[Editorial] Extreme Horror Films Most Likely to Haunt Your Dreams

It’s downright infuriating to hear people blather on about how a film can – nay will – cause someone to go off the deep end. As if the mere visual ingestion of violent images could somehow alter the inner workings of a person’s mind and result in uncontrollable, vicious actions. Movies are movies. Fiction. Works of art, depending on who you ask. We aren’t portals, open for possession or prone to bewitching. Humans are simple, much more likely to be influenced by the actions of our peers than images on screen. 

That being said, there are certainly those films that are, upon first watch, so downright disturbing, so depraved, so utterly gut-wrenching, that maybe, just maybe, they make even the most desensitized viewer think twice about the possibility of a dark and nefarious evil power at work, twisting its gnarled fingers around your brain and taking root. 

These films are likely not the ones you’re thinking – they aren’t mainstream schlock, aren’t hyper-stylized gloss-fests with spattering’s of gore here and there. It isn’t The Omen or Poltergeist, those brilliant films with haunted reputations. They are the films that conservative censor-mongers want to slap an X-rating on and ship off to a dark closet somewhere. These films cement their titles in history by being so hard to find, so unnerving to watch, with lore following them through their troubled shoots and branded as “haunted” or “cursed.” Sometimes they aren’t seen by many, but the few who do get their hands on them may sit in the dark in the moments after the final reel with an overwhelming, almost inescapable sense of perturbation. 

Bless these films, and bless yourself by seeking them out, these, the film’s I deem most likely to haunt your dreams.

A Little More Flesh (2020)

This shocker was released in 2020 amidst the chaos of the pandemic, a creepy, unsettling testament to the ingenuity of independent film. Sam Ashurst’s A Little More Flesh welcomes the public return of notorious director Stanley Durall to record the audio commentary of his 1970 banned film “God’s Lonely Woman.” Throughout the film, Durall’s voice recalls the events of the shoot, dropping small hints to the viewer as to the fate of those involved. As Durall unveils secrets from behind the scenes, the film is continuously interrupted with jarring and haunting images. 

A Little More Flesh is a scathing commentary on the abuse and toxicity within the film industry, but more than that, one gets the feeling that the terrifying events that occurred on the set of this long-lost film left a curse on those involved. There is a strong sense that the trauma inflicted on Durall’s leading lady has left a shadow on the film’s history, affecting all who watch. You can now grab a limited edition copy of A Little More Flesh I and II on VHS!

Opera Mortem (1973)

Experimentation courts infamy in David Fleas’ Opera Mortem, known since its creation as one of the most haunted films ever made. The fear of Satanism spurned rumors of this film being cursed, with graphic images of necrophilia, torture, sex, suicidal ideations, and satanic imagery at the forefront of the film’s focus. Stories were told of people dying simply by walking past the theater in which the film was being screened, causing fervent mobs to protest the film. After so many years of being lost (or hidden for the safety of the viewer?) Opera Mortem has found a re-release of a limited 666 copies through TetroVideo. Take heed, this film must be watched with the headphones in, and curtains drawn for maximum effect. 

In a Glass Cage (1986)

If for no other reason than the controversial subject matter of Nazism, pedophilia, and torture, writer and director Augustí Villaronga’s In a Glass Cage carries the heaviness of a story so vile, that there is a pervading sense that the souls of whom history cursed so tragically must certainly haunt this film. This Spanish extreme horror film follows a former Nazi doctor who at one time performed sadomasochistic experiments on young boys but is now left paralyzed after a failed suicide attempt. 

While In a Glass Cage is not directly based on a true story, the nauseating reality of Nazi experimentation in concentration camps cannot be forgotten, and the haunting stories of those who survived contribute to the deep feeling of unease while watching this revenge tale play out.

August Underground (2001)

If for no other reason than the dirty, DIY, perverted feeling that Fred Vogel’s August Underground invokes, it must be added to this list. This amateur found footage film documents serial killer Peter (Vogel) as he casually kidnaps, tortures, and dismembers his victims. The gritty feel of this exploitation film along with the impressive effects does at time give one pause, as the sense of snuff emerges from the shaky cam footage. 

Of course, this isn’t a snuff film, but for those of us who refuse to go that far down the extreme film iceberg, the screams of Peter’s victims resonate long after the film is over. This film haunts the viewer with its relentless cruelty void of any real, cohesive storyline.

Antichrist (2009)

Lars Von Trier is brilliant at subversive storytelling that upsets and unsettles, but there is one film in his repertoire that goes beyond his expected thematic traumatization. Within Antichrist, Von Trier creates a world that feels both claustrophobic and dissociating, treating grief as its own ghost, haunting She (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and He (Willem Dafoe) to the point of complete chaos. 

The woods in Antichrist pulsate, the trees exhale gentle yet conspiratorial whispers, anthropomorphic symbolism casting accusatory glares toward He and She as they attempt to heal from a life-altering tragedy. Witnessing the devolution of the two leaves the viewer questioning their own capacity for violence if thrust into the same situation. Von Trier manages to create his own haunted forest, with a score and cinematography that carves a lingering place in the mind long after the film’s last frame. It’s almost guaranteed that you will wake up in the middle of the night thinking about Antichrist at least once after watching.  

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