If you are brave enough to handle extreme horror, than here is a list of the most twisted and gruesome body horror movies. Not for the faint of heart.
Hello, horror fans!
I grew up on a healthy dose of horror movies in the 80s. My sister and I would scour the video store shelves every weekend for any horror movie we could find to rent. Movies like “Hellraiser”, “The Howling”, “A Nightmare on Elm Street”, “Friday the 13th” and even movies no kid should be renting like “Faces of Death” and “Last House on the Left”. I know I know, what were my parents thinking? If they only knew what we were actually watching, yikes.
Well, in this article I share my passion for the most twisted and gruesome genre of cinema: body horror.
Body horror is a subgenre of horror that focuses on the physical transformation of the human body in grotesque ways.
Body horror films are not for the faint of heart, as they feature some of the most shocking and disgusting scenes ever put on screen.
But, since you’re here reading this article, I’m assuming you are not the squeamish type!
I am including 30 of the best body horror movies ever made, from some classics to more modern gems. I’ve included some of the more extreme body horror films like “Tetsuo The Iron Man” and “Martyrs” but also some more tame but equally disturbing movies like “Bug” and “Thinner”.
In addition to the movies chosen for this list, be sure to checkout any film by David Lynch, David Cronenberg and Brandon Cronenberg. (read to the end for links to Cronenberg movies that are streaming FREE)
Body horror is a subgenre of horror that incorporates extreme disfigurement of the human body. This may include mutations like in the movie “The Fly”, mutilations, disease or unnatural movements of the body.
Who is this list of body horror movies for?
Fans of the horror genre
Those who like extreme movies
Those who are looking to be challenged by movies that push the boundaries
What information is provided about each body horror movie in this selection?
The movie title and release year of the movie
Image of movie
Director
A list of actors in the movie
The MPAA rating
Link to the movie in IMDb – For movie reviews, where to stream, ratings, trailers and lots more.
Link to where movie is streaming for FREE (if available)
A movie summary
There is a FREE body horror movie checklist you can download to keep track of what you want to see.
Links included below to the where the movies are streaming FREE (where available).
Bonus movies at the end that are all streaming FREE.
A List of 30 Body Horror Movies for the Brave Viewer
Excision is a twisted and darkly humorous tale of a disturbed teenage girl who dreams of becoming a surgeon. She has a dysfunctional family, a rebellious attitude, and a morbid fascination with blood and gore. She also has a secret plan to save her dying sister, which involves some gruesome experiments on unsuspecting victims.
Tetsuo: The Iron Man is a cult classic of Japanese cyberpunk cinema, featuring a nightmarish vision of a man who is slowly transformed into a metal monster. The film is known for its avant-garde style, industrial soundtrack, and nightmarish visuals.
3. Raw (2016)
Director: Julia Ducournau
Actors: Garance Marillier, Ella Rumpf, Rabah Nait Oufella
Raw is a provocative and visceral coming of age story of a young woman who develops a taste for human flesh. She is a vegetarian and a veterinary student, who is forced to eat raw meat during a hazing ritual. She soon discovers that she has an uncontrollable craving for flesh, which leads her to a shocking and bloody journey of self discovery.
4. Titane (2021)
Director: Julia Ducournau
Actors: Agathe Rousselle, Vincent Lindon, Garance Marillier
Titane is a shocking and bizarre film that won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. It follows a young woman who has a metal plate in her head after a car accident, and who develops a sexual attraction to cars and other metal objects. She also becomes a serial killer, and tries to escape her past by posing as a missing boy and bonding with his estranged father.
5. American Mary (2012)
Director: Jen Soska, Sylvia Soska
Actors: Katharine Isabelle, Antonio Cupo, Tristan Risk
American Mary is a twisted and stylish film that explores the underground world of body modification. It stars Katharine Isabelle as Mary, a medical student who drops out of school after a traumatic incident, and becomes a sought after surgeon for the extreme body mod community. She also uses her skills to exact revenge on those who wronged her, and to create her own unique art.
Audition is a classic of Japanese horror cinema, that starts as a romantic comedy and ends as a nightmare. It tells the story of a widowed man who holds a fake audition to find a new wife, and falls for a seemingly innocent and shy young woman. However, he soon discovers that she has a dark and twisted past, and a penchant for torture and mutilation.
The Fly is a classic of body horror cinema, directed by the master of the genre, David Cronenberg. It tells the story of a brilliant but eccentric scientist who accidentally fuses himself with a fly during a teleportation experiment. He then undergoes a horrifying transformation that threatens his sanity and his relationship with his girlfriend. The film is a remake of the 1958 film of the same name, but with a more realistic and gruesome approach to the effects of the mutation.
8. Tusk (2014)
Director: Kevin Smith
Actors: Justin Long, Michael Parks, Haley Joel Osment
Tusk is a twisted and bizarre film that was inspired by a story from Kevin Smith’s podcast. It follows a cocky podcaster who travels to Canada to interview a mysterious recluse, who turns out to be a madman with a disturbing fondness for walruses. He then kidnaps the podcaster and tries to turn him into a walrus-human hybrid, using surgical and psychological methods. The film is a dark comedy that mixes horror and humor in a shocking way.
9. Possessor (2020)
Director: Brandon Cronenberg
Actors: Andrea Riseborough, Christopher Abbott, Jennifer Jason Leigh
Possessor is a sci-fi horror film that by Brandon Cronenberg, the son of David Cronenberg. It stars Andrea Riseborough as an assassin who uses brain implant technology to take control of other people’s bodies and execute high profile targets. She begins to lose her grip on reality and her own identity as she becomes trapped in the mind of a man whose personality threatens to overpower her own.
Starry Eyes is a disturbing and gruesome film that explores the dark side of Hollywood and the price of fame. It follows a young aspiring actress who auditions for a mysterious role in a horror film, and agrees to undergo a radical transformation by a sinister cult. She soon realizes that she has sold her soul for a chance to become a star, and that she must kill her friends and rivals to achieve her dream.
May is a twisted and darkly humorous tale of a disturbed teenage girl who dreams of becoming a surgeon. She has a dysfunctional family, a rebellious attitude, and a morbid fascination with blood and gore. She also has a secret plan to save her dying sister, which involves some gruesome experiments on unsuspecting victims.
12. Bug (2006)
Director: William Friedkin
Actors: Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon, Harry Connick Jr.
Bug is a psychological horror film directed by William Friedkin (The Exorcist) and written by Tracy Letts, based on his play of the same name. It centers around a lonely woman living in an Oklahoma motel room, who meets a paranoid drifter who claims he is being pursued by the government. The two become obsessed with the idea that they are infested by bugs planted by the government as part of a secret experiment, and spiral into madness and violence.
Teeth is a dark comedy and a feminist horror film that puts a new spin on the ancient myth of vagina dentata. It follows a teenage girl who is part of a Christian abstinence group, and who discovers that she has a literal weapon in her private parts. She uses her teeth to fight back against the men who try to assault or manipulate her, and begins to embrace her sexuality and power.
14. Rupture (2016)
Director: Steven Shainberg
Actors: Noomi Rapace, Michael Chiklis, Peter Stormare
Rupture is a sci-fi thriller that follows a single mother who is kidnapped by a mysterious organization that wants to transform her into something else. She is subjected to various experiments that exploit her deepest fears, and learns that she is part of a genetic experiment that aims to create a new species of humans. She must find a way to escape and save herself and her son.
15. Thinner (1996)
Director: Tom Holland
Actors: Robert John Burke, Joe Mantegna, Lucinda Jenney
Thinner is based on a novel by Stephen King, and tells the story of an obese lawyer who is cursed by a gypsy after he kills his daughter in a hit and run accident. He starts to lose weight rapidly, regardless of how much he eats. He realizes that the only way to break the curse is to pass it on to someone else, and he enlists the help of a mafia boss to find the gypsy and make him lift the curse. He soon faces the consequences of his actions and his choices.
16. The Void (2016)
Director: Steven Kostanski and Jeremy Gillespie
Actors: Aaron Poole, Kenneth Welsh, Daniel Fathers, Kathleen Munroe, Ellen Wong
The Void is a Lovecraftian horror film that follows a group of people who are trapped in a hospital by a cult of hooded figures, and by monstrous creatures that defy the laws of nature. The film is a homage to the horror films of the 1980s, featuring practical effects and a synth score. The film is also influenced by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, John Carpenter, and Clive Barker.
17. eXistenZ (1999)
Director: David Cronenberg
Actors: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jude Law, Ian Holm, Willem Dafoe
eXistenZ is a sci-fi horror film that explores the blurred lines between reality and virtual reality. It stars Jennifer Jason Leigh as Allegra Geller, a game designer who is on the run from assassins who want to destroy her latest creation, eXistenZ, a virtual reality game that connects to the players’ spines. She teams up with Ted Pikul, a marketing trainee, and they enter the game world, where nothing is as it seems.
18. Altered States (1980)
Director: Ken Russell
Actors: William Hurt, Blair Brown, Bob Balaban, Charles Haid
Altered States tells the story of Eddie Jessup, a scientist who experiments with sensory deprivation and hallucinogenic drugs, hoping to access his genetic memories and alter his consciousness. He begins to experience bizarre and terrifying visions, and his body undergoes radical changes that threaten his sanity and his life. The film is a visual and auditory feast, featuring stunning special effects and a score by John Corigliano.
Martyrs is a brutal and shocking film that follows a young woman’s quest for revenge against the people who kidnapped and tortured her as a child, and her friend, who is also a victim of abuse. The film is divided into two parts: the first one is a bloody and violent thriller, while the second one is a disturbing and philosophical exploration of the concept of martyrdom. The film is not for the faint of heart, as it features graphic scenes of violence, gore, and suffering.
20. Society (1989)
Director: Brian Yuzna
Actors: Billy Warlock, Devin DeVasquez, Evan Richards, Ben Meyerson
Society is a dark comedy and a body horror film that exposes the twisted secrets of the upper class. It follows a teenager who feels out of place in his wealthy family and his elite society, and who discovers that they are part of a grotesque cult that engages in orgies and body transformations. The film is a satire of the social and political issues of the 1980s, and features some of the most bizarre and disgusting special effects ever seen on screen.
21. Color Out of Space (2019)
Director: Richard Stanley
Actors: Nicolas Cage, Joely Richardson, Elliot Knight, Madeleine Arthur
Color Out of Space is a sci-fi horror film based on the story by H.P. Lovecraft. It tells the story of a family who moves to a remote farm, where they witness a strange meteorite crash near their house. The meteorite emits a mysterious color that affects everything around it, causing mutations, madness, and death. The film is a visual and auditory feast, featuring stunning cinematography, a synth score, and a manic performance by Nicolas Cage.
Splinter is a fast paced and fun thriller that follows a young couple and an escaped convict who are trapped in a gas station by a parasitic creature that infects and transforms its victims into deadly hosts. The film features some impressive practical effects and gore, as well as a clever twist on the zombie genre.
23. Hellraiser (1987)
Director: Clive Barker
Actors: Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence
Hellraiser is a classic of body horror cinema, written and directed by Clive Barker, based on his novella The Hellbound Heart. It tells the story of a woman who helps her lover, who is also her husband’s brother, to regenerate his body by killing people and feeding him their blood. The lover had opened a puzzle box that summoned the Cenobites, a group of extra-dimensional beings who subject him to extreme sadomasochism.
The Howling follows a news anchor who, after a traumatic encounter with a serial killer, visits a resort secretly inhabited by werewolves. The film is a satire of the social and political issues of the 1980s, as well as a homage to the horror films of the past. The film features some of the most memorable werewolf transformations ever seen on screen, thanks to the makeup effects by Rob Bottin.
25. An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Director: John Landis
Actors: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne
An American Werewolf in London follows two American backpackers who are attacked by a werewolf in the English countryside. One of them dies, while the other survives and becomes a werewolf himself. He falls in love with a nurse who takes care of him, but also has to deal with the ghost of his dead friend and the threat of the full moon. The film is a mix of humor and horror, featuring a memorable transformation scene and a soundtrack of songs with “moon” in the title.
Bite is a body horror film that follows a young woman who is bitten by an insect during her bachelorette party in Costa Rica. She returns home with a mysterious infection that causes her to mutate into a bug like creature. She also lays eggs in her apartment and becomes aggressive towards anyone who tries to interfere with her transformation. The film is a gross and disturbing depiction of the consequences of a single bite.
27. Braindead (Dead Alive) (1992)
Director: Peter Jackson
Actors: Timothy Balme, Diana Peñalver, Elizabeth Moody
Braindead (Dead Alive) is a zombie comedy splatter film directed by Peter Jackson, before he became famous for The Lord of the Rings trilogy. It tells the story of a young man who lives with his overbearing mother, who is bitten by a rat monkey and turns into a zombie. He tries to keep her and the other zombies he creates under control, but things get out of hand when his uncle and a horde of party guests show up. The film is a gory and hilarious homage to the horror films of the past, featuring some of the most outrageous and creative kills ever seen on screen.
Streaming FREE on Tubi (english dub), Tubi (original Japanese w subtitles)
Tokyo Gore Police is a wild and bloody ride that takes place in a dystopian Japan, where the police force is privatized and the criminals are mutated into monstrous beings called Engineers. The film follows Ruka, a female cop who is skilled in killing Engineers and who seeks revenge for her father’s murder. The film is full of over the top gore and bizarre humor.
29. Contracted (2013)
Director: Eric England
Actors: Najarra Townsend, Caroline Williams, Alice Macdonald
Contracted is a disturbing and gruesome film that follows a young woman who contracts a mysterious and deadly infection after being assaulted at a party. She begins to experience rapid and horrific changes in her body and mind, as she slowly turns into a zombie. The film is a unique and realistic take on the zombie genre, with a strong female lead and a shocking ending.
30. The Ruins (2008)
Director: Carter Smith
Actors: Jonathan Tucker, Jena Malone, Shawn Ashmore
The Ruins is a tense and terrifying film that follows a group of friends who visit a remote Mayan temple, where they encounter a hostile tribe of locals and a deadly vine that infects and consumes them. The film is based on the novel by Scott Smith, and features some of the most gruesome and realistic effects ever seen in a horror film. Its a survival horror that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
BONUS Body Horror Movies Streaming FREE on Tubi
The below movies are streaming on Tubi for FREE as of Feb. 2024 (subject to change)
Tiffany is a female entrepreneur who has been in the movie business since 2005.
She loves all things horror! Movies, Books, Magazines, Podcasts and Film Festivals. *****
Fav Author: Richard Laymon — Fav Director: Dario Argento — Fav Magazine: Cemetery Dance — Fav Podcast: Final Girls Horrorcast *****
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