Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Describe The Darkest Movies They've Ever Watched

Roxy theater during rainy day

Roxy theater during rainy day

Reddit user Affectionate_Cost498 asked: 'What was the darkest movie you’ve ever seen?'

When I was in eighth grade, my history class watched movies to gain a better understanding of each era we were learning about. Some were fun movies, such as Good Morning, Vietnam. Others were harder to watch, and based on true stories, such as Saving Private Ryan.

Out of all these movies, the darkest one was Not Without My Daughter, which we watched when we were learning about the Iran-Iraq War. The movie is about a couple and their daughter who go to Iran to visit the husband's family, only for him to keep his wife and daughter there against their will for nearly two years before they manage to escape.


Between the scary scenes of the husband physically attacking his wife, star Sally Field's incredible acting, and knowing this was based on a true story, made me cringe away at times. I covered my eyes at times as well, and had to be prompted by the girl sitting in front of me to watch.

To this day, it remains the darkest, most disturbing movie I've ever seen, despite the fact that I saw Schindler's List the very same year in that same class. Not to mention, when it comes to movies, I always end up thinking about what I would do if I were in the same situation as the characters.

Despite how dark it is, it was an amazing movie that was definitely worth the watch. Some dark movies are like that. Others are ones you never want to see again and hope to warn others away from.

Redditors have seen them all: dark movies they'd like to recommend and dark movies they wouldn't. They're eager to share those titles.

It all started when Redditor Affectionate_Cost498 asked:

"What was the darkest movie you’ve ever seen?"

Ouch

"American History X. That curb stomp is imprinted in my brain forever."

– Only_Protection_2565

"I've never seen the movie but just HEARING "curb stomp" makes me hurt inside because I can picture it."

– SurealGod

No Holding Back

"Definitely Requiem for a Dream. It's a cinematic roller coaster through the abyss of addiction that left me haunted and self-absorbed for days. A breathtaking masterpiece that pulls no punches."

– Blanklyplace

"Seeing that movie after nearly 5 years of sobriety really f**ks with you since it's where you were headed and many you know have gone and died."

– _OP_is_A_

"I saw Requiem for a Dream when I was about 13. Let's just say I never touched anything harder than weed/mushrooms."

– TonyClifton323

Too Much For Me

"The Road."

– kss1r

"I read the book because I wanted to watch the movie and compare them. After reading the book I skipped watching the movie because of how dark and depressing it is."

– Unlikely_Ad7194

Scare Them All

"No Country for Old Men. Just left me feeling empty inside."

– Hecc_hooman

"I heard Javier Bardem tell a truly hilarious story about that film. When it was first being released to select theaters, he went to several different showings. At the time he still had the distinctive haircut (maybe in case there were any required re-shoots? I can’t recall if he said that or not). He wanted to experience the film with different audiences to see how it was being received. And that’s when his bad boy emerged."

"He would always take a seat in the back and shortly before the film ended he would leave the theater and position himself near the exits so that the moviegoers would see him as they made the way out of the theater. He said he just couldn’t help himself because he got a kick out of how many people he was able to scare the crap out of just by standing there. Cracked me up just imagining it. I know if I’d been one of those people leaving the theater I would definitely have freaked out."

– Big-Summer-

Need A Chaser

"Martyrs."

– j_bone531

"Watched it once in a hotel room by myself, then watched baby goats playing on YouTube until my mood had recovered enough to call my wife."

– RonValhalla

On Drugs?

"A Clockwork Orange."

"F**king sick flick sick sick sick."

– Sneaky-er

"That's a one time watch ever movie."

– longswordsuperf**k

"After I saw it I called my friends to see if they had slipped me anything from the night before because I felt like I was literally on something."

– Sekrettrouble

Title Truth

"Melancholia is, well, melancholy, but that’s akin to dark."

– FieldUpbeat2174

"That whole movie and everything surrounding it is depressing."

– Totally_man

Burned In My Memory

"Hereditary."

"I have asthma so seeing the part in the car was horrifying. I've been in that position where you're clawing and gasping for breath while you suffocate. And then watching the poor little girl be decapitated by the pole, the brother just completely incapable of functioning because of the horror, and the raw grief and screams from the mom. That movie is like rubbing salt in a wound. Horror movies are all I watch but there are parts in that movie I'll never be able to forget."

– CannibalCapra

"Yeah, I have asthma and panic attacks so I was feeling the exact same thing when I was watching. That movie definitely f**ked me up. Just the gutteral screams.. Toni Collette is a great actor."

– invisible-bug

Based On A True Story

"That's an easy one. Schindler's List is the darkest, most horrifying movie I have ever seen. And it did not become less so when I as an adult traveled to many of the nazi camps in sentral Europe as a photographer to document them."

– Fenrisulfr1984

"Schindler's List because it is based on an all too true story. The others in these comments are dark for sure but not even a close second to this, IMHO."

– Factsaretheonlytruth

"Schindler's List."

"I could have saved one more."

– ferdfarkle

Unrecommended

"Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father."

"This is a documentary. I found people who were including it in their horror movie lists. I was curious so watched it. Darkest movie I've ever watched."

"I don't even recommend this movie to people because I don't want my friends to get upset. It was all so depressing."

– _flying_otter_

"This was awful. His parents went through so much."

– Thomk065

Never Again

"For me The Lovely Bones."

"Made the mistake watching whilst pregnant."

"That film is brutal and depressing I’d never watch again."

– UnicornsnRainbowz

"The Lovely Bones. My mother made me watch it as a kid to "make me more careful" because i was too friendly. Years down the line and I still feel sick remembering the plot."

– Toddy-co

"I've seen countless dark movies, however the one that kills me the most was The Lovely Bones. I've watched it once, and I can't bring myself to watch it again. Just hurts my heart."

– GlitteringWolf1540

Disaster After Disaster

"The Butterfly Effect is up there for me. Lenny, the mailbox scene, the basement, everything else. I was definitely too young when I saw that one..."

– xXBLITZxKRIEGXx

"Maybe The Butterfly Effect. I watched that as a kid and have the creepiest feeling nostalgia from it. Def need to rewatch it again though."

– acidbathe

Truly Dark

"The second Alien vs Predator. Multiple times I couldn't see who was the alien and who was the predator."

– KarlLagervet

"At first I thought it was our tv, but no, that movie is unwatchably dark."

– GuestCartographer

God, I hate movies that are so dark that you can't see a thing.

Filmmakers, take notes!

More from Trending

Jesse Watters
Fox News

Jesse Watters Dragged After Adding Another Mind-Boggling Rule For 'Real Men'

Fox News host Jesse Watters, who is apparently an authority of what it means to be a manly man, gave jazz hands to make a point about how "real men" should or shouldn't wave.

The target of his ridicule was Tim Walz, the enthusiastic Democratic Minnesota governor and vice presidential candidate who often greets the public by raising both hands in the air to wave.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of crowd at town hall and Rep. Mike Flood
@MorePerfectUS/X; KETV NewsWatch 7

GOP Rep. Goes Viral For His Response To Crowd Chanting 'Tax The Rich' At Town Hall

Nebraska Republican Representative Mike Flood was criticized following his incredulous response to a crowd that chanted "Tax the rich!" during a town hall meeting.

The Columbus High School auditorium hosted the town hall on Tuesday evening, drawing "nearly 380" attendees, according to local network KETV Omaha. The event was lively, with Flood facing both sharp criticism over Trump administration policies and some appreciation for showing up in person.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Awkward Typo In Elon Musk's Bizarre 'Education Department' Trump Meme Is A Total Self-Own

Billionaire Elon Musk was widely mocked after he celebrated President Donald Trump's executive order to begin to dismantle the Department of Education (DOE) by posting a meme of Trump at the department's grave, only for an awkward misspelling to get all the attention.

Polling indicates that eliminating the Education Department is largely unpopular, with 60% of registered voters opposing the move, according to a Quinnipiac University survey conducted March 6-10. Support stands at 33%, with opposition particularly strong among Democrats—98% oppose it, while just 1% support it.

Keep ReadingShow less
JB Pritzker; Donald Trump
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Dem Governor Reveals Trump's Bonkers Demand In Exchange For Equipment During COVID

Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker revealed during a speech this week that he clashed with President Donald Trump during the first Trump administration after Trump promised necessary medical equipment during the COVID pandemic on the condition that Pritzker praise him publicly.

Five years ago, the United States was grappling with the initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The country had entered shutdowns that had severe economic consequences, leaving businesses and industries on the brink of collapse.

Keep ReadingShow less
Scrabble tiles spelling the word scam
Scam spelled with scrabbles on a wooden table

People Break Down How They Realized An Entire Industry Was A Total Scam

We unfortunately live in a world where scams are on the rise.

Thankfully, some of them are pretty easy to detect, such as an automated call from the IRS telling you a warrant is out for your arrest, or an email claiming to be from Amazon or the USPS asking for your credit card information, only to look closer and see the email address is a yahoo account.

Keep ReadingShow less