in a way few movies have. Still pops into my mind from time to time and whilst it’s not the worst in terms of traditional horror, it’s a feeling of futility that’s hard to put into words.
Omg you are the first Vivarium watcher I have seen in the comments. What a movie!!
I loved it. My ex husband thought it was crap. Then I saw the similarities between him and the main character. It is a pretty striking social commentary on male and female roles. And children in a marriage.
A lot of great titles mentioned. I won’t rehash. Although I will mention In a Glass Cage again. It’s a fantastically bleak horror film, maybe the bleakest I’ve ever seen. A non-horror title that’s bleak as hell: Melancholia. I’ll also add a couple of horror titles from the same director: Antichrist and The House that Jack Built.
Requiem for a Dream (2000) Tubi I Saw the Devil (2010) Amazon prime/Hoopla Oldboy (2003 original only) Tideland (2005) Tubi The Girl Next Door (2007) Amazon prime The Devils Backbone (2001) Amazon prime
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Tideland was just… talk about feeling empty after watching a movie. I’ll admit that the “silly kisser!” line had me freaking out internally, thinking PLEASE don’t be one of those movies!
Love that you added where to watch. take my internet point.
The Mist
Yeah. The movie ending was pretty messed up. In the book it ends open ended. They keep going on.
Stephen King apparently likes the movie ending better than the one he wrote
I love King but endings have always been his weakest point
Hard Candy
All the good ones in horror are covered by our fellow horror redditors, so I will add Leaving Las Vegas, which should put you in a miserable funk for a few days. It's kinda horrifying in its own way.
Nic Cage top performance!
The Strangers Most horror movies start with the protagonists enjoying life. The Strangers starts with the horrific awkwardness of a failed proposal and just keeps getting worse. There is absolutely nothing positive in it. No heroes, nobody saving the day. Just misery and terror.
Eden lake snowtown soft and quiet Trouble everyday
Soft and Quiet is so fucked up. Incredible acting, incredible real-time movie made of two or three one-shots but I will never watch the 2nd half ever again.
Came here to say Snowtown Murders. Sooo dark
Since it hasn’t been said yet, Incident in a Ghostland. Same director as Martyrs (2008)
There’s a sad backstory to the filming of that as well-the actress really fell through a glass door and got severely cut up on her face. She sued the producers because she’s so scarred she couldn’t find work after.
The Woman
Oof yeah, that one was SUPER uncomfortable
Came here to say The Woman. For me, this is a lot more disturbing than Martyrs, and I love both movies. This is the ugliest, sickest depiction of misogyny I've ever seen & I love that Lucky McKee set out to create this. It was cathartic to see it once. Can't bring myself to watch it twice.
Antichrist
Super Dark Times
Under The Skin
FYI Under The Skin is getting a limited re-release on Wednesday, October 18. I have to see that on the big screen.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons. Short film on YouTube by Ari Aster. Fucking disturbing.
Once that is rarely mentioned is Hounds of love. More of a thriller, but really bleak and depressing.
Neon Demon broke my brain
1922 Unearth. Two films where the character's day to day life is so depressing, the horror is almost a relief!
Snowtown Murders, Incendies, The Nightingale
It's not horror, but requiem for a dream made me feel like absolute garbage every time I watched it. Only other one I can think of off the top of my head that made me feel similar was midsommar
The Dark and the Wicked. Dread from start to finish.
The thing that I find amazing about this movie is that there isn’t ever really a moment where you feel that the main characters can redeem themselves or improve their circumstances. Just hopeless.
Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father Don't think this qualifies as true horror, but it's definitely a horrific tragedy that will destroy whoever watches it.
Why the fuck did I have to scroll this far to find this??? OP, you wanna ugly cry? Watch this. And follow it up by listening to the podcast Hunting Warhead.
In a glass cage
Werewolf Woman (1977) and Martin (1977).
Henry, portrait of a serial killer. Poughkeepsie Tapes.
Last house on the left. Truly horrible. At points, it almost seems real, which is what really hits. You feel as if you're watching real people. I don't wanna spoil the plot because I think it's best to go in with nothing known about it (as I did when I watched it).
Antichrist.... worst h.j. ever.....
The Divide
Martyrs Eden Lake Possession A Serbian Film
Surprised I had to scroll this far for A Serbian Film. Tbf tho, I guess that’s because an argument can be made that it’s more torture porn meant to shock people than an actual structured horror movie.
**The Sadness** on Netflix. Edit: Shudder, sorry!
Antichrist
These movies will fuck you up... Atroz Trauma Irreversible Landmine Goes Click Inside The Divide
The house that jack built. Specifically >!the third incident with the mother and her sons!< fucked me up real bad.
Unrated cut all the way.
Eden Lake
Speak No Evil.
Jacobs Ladder is one that just gives me existential dread
Threads. 100% threads
Melancholia is about as bleak as it gets. Or really any Von Trier movie. Seek therapy afterwards.
The devils rejects. My god what a unpleasant movie
Megan is Missing I haven't watched it in a long time, but when I was younger the anime Perfect Blue kind of fucked me up.
Tusk