Most Messed Up Movies

From Park Chan-wook, starring Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jeong, Kim Byeong-Ok
Rated R

Oldboy is a 2003 South Korean neo-noir action thriller film directed by Park Chan-wook. It stars Choi Min-sik as Oh Dae-su, a man who is inexplicably kidnapped and imprisoned in a strange, private jail for 15 years without explanation. One day, he is suddenly released and given a cell phone, money, and 5 days to uncover why he was held captive. With the help of a young woman named Mi-do, Oh Dae-su embarks on a journey of revenge, discovering shocking secrets about his captor along the way. Oldboy is a dark exploration of revenge, guilt, and the consequences of our choices.

From William Friedkin, starring Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair, Lee J. Cobb
Rated R

The Exorcist is a horror/thriller film directed by William Friedkin and released in 1973. It tells the story of a young girl, Regan MacNeil, who becomes possessed by an ancient demon. Regan’s mother, Chris, seeks out the assistance of two priests, Father Karras and Father Merrin, to help her daughter in this spiritual battle with the devil. Through a series of intense and terrifying events, the priests must fight to save Regan’s soul while risking their own lives in the process. With special effects and a now-iconic soundtrack, The Exorcist has become one of the most memorable horror films of all time.

From Lars von Trier, starring Nicole Kidman, Paul Bettany, Lauren Bacall, Harriet Andersson
Rated R

Dogville is a 2003 drama directed by Lars von Trier. The film is set in an isolated community in the Rocky Mountains of the United States during the Great Depression. It tells the story of Grace, a young woman on the run from gangsters, who is offered sanctuary in Dogville, a small, rural town. Despite the townspeople's initial reluctance, Grace is allowed to stay in exchange for working in the community. As the townspeople begin to take advantage of Grace, she has to decide how much she is willing to sacrifice in order to remain in the town. The film explores themes of morality and grace in the face of cruelty and hypocrisy.

From Lars von Trier, starring Björk, Catherine Deneuve, David Morse, Peter Stormare
Rated R

Dancer in the Dark is a 2000 musical-drama film directed by Lars von Trier and starring Icelandic musician Björk. The story follows Selma Ježková, a Czech immigrant and single mother living in Washington State who starts to lose her sight and is determined to save enough money to pay for an operation to prevent her son from suffering the same fate. However, her financial struggles and an unsympathetic legal system eventually lead her to commit a desperate act. The film is a dark exploration of fate, faith, and the power of music and art in the face of suffering and injustice.

From Gregg Araki, starring Brady Corbet, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elisabeth Shue, Chase Ellison
Rated Unrated

Mysterious Skin is a 2004 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Gregg Araki, based on the 1995 novel of the same name by Scott Heim. The film follows two pre-adolescent boys who are affected in different ways by a sexual encounter that happened five years earlier. Neil (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a teenage hustler and Brian (Brady Corbet) is an alienated and isolated young man who eventually comes to believe he was abducted by aliens. The two young men's paths converge as Brian finds the courage to confront his past and Neil discovers the devastating truth of his present. Through these two boys, the film examines issues of child abuse, sexuality, and the search for identity. The film also stars Michelle Trachtenberg, Elisabeth Shue, and Bill Sage.

From Michael Haneke, starring Birgit Doll, Dieter Berner, Leni Tanzer, Udo Samel
Rated Not Rated

The Seventh Continent is a 1989 Austrian film directed by Michael Haneke. It follows the story of a middle-class Austrian family living in Vienna. The father, Georg, is an engineer and his wife, Anna, works as an optician. The film follows the monotonous daily life of the family and how it slowly comes apart through conversations, silences, and Georg's increasingly desperate acts. As the family slowly loses its grip on reality, they slowly destroy their possessions, withdraw from society, and travel to Australia. The film is a powerful and disturbing critique of middle-class complacency and self-destructive behavior, as Georg and Anna gradually dismantle their lives in an attempt to escape the emptiness of their routines. The film suggests that material possessions, social conformity, and the pursuit of a safe and secure life can be self-destructive and ultimately lead to loneliness and despair.

From Peter Jackson, starring Timothy Balme, Diana Peñalver, Elizabeth Moody, Ian Watkin
Rated R

Dead Alive (also released as Braindead) is a 1992 horror-comedy film directed by Peter Jackson. The film follows Lionel, a young man living in Wellington, New Zealand, who discovers that his mother has been bitten by a Sumatran Rat-Monkey. This unleashes an ancient curse that turns her into a zombie. Lionel must battle an ever-growing horde of the undead, while also trying to keep his relationship with his girlfriend, Paquita, alive. Along the way, he is aided by the local priest, who has a secret of his own. With outrageous special effects and over-the-top gore, Dead Alive is a horror-comedy classic.

From Michael Haneke, starring Susanne Lothar, Ulrich Mühe, Arno Frisch, Frank Giering
Rated Not Rated

Funny Games is a 1997 psychological thriller film written and directed by Michael Haneke. The film follows a family of three — Georg, Anna, and their son Georgie — who are on vacation at their lakeside home. One day, two young men, Peter and Paul, arrive at the home, claiming to be acquaintances of the family’s neighbors. However, the visitors soon begin to terrorize the family, subjecting them to various psychological and physical games designed to make them suffer. As the games get more and more sadistic, the family must find a way to survive and escape the two young men’s tyranny. Funny Games is a gripping film that explores themes of violence, power dynamics, and the human capacity for evil.

From Michael Haneke, starring Isabelle Huppert, Annie Girardot, Benoît Magimel, Susanne Lothar
Rated R

"The Piano Teacher" is a psychological drama directed by Michael Haneke and starring Isabelle Huppert. It follows Erika Kohut, a reserved, middle-aged piano teacher living with her domineering mother in Vienna. When Erika meets Walter Klemmer, a younger, handsome student at her school, she takes a romantic interest in him despite their age gap and difference in social class. In order to hide her feelings, Erika begins to act out her fantasies through a series of increasingly extreme and violent behavior, including voyeurism, self-harm, and masochism. She also risks her job and reputation by continuing her relationship with Walter. Ultimately, Erika must confront the truth about her own desires and self-destructive behavior in order to find peace and freedom.

From Tobe Hooper, starring Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, Allen Danziger, Paul A. Partain
Rated R

From Sam Raimi, starring Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Betsy Baker
Rated NC-17

From Directors: Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, Benoît Poelvoorde, starring Benoît Poelvoorde, Jacqueline Poelvoorde-Pappaert, Nelly Pappaert, Hector Pappaert
Rated NC-17

From David Lynch, starring Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart, Allen Joseph, Jeanne Bates
Rated Not Rated

From Gaspar Noé, starring Monica Bellucci, Vincent Cassel, Albert Dupontel, Philippe Nahon
Rated Not Rated

From Gaspar Noé, starring Philippe Nahon, Blandine Lenoir, Frankie Pain, Martine Audrain
Rated Not Rated

From Michael Haneke, starring Daniel Auteuil, Juliette Binoche, Maurice Bénichou, Annie Girardot
Rated R

From Gaspar Noé, starring Nathaniel Brown, Paz de la Huerta, Cyril Roy, Olly Alexander
Rated Not Rated

From Michael Haneke, starring Arno Frisch, Angela Winkler, Ulrich Mühe, Ingrid Stassner
Rated Not Rated

From Michael Haneke, starring Gabriel Cosmin Urdes, Lukas Miko, Otto Grünmandl, Anne Bennent
Rated Not Rated

From Takashi Miike, starring Tadanobu Asano, Nao Ômori, Shin'ya Tsukamoto, Paulyn Sun
Rated R

From Larry Clark, starring Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce, Chloë Sevigny, Sarah Henderson
Rated Not Rated

From John McNaughton, starring Michael Rooker, Tracy Arnold, Tom Towles, Mary Demas
Rated Unrated

From Larry Clark, starring Brad Renfro, Nick Stahl, Bijou Phillips, Rachel Miner
Rated R

From Lars von Trier, starring Bodil Jørgensen, Jens Albinus, Anne Louise Hassing, Troels Lyby
Rated R

From Harmony Korine, starring Ewen Bremner, Brian Fisk, Chloë Sevigny, Werner Herzog
Rated R