For those of us who lose their marbles over the awesomeness of AMC's Fearfest programming every October (or maybe you're such a freak that you can't get enough of The Walking Dead or you watch spooky flicks year-round – who am I to judge?), Halloween brings about a constant spirit of the unholy. There's nothing better than the spine-tingling sensation of curling up with the lights off and a scary movie on the tube and watching some poor sucker catch a hatchet to the noggin. But perhaps Scary Movie 4 or Cabin Fever just don't cut it for you. Well, we've got the anecdote for what ails you. The following is a list of five of the scariest, goriest and most disturbing horror movies that you likely haven't seen nor heard of (in no particular order, of course). Sure, everyone will have a varying opinion on what's the creepiest or most horrifying of all time, but I'm certain that this is a pretty good jumping-off point.
Session 9 is, without a doubt, one of the most psychologically terrifying movies to have been made in the last 25 years. With much of the creepiness coming courtesy of a disembodied voice and – in one particular scene of the movie especially – the utter horror and violence that is only presented to the viewer via audio, if this 2001 film doesn't leave you completely spooked, nothing will.
Suspiria contains one of the most over-the-top and gruesome death scenes of any movie in history. Italian writer, director and producer Dario Argento (who also happens to be the father of über-babe Asia Argento) was truly ahead of his time in terms of what was possible to frighten people with on film. The first of Argento's "The Three Mothers" (three of his films that each deal with ancient witches, each titled after the name of its respective witch, around which each plot revolves), it utilized a progressive soundtrack and score composed by Italian rock band Goblin in conjunction with Argento. A cult classic, it is often referenced as one of the most disturbing horror films in the history of the genre.
Puppet Master, in the vein of many abstract and grotesque horror movies of the late '80s and early '90s, utilizes demonic and animated puppets (honestly the only thing potentially more frightening than possessed children), the supernatural and pure gore to provide the thrills and – at times – off-screen violence that psychologically tends to burrow its way into your memory more than actually seeing, say, a puppet drill itself into a human leg.
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is technically a crime thriller, centering on an undiscerning crime spree by a serial killer named – get ready for this – Henry! One particularly gruesome scene depicts Henry and his accomplice Otis joyfully watching the video they recorded of themselves slaughtering an entire family. A total mind-fuck, this movie seems to never stop, carrying viewers on a sickening joyride right through to the end – and what an end it is.
Un Chien Andalou is a completely abstract and unstructured short film put together by Spanish director Luis Buñuel and famous surrealist painter Salvador Dali. With no prototypical plot and a completely incoherent chronological structure, several scenes (including the horrifying opening sequence) are severely troubling and disgusting, eliciting a very off-kilter and emotionally confusing reaction. Looking for something to really weird you out? This one's for you. | RDW
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