25 Most Unsettling Movies That Will Haunt You In Your Dreams
25. Chinatown (1974)
Roman Polanski's neo-noir masterpiece creates a stunning web of municipal corruption and greed before finally delivering an emotional revelation that will forever destroy your soul. While Jack Nicholson's private detective thinks he's uncovering a simple case involving a water scandal, the story slowly descends into an unbearably bleak revelation of a devastating personal tragedy. The concluding lines delivered amid the darkness of the night streets leave you with the sickening realization that there are simply some forms of evil which are irrepressible.
24. Boys Don’t Cry (1999)
Kimberley Peirce brings the audience into an incredibly brutal biographical movie which depicts the tragic life of Brandon Teena. With a breathtaking performance from Hilary Swank, the film strips off the layers of Hollywood artistry to showcase the agonizingly slow development of intolerance and hatred towards Brandon in a small town. 'Boys Don't Cry' forces viewers to witness the truly horrifying explosion of brutality and racism which ultimately consumes a victim in a completely raw and realistic manner.
23. The Imposter (2012)
With this documentary-turned-psychological thriller, Bart Layton proves that reality is sometimes scarier than fiction. The Imposter narrates the incredible true story of a French impostor who succeeds in convincing the family that their teenage son came back after having disappeared. The film provides a frightening insight into the dark side of human psyche, offering many plot twists and an ambiguous atmosphere which leaves viewers with chills for days.
22. 8MM (1999)
The absolutely terrifying mystery created by Joel Schumacher forces the audience to venture deep into the most hideous aspects of illegal filmmaking. In pursuit of authentic evidence regarding a horrifying snuff film, Nicolas Cage's private detective enters the world of depraved individuals who get satisfaction from unimaginable cruelty. 8MM makes the viewer feel very uncomfortable by forcing them to look into the face of monsters that thrive within normal society.
21. 28 Days Later (2002)
Danny Boyle not only revitalizes but entirely reinvents the horror subgenre by replacing zombies with sprinters. The first images of a completely deserted London captured on low-quality digital video leave viewers with a sense of eerie loneliness that transforms into an actual nightmare at some point. Once they encounter the infected monsters, the characters face a terrifying and truly sickening danger from military survivors who are ready to commit anything in order to survive.
20. I Saw the Devil (2010)
This stunning South Korean thriller destroys any conventional notions of a classic revenge fantasy completely and leaves viewers speechless. After a secret agent decides to punish a psychopathic serial killer responsible for his fiancé's murder, this film gradually turns into an agonizing game. The viewers typically observe a man's gradual transformation into a monster, while witnessing a beautifully shot, but highly disturbing process at the same time.
19. The Act of Killing (2012)
By creating a truly unique film, Joshua Oppenheimer lets viewers discover the hidden truths of human nature. This documentary challenges notorious mass murderers to recreate their actions according to the genre style of their favorite films. The result is shocking and absolutely mind-blowing–an unprecedented insight into the criminal past of Indonesians that is full of brutality and unbelievable insanity.
18. The Wrestler (2008)
Darren Aronofsky removes all the glossiness from wrestling movies to offer an extremely tragic story of an athlete who destroys himself to earn recognition. This one forces viewers to witness Mickey Rourke's performance, which demonstrates the pain that a broken man feels when he finds a purpose in beating others and receiving blows in return. With his character portrayed brilliantly, The Wrestler shows how one cannot resist the call of evil.
17. Blue Valentine (2010)
This anti-romance tells the story of two people falling in love and then destroying the happiness they have with their own hands. Derek Cianfrance uses a great non-linear structure to contrast a romantic feeling of euphoria with the feeling of agony as a relationship ends. With their incredibly raw and sincere performance, Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams show the viewer the tragic story of a couple being torn apart because of mutual resentment.
16. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
A great example of a horror movie, this film by Tobe Hooper manages to frighten everyone to death. Without featuring many bloody scenes, this low-budget movie still causes fear in viewers, making them feel like they are getting a fever. With its grainy cinematography, sweltering atmosphere, and chaotic soundtrack, this film creates an extremely oppressive feeling, which is completed with an insane dinner scene.
15. Don’t Look Now (1973)
Nicolas Roeg has created an absolutely fascinating psychological horror masterpiece, revealing the horrors of the human mind. The story follows the main character and his wife through the streets of Venice in search of an explanation for supernatural occurrences after the tragic death of their daughter. With its amazing editing and the presence of a lot of suspense and paranoia, the film offers one of the scariest twists in movie history.
14. Hostel (2005)
Through the deep xenophobia inherent in society, Eli Roth created a merciless and unapologetic cornerstone of 2000s' "torture porn" subgenre. Starting with a sleazy, adrenaline-fueled trip through Europe, the narrative then shifts to an industrial torture facility where wealthy businessmen pay to torture tourists. The combination of cold industrial settings and practical effects results in a genuinely nasty, claustrophobic feeling and a disturbing suspicion about the hidden perversions of the elite.
13. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008)
Through the innocent, naive view of an eight-year-old German boy who became friends with a Jewish prisoner inside a concentration camp, Mark Herman depicted an absolutely incomprehensible horror of the Holocaust. Based mostly on ironic dramatic situations typical for such a setting, the story builds up to the climax in a way that feels like a slow-motion collision. An eerie silence and a final tracking shot behind the bars of a concrete wall deliver a gut-punch that makes you completely speechless.
12. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son about His Father (2008)
Kurt Kuenne made a completely unique movie in his documentary–a fast-paced and highly personal family film that turned into one of the saddest films ever made. Originally conceived as a cinematic tribute about the death of an unborn baby's father, the narrative suddenly changes midway through and leads to one of the most shocking discoveries possible. The result is a powerful mixture of violent fury and hysterics that ruins everyone in the audience for days.
11. Prisoners (2013)
Denis Villeneuve produced an extremely intense and dark crime thriller, telling a story of two abducted little girls whose disappearance turns a man's father into a blood-thirsty monster. Torturing the potential killer in a closed room of a deserted building, Hugh Jackman's character proves that moral lines may break extremely quickly under extreme circumstances. The grim and dark cinematography of the film contributes to the impression of watching good people turn into complete monsters.
10. Amour (2012)
Michael Haneke showed what it's like to live with an incurable disease that deteriorates life slowly but inevitably with this chilling and realistic story. Depicting two aging spouses suffering the consequences of multiple strokes, the film takes place almost completely within their cramped apartment and focuses on a harsh reality rather than any kind of Hollywood sentimentality. The main point of the movie is that death can be long and cruel.
9. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
In Darren Aronofsky's movie, the horrors of drug addiction are portrayed in an extremely intense and visceral way. Using hip-hop style quick cuts, tight close-ups, and hauntingly memorable string score, the director depicts the fall of several characters who have to go through hell to realize their dreams. The final montage scene of utter devastation is a true sensory assault, leaving you cringing and in utter despair.
8. Sophie’s Choice (1982)
Based on William Styron's novel, Alan J. Pakula's movie follows a Polish Holocaust survivor harboring a crushing secret. At first glance, it may seem like a slow-burning study of the character played by Meryl Streep. But 'Sophie's Choice' shocks the audience with the truth involving a terrible decision that she had to make to save other people's lives in Auschwitz camp.
7. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Isao Takahata's heartbreaking film has perfectly exemplified the ability of animation to convey a truly terrifying picture of historical events. Portraying a story of two orphans surviving alone in postwar Japan, the movie shows the horrible realities of starvation and the general indifference of people. Despite being animated, it is a deeply tragic movie, leaving a profound, tear-soaked impact on viewers.
6. Dancer in the Dark (2000)
Using all the elements he loved, Lars von Trier delivered one of his most challenging movies in terms of emotions. Starring Björk as a factory worker losing her eyesight, the movie describes her attempts to escape everyday reality with the help of fantasy singing and dancing scenes. The entire plot is full of aggressive punishments for her naivety and ignorance, leading to the finale where everything breaks down mechanically.
5. Irreversible (2002)
Using reverse chronological order, Gaspar Noé's controversial French thriller transforms a typical revenge movie into something truly grotesque. Featuring one of the most graphic instances of violence to grace the screen, and accompanied by nausea-inducing music and disorienting camera work, it leaves the viewer with a profound sense of existential dread as it depicts the blood-soaked aftermath of its brutality before showing its beautiful beginning.
4. Schindler’s List (1993)
With its stark, documentary-like black and white cinematography, Steven Spielberg directed an epic account of historical evil that cannot be ignored. Its refusal to shy away from the cold reality of the Holocaust and the casual cruelty of Amon Göth shooting inmates from his balcony makes this movie a highly powerful monument to a terrible tragedy. However, at the same time, it is very difficult to watch because of the enormity of atrocities depicted there.
3. Martyrs (2008)
The highlight of the New French Extremity movement, 'Martyrs' is anything but a stereotypical slasher movie. Instead, it delivers a deeply thoughtful and shocking portrayal of extreme physical and psychological torture in an attempt to find the truth about life after death. The second part of the movie will be particularly hard on the nerves as a viewer watches two protagonists trying to survive horrific tests conducted by a mysterious secret society.
2. Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975)
Directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini, 'Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom' ranks among the most controversial and disgusting political statements in cinema. Translating the Marquis de Sade's works into a story of fascist Italy in 1944, it describes how four libertines kidnap several teenagers and lead them to extreme degradation. Its clinical approach and cold detachment make it a horrifyingly disturbing movie which doesn't leave much space for viewer comfort.
1. A Serbian Film (2010)
This controversial Serbian movie takes first place as the most provocative film ever made in any genre. With its shocking content, extremely graphic images, and stylized visual effects, it becomes a weapon for psychological manipulation. Attempting to act as an allegory of Serbia's troubled past, it follows the story of an older adult film actor being used in a series of horrific and disturbing experiments in an underground project.
