20 Deeply Disturbing Movies (Which Aren’t 'Cats')
![20 Deeply Disturbing Movies (Which Aren’t 'Cats')](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/3/6/864736_320x180.jpg)
Yeah, sorry, we really won’t be including Cats in this list. That movie, to be sure, was terrifying, and we’ve written a lot to cope with the trauma (that was its obsession with cat buttholes). However, here we’re actually focusing on deeply disturbing movies. Let’s put it like this: do you ever feel like watching a movie that really messes you up? We’re not only talking about horror movies. Sure, we’ve proven over and over that we love horror, and if you still haven’t seen X, get to it. But no, we’re referring to disturbing movies as a genre in itself.
Indeed, in this Pictofact we’re talking about the sort of movies one wants to see when one wants to get really depressed (hey, some of us have that sort of trusting relation to cinema, don’t judge). We’re discussing disturbing, unsettling, day-ruining movies. Some belong to the horror genre, while others are dramas or psychological thrillers. Some are American, some are from Countries with Subtitles. In every single case, however, they’re the sort of movies that’ll leave staring blankly at the horizon for a while. So next time you’re in the mood for that sort of movie? Cracked’s got you covered, baby. Oh, and also if you’re still interested in cat buttholes.
Eraserhead
![Disturbing Movies 1977, United States Dir. David Lynch Eraserhead A surreal, black-and-white horror movie about a strange man caring for a deformed child - or something. It's not an easy watch, but it is Film 101 for any aspiring movie buff. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/4/5/864745.jpg)
Mother!
![Disturbing Movies 2017, United States Dir. Darren Aronofsky Mother! An underrated masterpiece, its heavy-handed symbolism is necessary in times like these, and it completely succeeds in offering a two- hour anxiety attack. If you happen not to have seen it, then there's homework to do. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/4/6/864746.jpg)
A Map of the World
![Disturbing Movies 1999, United States Dir. Scott Elliott A Map of the World Remember the depressing ending to Requiem for a Dream? Now imagine that as an entire movie. Sigourney Weaver plays a mother who gets distracted for a few minutes and becomes responsible for the death of a friend's child. Then things get bad. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/4/1/864741.jpg)
Nocturnal Animals
![Disturbing Movies 2016, United States Dir. Tom Ford NOCTURNAL ANIMALS EDWARD SHEPPIELD Nocturnal Animals Amy Adams receives the manuscript of a novel written by her ex-husband, played by Jake Gyllenhaal. Besides their own story of estrangement, we also see the novel's sad, violent story. This is the sort of movie that just leaves you empty inside. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/4/8/864748.jpg)
Irreversible
![Disturbing Movies 2002, France Dir. Gaspar Noé Irréversible This French classic tells the story of the worst night ever backwards. Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel give amazing, heart-breaking performances. Even if you know what happens in that underpass, you are not ready for it. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/4/3/864743.jpg)
Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom
![Disturbing Movies 1975, Italy/France Dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom A bunch of fascists kidnap young people and torture them for months - and we see all of it. It's not pretty, but it is the best attempt to take Marquis de Sade's perverted writings to the big screen to date. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/4/9/864749.jpg)
Breaking the Waves
![Disturbing Movies 1996, Denmark/ United Kingdom Dir. Lars von Trier Breaking the Waves Emily Watson plays a naïve woman married to an oil rig worker. When he suffers a work accident, she begins to offer herself sexually to the entire town in hopes that God will accept her sacrifice and heal her husband. Yup, this is a tough one. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/5/8/864758.jpg)
Threads
![Disturbing Movies TRAFFIC WARDEN 1984, United Kingdom/Australia Dir. Mick Jackson Threads One of the most realistic depictions of the aftermath of a nuclear war, this British TV movie unflinchingly shows the absolute bleakness and ultimate meaninglessness of it all. No food, no government, no hope, just misery. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/5/7/864757.jpg)
Spoorloos
![Disturbing CATE FEMME A DISPARU LYA 3 ANS 1988, Netherlands Dir. George Sluizer Spoorloos Rex becomes obsessed with the sudden disappearance of his girlfriend. Не eventually gets contacted by the kidnapper, but trust us, he shouldn't have chased the truth. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/5/6/864756.jpg)
The Sacrament
![Disturbing Movies 2013, United States Dir. Ti West The Sacrament A news team enters a secluded community to document their lifestyle and interview their leader. Of course, things soon turn out to be much darker than they seem. The movie is based on the Jonestown massacre, which tells you everything you need to know. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/5/5/864755.jpg)
Repulsion
![Disturbing Movies Repulsion Catherine Deneuve plays a mentally unstable woman who descends into nightmares and hallucinations while all alone in her apartment, her repulsion for sexuality haunting her as her mind decays. Roman Polanski really nails the sexual creepiness (we wonder why). 1965, United Kingdom Dir. Roman Polanski CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/4/2/864742.jpg)
The Piano Teacher
![Disturbing Movies 2001, France/Austria/Germany Dir. Michael Haneke The Piano Teacher Isabelle Huppert plays a repressed woman who lives with her overbearing mother. But she also has some disturbing sexual fantasies, and when she hooks up with a student, they soon get out of hand. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/5/4/864754.jpg)
Saint Maud
![Disturbing Movies Saint Maud Nurse Katie is assigned to take care of a dying former dancer. Katie has just gone through a personal crisis and a religious conversion, so the movie is all about mood. It also avoids jump scares and such tropes, slowly building the horror until reaching its burning point. 2019, United Kingdom Dir. Rose Glass LIVE aven THE UNIVERSITY LICE KNIGHT MARCUS HOTTON STORE - IND DOESTE CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/4/7/864747.jpg)
Kill List
![Disturbing Movies Kill List What looks like a standard hitman movie turns out to be much more. The hit jobs get darker and darker, and eventually Neil Maskell's killer gets in way over his head in a plot involving snuff films and secret cults. And boy, is that ending bleak. 2011, United Kingdom Dir. Ben Wheatley CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/4/4/864744.jpg)
Inside
![Disturbing Movies 2007, France Dir. Alexandre Bustillo & Julien Maury Inside A relentlessly brutal and bloody horror flick about a pregnant woman suffering from a home invasion. Not awful enough? The invader wants to take her baby. So yeah, gory body horror ensues. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/5/2/864752.jpg)
Exhibit A
![Disturbing Movies 2007, United Kingdom Dir. Dom Rotheroe Exhibit A A found-footage film about the suburban nightmare of financial problems, family drama, and a violent father slowly losing his grip on reality - until the highly distressing conclusion. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/5/1/864751.jpg)
Eden Lake
![Disturbing Movies 2008, United Kingdom Dir. James Watkins Eden Lake A young couple sees their lake trip interrupted by a gang of kids. The husband, played by Michael Fassbender, tries to tell them to keep the noise down, and a night in hell ensues - followed by the most depressing ending ever. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/4/0/864740.jpg)
I Saw the Devil
![Disturbing Movies 2010, South Korea Dir. Kim Jee-woon I Saw the Devil A serial killer brutally murders a woman. Her boyfriend, a government agent, gets revenge not by killing him (that would be too easy), but by stalking and torturing him in increasingly violent ways. The feedback loop of escalating violence gets wild. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/5/3/864753.jpg)
Christine
![Disturbing Movies 2016, United States/ United Kingdom Dir. Antonio Campos Christine Based on real events, Christine tells the case of Christine Chubbuck, a journalist in Florida who, erm, unalived herself on live TV. The always reliable Rebecca Hall absolutely nails the complex role. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/3/9/864739.jpg)
Angst
![Disturbing Movies Angst A serial killer has just been released and is dying to kill more people. Think Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, but even more disturbing. Leave it to the classy Austrians to make one of the most unsettling movies ever. 1983, Austria Dir. Gerald Kargl CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/5/0/864750.jpg)