Have you ever seen a movie so disturbing that it finds a permanent place in your memory and continues to haunt your mind over and over and over? A few movies come right to mind, but for me, it will always be “The Human Centipede: First Sequence” that is the number one most disturbing film that is impossible to forget. Lets just say that going to the bathroom will never be the same again after viewing this movie.
So, in the vein of “The Human Centipede”, we have compiled a list of the 30 most disturbing movies ever made. These films lie in cinema’s darkest corners. They defy conventional boundaries, leaving an indelible mark on the psyche. These are most definitely not your feel good movie night popcorn flicks. They are disturbing tales that delve into the depths of human nature, pushing the boundaries of storytelling and visual representation.
Each film on this list evokes shock, discomfort, and contemplation.
These films challenge our perceptions, ignite discussions, and, above all, refuse to be forgotten.
Here are the 30 most disturbing movies ever made that will linger in the shadows of our consciousness, forever haunting our memories.
There is a FREE 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).
Read to the end for BONUS movies streaming FREE
Disturbing Movie Collections
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30 Most Disturbing Movies Ever Made
1. The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009)
- Director: Tom Six
- Cast: Dieter Laser, Ashley C. Williams, Ashlynn Yennie
- IMDb | Amazon Prime
A deranged surgeon abducts three unsuspecting tourists and surgically connects them mouth to anus in a twisted experiment. This grotesque body horror nightmare is infamous for its sheer shock value and stomach churning concept.
2. Martyrs (2008)
- Director: Pascal Laugier
- Cast: Morjana Alaoui, Mylène Jampanoï, Catherine Bégin
- IMDb | Tubi | Amazon Prime
A young woman, haunted by childhood trauma, embarks on a brutal path of revenge, uncovering a secret society obsessed with the extremes of human suffering. This French horror is emotionally devastating and graphically violent, making it one of the most unsettling films ever made.
3. I Spit on Your Grave (1978)
After a brutal assault, a woman methodically hunts down and exacts gruesome revenge on her attackers. With its unflinching depiction of violence and vengeance, this exploitation classic remains one of the most controversial films in cinema history..
4. Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975)
- Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini
- Cast: Paolo Bonacelli, Giorgio Cataldi, Umberto Paolo Quintavalle
- IMDb | Amazon
A group of elites kidnaps and subjects teenagers to unspeakable horrors in this adaptation of the Marquis de Sade’s infamous novel. Banned in multiple countries, this film’s relentless cruelty and political commentary make it a harrowing endurance test.
5. Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
- Director: Ruggero Deodato
- Cast: Robert Kerman, Francesca Ciardi, Perry Pirkanen
- IMDb | Amazon Prime
A documentary crew ventures into the Amazon, only to become the prey of a brutal tribe of cannibals. With its disturbingly realistic violence (both staged and real) this film sparked global outrage and even led to its director being accused of making a snuff film.
6. A Serbian Film (2010)
- Director: Srđan Spasojević
- Cast: Srdjan Todorovic, Sergej Trifunovic, Jelena Gavrilovic
- IMDb | Amazon
A retired porn star is lured into a sinister underground film project, only to be subjected to nightmarish levels of depravity. This movie is notorious for pushing every conceivable boundary, making it one of the most disturbing films ever made.
7. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
- Director: Darren Aronofsky
- Cast: Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly
- IMDb | Amazon Prime
Four people spiral into addiction, each chasing their own version of the American dream, only to be met with devastating consequences. The film’s harrowing portrayal of drug abuse and psychological deterioration makes it an emotionally shattering experience.
8. Oldboy (2003)
- Director: Park Chan-wook
- Cast: Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jung
- IMDb | Amazon Prime
After being mysteriously imprisoned for 15 years, a man is released and given five days to uncover the truth behind his captivity. Packed with brutal violence and an unforgettable twist, this revenge thriller leaves audiences both shocked and shaken.
9. Inside (2007)
- Director: Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury
- Cast: Alysson Paradis, Béatrice Dalle, François-Régis Marchasson
- IMDb | Tubi | Amazon Prime
A pregnant woman, alone on Christmas Eve, finds herself stalked by a relentless stranger with a terrifying obsession. This French extreme horror is unrelenting in its brutality, delivering some of the most gruesome and nerve shredding scenes in modern horror.
10. Audition (1999)
- Director: Takashi Miike
- Cast: Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Tetsu Sawaki
- IMDb | Tubi | Amazon Prime
A widower’s search for love takes a horrifying turn when his seemingly perfect match reveals a much darker side. What starts as a slow burn drama erupts into one of the most unsettling and shocking finales in horror history.
11. Irreversible (2002)
- Director: Gaspar Noé
- Cast: Monica Bellucci, Vincent Cassel, Albert Dupontel
- IMDb | Amazon Prime
Told in reverse, this film follows a man’s desperate quest for vengeance after a horrific crime shatters his world. Featuring one of the most infamous and distressing scenes in cinema, this film’s brutal realism makes it nearly unbearable to watch.
12. Dogtooth (2009)
- Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
- Cast: Christos Stergioglou, Michelle Valley, Angeliki Papoulia
- IMDb | Amazon
Three siblings are raised in extreme isolation by their controlling parents, creating a bizarre and unsettling alternate reality. This eerie psychological drama is disturbing not for its gore, but for its deeply unsettling exploration of manipulation and control.
13. The Girl Next Door (2007)
- Director: Gregory Wilson
- Cast: William Atherton, Blythe Auffarth, Blanche Baker
- IMDb | Tubi | Amazon Prime
Based on true events, this film follows the horrific abuse of a teenage girl at the hands of her caretaker and neighborhood kids. Its unflinching depiction of real life cruelty makes it one of the most emotionally devastating horror films ever made.
14. Possession (1981)
- Director: Andrzej Żuławski
- Cast: Isabelle Adjani, Sam Neill, Margit Carstensen
- IMDb | Amazon Prime
A man’s crumbling marriage takes a terrifying turn as his wife begins acting erratically, leading to a nightmarish descent into madness. This surreal horror blends psychological torment with grotesque body horror, leaving viewers deeply unsettled.
15. Tusk (2014)
- Director: Kevin Smith
- Cast: Justin Long, Michael Parks, Haley Joel Osment
- IMDb | Amazon Prime
A podcaster’s curiosity leads him into the clutches of a deranged man with a horrifying obsession: turning him into a walrus. Equal parts bizarre and grotesque, this body horror film delivers an absurd yet deeply disturbing descent into madness.
16. Eden Lake (2008)
- Director: James Watkins
- Cast: Kelly Reilly, Michael Fassbender, Tara Ellis
- IMDb | Tubi | Amazon Prime
A couple’s romantic getaway turns into a nightmare when they’re terrorized by a gang of violent teenagers. Relentlessly tense and shockingly brutal, this film leaves a lingering sense of dread with its bleak, unforgiving ending.
17. The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007)
- Director: John Erick Dowdle
- Cast: Stacy Chbosky, Ben Messmer, Samantha Robson
- IMDb | Tubi | Amazon Prime
A found-footage mockumentary reveals the disturbing crimes of a sadistic serial killer, using his own recorded footage. The unsettling realism and psychological torment depicted in this film make it feel horrifyingly authentic.
18. Masters of Horror: Imprint (2006)
- Director: Takashi Miike
- Rating: TV-MA
- IMDb | Amazon Prime
A man searching for a lost love in 19th century Japan encounters a deformed woman with a nightmarish tale to tell. So graphic and disturbing that it was banned from airing on television, this episode remains one of Takashi Miike’s most unsettling works.
19. Mother! (2017)
- Director: Darren Aronofsky
- Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris
- IMDb | Amazon Prime
A couple’s quiet life is upended by a series of increasingly intrusive guests, leading to an apocalyptic fever dream of chaos. With its intense allegorical horror and shocking imagery, this film is as thought provoking as it is deeply unsettling.
20. Frontiers (2007)
A group of criminals on the run seeks refuge at an inn, only to discover its owners are sadistic neo-Nazis with gruesome plans. This French horror doesn’t hold back, delivering extreme violence and relentless brutality that push the limits of endurance.
21. Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)
A man begins a grotesque transformation into a metal covered monstrosity after a bizarre encounter with a deranged “metal fetishist.” This nightmarish cyberpunk body horror is a relentless assault on the senses, blending industrial madness with surreal, disturbing imagery.
22. Teeth (2007)
- Director: Mitchell Lichtenstein
- Cast: Jess Weixler, John Hensley, Josh Pais
- IMDb | Tubi | Amazon Prime
A teenage girl grappling with her sexuality makes a horrifying discovery… her body harbors a deadly secret in the form of vagina dentata. Blending dark comedy with body horror, this film delivers a disturbingly unique take on female empowerment and fear of male predation.
23. In a Glass Cage (1987)
- Director: Agustí Villaronga
- Cast: Günter Meisner, David Sust, Marisa Paredes
- IMDb | Tubi | Amazon Prime
A paralyzed ex-Nazi doctor, confined to an iron lung, becomes the prisoner of a disturbed young man who was once his victim. This harrowing psychological horror delves into cycles of abuse and cruelty, making for an unsettling and deeply disturbing experience.
24. Infinity Pool (2023)
- Director: Brandon Cronenberg
- Cast: Alexander Skarsgård, Mia Goth, Cleopatra Coleman
- IMDb | Amazon Prime
A struggling writer and his wife vacation at an exclusive resort, only to be drawn into a hedonistic underworld where the wealthy evade consequences through gruesome means. Blending surreal horror with existential dread, this film delivers disturbing visuals and a nightmarish descent into moral depravity.
25. Deadgirl (2008)
- Director: Marcel Sarmiento, Gadi Harel
- Cast: Shiloh Fernandez, Noah Segan, Candice Accola
- IMDb | Amazon
Two high school boys discover a mysterious, undead woman in an abandoned mental asylum. The film taboo subjects, including necrophilia and the dehumanization of the titular character. The film raises uncomfortable questions about morality and the consequences of unchecked desires.
26. The Platform (2019)
- Director: Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia
- Cast: Ivan Massagué, Zorion Eguileor, Antonia San Juan
- IMDb | Netflix
In a dystopian prison where food descends level by level, the inmates above feast while those below starve in desperation. This brutal social allegory is disturbing not just for its violence but for its bleak reflection on human nature and class disparity.
27. Come and See (1985)
- Director: Elem Klimov
- Cast: Aleksey Kravchenko, Olga Mironova, Liubomiras Laucevicius
- IMDb | Amazon Prime
A young boy joins the Soviet resistance during World War II, only to witness unspeakable horrors as his innocence is shattered. Widely regarded as one of the most harrowing war films ever made, its raw, unrelenting depiction of human suffering is deeply traumatizing.
28. Antichrist (2009)
A grieving couple retreats to a secluded cabin, where their relationship spirals into a nightmarish descent of psychological and physical torment. Lars von Trier’s disturbing meditation on grief, guilt, and nature’s cruelty delivers some of the most shocking imagery in modern horror.
29. Se7en (1995)
- Director: David Fincher
- Cast: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey
- IMDb | Amazon Prime
Two detectives hunt a sadistic serial killer whose gruesome murders are inspired by the seven deadly sins. The film’s oppressive atmosphere, brutal crime scenes, and shocking finale cement it as one of the most disturbing thrillers of all time.
30. Deliverance (1972)
- Director: John Boorman
- Cast: Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty
- IMDb | Amazon Prime
A group of city men embarks on a river rafting trip in the deep South, only to face brutal violence at the hands of local predators. Its infamous scenes of psychological and physical horror leave a lasting sense of unease, making it one of the most unsettling survival thrillers ever made.
BONUS Disturbing Movies Streaming FREE
High Tension (2002)
The Devil’s Rejects (2005)
American Mary (2013)
Excision (2012)
Hard Candy (2005)
The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
I Spit on Your Grave (2010)
Cannibal Ferox (1981)
The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
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