One of my favorite films is 1985's Come and See. It's probably the finest anti-war film ever made. It's certainly the most disturbing. Did I mention it's filmed much like a horror film?
One of the most unsettling moments comes in the film's first half: Our protagonist is partially deafened following an attack by German paratroopers and dive bombers. The film's impeccable sound design puts you right in the moment, muting most sounds. The violence and destruction unfolds in a murky haze few sounds penetrate. I've never seen anything quite like that scene before or since. The film was recently released as part of the Criterion Collection and you bet I snatched that up! It's impeccable filmmaking. Highly recommended if you have the stomach for it. The screenshot above? That's from a scene just before a barn burning. That's all I'll say about that.
After Redditor Shreks_on_the_Beach asked the online community, "What scene in a film disturbed you the most?" people shared their opinions.
Warning: Spoilers and some disturbing content ahead.
"I don't believe in supernatural stuff..."
Event Horizon... the hell recording showing terrible things. I don't believe in supernatural stuff but that scene sticks with me.
"That movie is one of the most trippy..."
In Return to Oz where the girl is strapped to the table and when you see all those freestanding heads lining the walls. That movie is one of the most trippy and f***** up movies and it boggles my mind that it was marketed to children.
"The lack of any music..."
Zodiac. When he's stabbing the couple at Lake Berryessa. The lack of any music while hearing their screams is disturbing.
"That scene really traumatized me..."
There's a scene from the movie The Road where the father and his son discover a room full of chained, naked people waiting to be eaten by the cannibals living in the house and then they run away and they get chased by the cannibals.. That scene really traumatized me when I was young. I remember crying so hard when I watched that movie.
"This was so horrifying to me..."
This was so horrifying to me at the time because I was so young when I watched it but the last scene in Cannibal Holocaust where the cannibals assaulted and attacked one of the film crew has just stayed with me since.
"This still haunts me."
This still haunts me. The movie is Saw 2 and it's the part where the big guy doesn't want to do his challenge so he throws that girl into a pit of dirty needles . Can't think of many things that could be worse!
"I can't remember how old I was..."
I can't remember how old I was when I watched Terminator 2: Judgment Day, but I know I wasn't old enough to see it. Several scenes in that movie gave me nightmares, including when the T-1000 killed the security guard getting coffee and Sarah Connor's dreams about Judgment Day.
"The person looks down..."
The scene in Hotel Rwanda where someone is driving over a bumpy road. The person looks down and realizes the bumps are human bodies. It's horrible to know such things happened.
"There's other disturbing scenes..."
"What's in the box?" from Seven. There's other disturbing scenes in the movie of course, but that's the one that made me wish I'd never watched the film.
I even went so far as to write a spoiler free review for my friends, warning them all away from watching it. I let them know they'd regret it if they did.
My warning backfired horribly as I received a lot of messages complaining that my warning is what made them see it. And yes, they all regretted it just as I said they would.
"Had me in a cold sweat and crying."
The ending of Requiem for a Dream.
Had me in a cold sweat and crying.
Great film. But never again.
"I was 10 at the time..."
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, one of the opening scenes where Golom strangles his friend after they find the ring. I was 10 at the time, pretty sheltered, and it freaked the hell out of me. I imagine it was like watching someone actually kill someone for the first time. No weapons, just bare hands, and it just looked real.
"Something about watching..."
Probably the scene in Piranha 3D where everything goes to hell.
Something about watching all these beautiful women get creatively and brutally torn apart made me legitimately nauseous.
"The diner scene..."
Mulholland Drive - The diner scene with the creepy boogeyman coming from around a corner, shook me to my core and flinch away from the screen.
"All the flogging scenes..."
All the flogging scenes in 12 years a Slave sent shivers down my spine.
"Very sad and eerie..."
Lake Mungo - when they show the last footage of the main girl and see how she died. I consume a lot of horror material and it still gives me chills. The build up of her depression, the sense of impeding doom, and how it finally consumed her. All of it hit too close to home. Very sad and eerie movie portrayed beautifully.
"The scene where Pauline..."
Heavenly Creatures.
The scene where Pauline beats her own mother to death with a brick. That was such a brutal scene. Messed me up to hear it was based on a true story from my own country.
"Best acting I have ever seen in my life..."
Mystic River, when Sean Penn realized the body they found was his daughter's. Best acting I have ever seen in my life, shoot he wasn't even acting that was reality.
"It's a great movie..."
The Martian, when the guy is operating on himself with that intense music and heavy breathing. It's a great movie, but every time I have to skip that part or risk throwing up.
"When the guy is rolling the intestines up..."
The Cell.
When the guy is rolling the intestines up on some rotisserie looking thing. Also, the horse getting split up, and toward the end there's a bathtub scene where the guy literally looks like part of the wall until he does this weird back bend thing and you realize he's in the room.
"My favorite director that embodies this style..."
I love shock films. My favorite director that embodies this style is Gasper Noe. When I first saw Irreversible "that one" scene came on and it was the first time I ever felt uncomfortable. Mind you I am obsessed with mass shooting videos and gore but the way this is shot was uncomfortable.
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
Dunning-Kruger Times