8 Movies So Dark You Can’t Watch Them Twice

Some of the best movies don’t contain sunshine and rainbows, but instead showcase the gritty reality of everyday life. Over the years, film has become a fantastic medium to express tough but compelling stories. Thus, it’s fair to say that audiences have become immune to certain elements of shock value and are more concerned with a film’s overall mission and message.

However, some films still take these motifs too far and present audiences with an unbelievably dark story. While a lot of audiences can stomach these tales, they struggle to understand the point of their extreme scenes. As such, while dark movies are a fan favorite among movie buffs, they can sometimes overwhelm casual viewers.

8

A Widow Becomes Attached to Weight Loss Pills

Requiem for a Dream

When Sara Goldfrab receives a call to say that she’s been accepted as a contestant on her favorite game show, she’s determined to fit into her red dress. She then visits her GP, who prescribes her amphetamines to help curb her appetite. Very quickly, Goldfrab becomes dependent on the pills, causing her to hallucinate and lose her grip on reality. Even though her heroin-addicted son Henry begs her to stop using, Sara slips even further into her imaginary world.

Requiem for a Dream is a tough watch because it doesn’t just showcase Sara’s drug addiction. It also focuses on the likes of Tyrone and Marion, who are subject to heinous abuse just to earn a bit of cash to keep their drug trade going. Sara’s hallucinations are also quite distressing because they obviously mirror her deepest insecurities, such as being mocked on the game show. Overall, Requiem for a Dream is an unflinching depiction of addiction that expresses its message confidently enough the first time around.

7

A Serial Killer Recounts His Life to a Roman Poet

The House That Jack Built

Jack is a notorious serial killer who expresses some of his favorite killings to Verge, a manifestation of Virgil. The audience is forced to witness Jack’s killing in complete detail, from fashioning a child’s corpse into a gaudy statue to hacking off his girlfriend’s breasts. But, when the police finally break into Jack’s property, the protagonist follows Verge into a hole in the floor, which leads them both to the pit of Hell.

In some cases, The House That Jack Built seems like it uses copious amounts of violence and gore for the pure sake of it. However, when audiences examine the house that he made entirely out of corpses, it’s clear to see that the protagonist sees his handiwork as art rather than a ruthless crime. Packed full of references to Greek and Roman mythology, The House That Jack Built completely subverts the typical archetype of a serial killer.

The House That Jack Built

Release Date

October 17, 2018

Runtime

2 Hours 32 Minutes

6

Two Girls Go Missing After Meeting a Boy Online

Megan Is Missing

Megan is Missing is a found-footage film that focuses on the disappearance of Megan Stewart and Amy Herman. Megan was talking to a boy named Josh online for several weeks, only to discover it wasn’t a teenage boy but an adult man with malicious motives. The final scene presents unedited footage of Amy in a torture chamber being forced to eat out of dog bowls and being subject to sexual abuse. Amy then discovers Megan’s decaying corpse inside a plastic barrel, suggesting that he had been targeting the girls for a very long time.

A lot of horror films face controversy for their graphic scenes, but Megan is Missing really deserves the negative comments. The vast majority of the film is presented as an educational video on internet safety, and it’s only toward the end of the film that things start to go haywire. Thus, while the film works as a horror film, Megan is Missing has the ability to leave audiences scarred for life.

Megan Is Missing

Release Date

May 1, 2011

Runtime

86 minutes

Director

Michael Goi

Producers

Melanie Harrison

5

A Couple Seek Revenge From Those Who Wronged Them

Natural Born Killers

After suffering years of abuse and injustice, Mickey and Mallory Knox decide that it’s time for the world to play by their rules. They start by murdering Mallory’s neglectful and cruel parents before killing 52 victims across New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada. After breaking out of prison in an explosive stand-off, the couple remain fugitives and raise their children on the open road.

Natural Born Killers is full of unnecessary violence, but its main problem is that it inspired a string of copycat crimes. For example, the infamous Columbine killers nicknamed their attack “NBK” after the film. While it allows Mickey and Mallory to finally take control of their lives, their actions inadvertently cause many innocent people to lose theirs.

4

Two Cops Try to Stop a Serial Killer Before It’s Too Late

Seven

Detectives David Mills and William Somerset are tasked to find a killer named John Doe, who murders his victims based on the Seven Deadly Sins. So, after discovering a man who had been forced to eat until his stomach exploded as well as a model who had been disfigured, it became clear that the detectives had a big job on their hands. However, the big twist is punctuated at the end when Mills finds out that Doe has placed his wife’s decapitated head in a box. Doe then reveals that he has completed his quest, killing Mills’ wife because he was envious of her unknown pregnancy.

Seven is one of the best crime thrillers of all time because it deals with so many interesting themes. However, Brad Pitt’s final performance at Mills is truly distressing and proves that the actor is so much more than a Hollywood heartthrob. Overall, Seven did a great job of following through with its interesting premise, but it also forces audiences to stomach a very depressing conclusion.

Se7en

Release Date

September 22, 1995

Runtime

127 minutes

3

A Prisoner Is Determined to Track Down His Captor

Oldboy

For 15 years, Oh Dae-su has been trapped in the same bleak hotel room, receiving his meals through a pet door and only having the TV to keep him company. During this time, he learns that he has been framed for his wife’s murder and has to accept that he will never see his little girl again. One day, he wakes up on a rooftop and takes a suicidal man’s phone so that he can finally speak to his captor. From there, the pair endure a tense cat-and-mouse chase, where Dae-su is forced to find the criminal within five days, or he will never discover his identity.

Some will recommend Oldboy because it highlights South Korea’s immense talent for horror. While the hard-hitting violence is bearable because of the protagonist’s sense of motivation, the references to incest and manipulation are too much to handle. While this is a great watch for those wanting to enjoy a bit of international horror, it may not be suitable for those with a nervous disposition.

Oldboy

Release Date

November 21, 2003

Runtime

120 minutes

2

A Father and Son Duo Explore an Apocalyptic Landscape

The Road

An unnamed father and son are determined to trudge along a desolate wasteland in the hopes of finding refuge in a post-apocalyptic world. Throughout their journey, the lads experience multiple hurdles, including gory deaths and injuries. The Road ends on a very somber note, showing the boy leaving with another family, while his father rots with the rest of the victims.

On the surface, The Road seems like a pretty movie about two characters simply following one path. However, this film is jam-packed with distressing moments, making it one of the most provocative survival movies ever made. Instead of filling the audience with hope of a more prosperous future, this film fills the audience with dread as the boy is forced to leave his faithful father to save himself.

The Road

Release Date

November 25, 2009

Runtime

111 minutes

Director

John Hillcoat

Writers

Joe Penhall

1

A Dark Spirit Torments an Entire Family

Lights Out

Lights Out follows Sophie, who has inadvertently formed a malevolent bond with her old friend Diana, who died after receiving light-based treatment for a skin condition. Thus, Diana continues to attack Sophie’s spirit, only appearing to the family when the lights are out. In order to stop the torment, Sophie must sacrifice herself so that the connection can finally be broken for good.

Lights Out started as a chilling short film, but it does an equally impressive job as a feature film. The scariest thing about this film is that the spirit only appears in the darkness, giving audiences a wealth of truly frightful scares. However, the film also offers a comforting sense of resolution, breaking the dark bond between Sophie and her mother. But this film does torment the psyche a bit, forcing audiences to confront a wealth of triggering themes, including self-harm.

Lights Out

Release Date

July 22, 2016

Runtime

81minutes