The 10 Most F**ked Up Movies We've Seen

In honor of Halloween, and The Most F**ked Up Movies I've Ever Seen blogathon hosted by Nick at Cinematic Katzenjammer, I took a family-wide poll and compiled this list. Some of the movies on this list are high-quality films. Others not so much.

In no particular order:

1. Audition (Sarah) -- I haven't seen this Japanese horror film, but Sarah assures me that it's thoroughly fucked up. One blogger referred to it as "Takashe Miike’s masterpiece, the film that, reportedly, was too hard to watch for Rob Zombie."

2. Silence of the Lambs (Steph & John) -- Maybe this can't hold a candle, in sheer depravity, to many of the movies out there, but the hubby and I both cast a vote for this one. The hubby's a cop, and he's seen some crazy shit. But cannibalism? Sewing clothing with human skin? And what about that little dance Buffalo Bill puts on in front of the mirror? (Yes, the one with the special junk-tuck.) It took me a while to scrub all the disturbing images in this movie from my brain.

3. The Living & the Dead (by group consensus) -- This isn't a horror movie. It's a somewhat experimental indie film about a mentally ill young man desperately trying to prove he's capable and earn his father's respect. The disturbing nature of the story, surreal hallucination sequences, and scenes in which the cinematography seems to be on crack ... they all add up to an unsettling and bizarre movie.

4. The Last Circus (Sarah) -- I'm not sure whether she liked the movie but it was undoubtedly violent and bizarre. One reviewer panned it thus: "You’re left with the vague recollection of an interesting movie you were watching before you got kidnapped and subjected to over an hour of torture porn starring a fat, sadistic clown." Well. How many movies can you say that about?

5. The Return of the Living Dead (Steph) -- Lest I insult any of our gentle readers by bashing this movie, understand that I am rarely a fan of camp and gore. And sometimes horror comedy works for me ... sometimes, not so much. This recycled zombie film was mostly disturbing to me in the sense of "Oh my God! I can't believe I wasted hard-earned money on a movie ticket!" I saw this in the theater when I was 19, right at the peak of my misspent youth. I was completely hammered. And the movie was still too stupid for me. 'Nuff said.

6. Dead Alive (Steph) -- John and Sarah like this campy horror comedy, but I am not a fan. O.K., so it has a few catchy lines, like "I kick ass for the Lord!" and "That's my mum you're pissing on." But for the most part, I thought it was just pointless and disgusting -- an opinion which continues to be a point of contention between my daughter and me. But seriously? Zombies copulating and producing an baby who looks like some sort of mutant kewpie doll? Who wreaks havoc on the playground and is later pureed in a blender? I rest my case.

7. The Clockwork Orange (John) -- He's the only member of this household who's seen this movie, but it is famously fucked up and bizarre -- it's also considered a masterpiece.

8. American Psycho (Steph) -- O.K., I cheated a little bit on this one. Part of the reason I found it disturbing is that it reminded me of the novel, which contains scenes of bizarre brutality I am actively trying to repress. There are right and wrong ways to play with your power tools, kids, and there are place rodents are just not meant to go. That's all I'm gonna say. But the movie is pretty disturbing, as well as darkly humorous, in its own right.

9. Red White and Blue (Steph and Sarah) -- The two most important parts of the unholy trifecta we're told to watch out for, when assessing children who may develop antisocial personality disorder, are cruelty to animals and starting fires. So as a child, Nate got his life started on the right foot by setting his sister's parakeet on fire. It goes downhill from there. And if you're going to be a psychopath, a little military training -- say, in interrogations -- never hurts.

And Now the Grand Prize Winner:

(drum roll, please)

10. "Bitch" in Little Deaths (Sarah) -- This short film definitely made an impression on her. One reviewer summed it up this way:

“Bitch” begins with a peek into the (a-hem) domestic bliss of couple Pete (Tom Sawyer) and Claire.(Kate Braithwaite).  Their relationship is, you could say, strained and is one based on power and domination.  You’d think the title was referring to Claire, but then in a shocking scene we see that Pete is living in a big doghouse in the living room and eats out of a dog dish and even has a doggie mask for those “special” times they have together.

5 Honorable Mentions: 

• American History X (That curb-stomp scene alone was enough to give me a lifetime subscription to nightmares.)
• Dead Man Walking (From what I recall, the violence wasn't graphic, but I still had to pause the movie and leave the room several times.)
• The Accused (Because of the long, intense rape scene)
• Requiem for a Dream (The disturbing bits that stick with me are the infected arm and the notorious "ass to ass" scene. Oy!)
• Trainspotting (Mainly because of the baby tragedy. Though the "worst toilet" in Scotland and Begby going ape-shit in the pub are also unforgettably fucked up. This movie definitely put me off the idea of experimenting with heroin -- or using public toilets.)

What's the most insane, disturbing, and/or gratuitously stupid film you've seen?