I pride myself in being able to enjoy almost any horror sub-genre including, but not limited to, psychological, supernatural, sci-fi, splatterpunk and body horror. And while I have subjected myself to some intense and disturbing films – there’s only a handful that stuck with me afterwards.

It’s not always the gory torture pornos that disturb me (though some definitely do) it’s often the horror films centred around grief, pain and loss that have the biggest impact on me. Essentially ones that feel too realistic or handle sensitive topics, but even then, it takes a special kind of narrative to negatively affect me like that. One’s that I personally relate to or ones that are just so… bleak, that I struggle to move past them like I do others.

The Beast Within

I came across this reasonably unknown found footage horror through a recommendation on a group on Facebook. I had never even heard of it – but as you know, found footage is one of my favourite sub-genres so I was prepared to give it a chance. Group members kept harping on about some freak ending that left them paralysed with shock; I was intrigued. The film starts out as some cheesy, American documentary following a couple’s first pregnancy. However, it appears that the wife is carrying something far more hellish as the narrative becomes steadily more sinister. I can vouch for the freak ending – I didn’t see it coming. I watched it alone one night and that ending left me with a very heavy sensation in my gut. The silence afterwards was deafening

Mother! (2017)

Sorry, I think I wrote about this film in a recent post! BUT I think this film is a god honest masterpiece – the biblical undertones and religious iconography made this film what it is as it depicts the human race’s treatment of Mother Nature. Watching Jennifer Lawrence’s character endure hellish treatment from “guests” as they tear apart her home and life triggered an overwhelming feeling of anxiety in me. Not to mention the truly gut wrenching baby scene. I think what affected me most was her innocence; she opens her home to strangers in need, who in return, abuse and neglect her. The desperation and pain her character must feel is something you cannot comprehend. I felt so immensely helpless for her. It’s a one-time-watch for me.

Martyrs (2008)

This is a film targeted at hardcore horror fans only. This is a French horror that has been described as “one of the most extreme films made in France”. While it doesn’t compare to some disturbing horrors I’ve seen (i.e. August Underground’s Mordum) it is still an extremely intense watch. It follows a young women who seeks revenge on the family who tortured her as a child, but ultimately, she falls prey to something far more sinister in her mission. I struggled with this film as the main character is snagged by life’s worse scenarios over and over again. Repeatedly falling prey to the most intensely brutal treatment from birth to her very end. It’s soul destroying. This film will leave you hollow and deeply depressed.

It Follows (2014)

I’m trying to identify specifically what frightened me so much about this film; it could be the reoccurring nightmares I have about it years after seeing it (seriously). The narrative follows (quite literally) a young women who acquires an unfortunate and fatal supernatural curse that is passed through sexual intercourse – it sounds crazy. I thought this film was smart and original, and I can only describe the undertones as ominous and unsettling. The way this entity stalks its victim, and can appear in any form it desires is what makes it so terrifying. The idea of waiting for an attack from an unknown force, at any moment, in any form – no matter how far away you run. One scene in particular still haunts me; tall man in the bedroom. You’ll understand why when/if you watch it.

REC (2007)

Am I really scared of this movie or did watching it for the first time at thirteen permanently alter my brain chemistry? For real, though – this is possibly where it all started for me. When a television reporter and her cameraman follow the fire department into an apartment building, they are locked inside with something DARK. While I was initially terrified of REC (and still find it frightening now) it’s what got me into horror, especially my love for found footage! Found footage creates realism like no other genre, and as I’ve become more desensitised to horror as I’ve gotten older, I now seek out found footage more than any other genre as it feels like one of the very few that enables me to recreate that level of fear and anxiety.

Paranormal Activity 1 & 2 (2007 & 2010)

I don’t care what anyone has to say about this movie; it absolutely traumatised me as a kid. While found footage wasn’t revolutionary at this point (we had films such as The Blaire Witch Project) this franchise really put the sub-genre in the limelight. The first instalment alone raked in a staggering $193.4 million at the box office with a budget of only $15,000. That is insane to me, but it shows just how these films popularised found footage in the late 00s. Again, what made it so terrifying was the cinematography – the way it’s filmed, the night vision, characters who felt “real” – like you really were watching someone’s home video. Thirteen year old me took a lot of convincing that it wasn’t real at the time.

Antichrist (2009)

If horrifically bleak and disturbing is your thing, you’ll love this. For me, it was bordering on the lines of almost too much – and I have a reasonably strong stomach. The narrative follows a grieving couple (Willem Defoe whom I love) who travel to a remote cabin to reconnect after the death of their young son. However, nature takes its toll, and their behaviour becomes unhinged and increasingly depraved and sadistic. Big trigger warnings for sexual violence and general sense of impending doom. I wouldn’t watch this again.