BEST OF LISTS

10 Films to Make You Feel Sick

by Chris and Kris   ⋅   August 27, 2006   ⋅   Comment now   ⋅    RSS

LisTen up!We’ve been seeing quite a lot of uninspired top 10 lists these days, and decided to start posting our own to remedy the situation. You’ll start seeing lists of 10 throughout the coming months. First up, inspired byt the recent Takashi Miike Masters of Horror controversy, Dreamlogic.net’s list of 10 films guaranteed to make you feel sick (or at least somewht uncomfortable). The list progresses from the mildly twitchworthy, to the vomit inducing. Enjoy.

10. The Ring (TV Version. Aka: Ringu: Kanzen-Ban). A straight adaptation of Koji Suzuki’s original novel. In this one Sadako’s a hermaphrodite who has an incestuous relationship with her father, and the tape is a product of psychic imprinting. The tape Kris has is a 5th generation copy given to Kris by a friend…which needless to say adds quite a bit to the scares.

9. SE7EN. It may not be that disturbing today, but the first time I saw it, in a cheapie 2nd run theater in Cupertino, I felt sick. Signature scenes: the gooseflesh inducing knife apparatus, and “Sloth’s” awakening.

8. Funny Games. Michael Haenke’s tale of two young men who hold a vacationing family hostage and torture them. Not for the faint of heart, though far easier to endure than the rest of the films on this list. Signature scene: The Remote Control.

7. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. Michael Rooker’s portrayal of protagonist serial killer Henry beats the pants off of Bale’s Bateman any day. It’s creepy to the core. You’ll never be able watch Mallrats in the same light again.

6. Irreversible. A journey backwards from spirit crushing despair to lost hope and joy. You probably already know about this film, so there’s no need to write it up (Review on site.) The film features the Butcher from I Stand Alone at the start, an arguably better film by Noe, but a far less disturbing one. Signature scene: The fire extinguisher assault in “Le Rectum”.

5. Baxter: The Dog Who Thinks. At first glance this French film may seem to be just about a smart dog who makes cute observations about humanity, but about halfway through the narrative takes some very dark turns (specifically with the Dog’s owner), and becomes a commentary about the evil lurking in the heart of man. An icky creepy little film.

4. Men Behind the Sun. A Chinese portrayal of Japanese brutality during World War II. The film takes place in Squadron 731, a death camp of sorts with all sorts of tortures awaiting its Russian and Chinese prisoners. The film is presented as a historical document, which further compounds the nastiness of the film. A word of caution: This film should not be viewed by cat lovers, under any circumstance.

3. Cannibal Holocaust. The Blair Witch owes everything to this film. A team of Mondo filmmakers head off into the Amazon looking to make a documentary about cannibals. Tragedy befalls the team, and their reclaimed footage reveals the filmmakers were far more savage than those they set out to document. The film is relentlessly ugly and features the legendary, inappropriately beautiful soundtrack by Riz Ortolani. As stomach churning as it is, Cannibal Holocaust is important to watch, as the days of Mondo criticized in the film quite mirror these days of manufactured sensation, labeled “Reality Television”.

2. Last House on the Left. Wes Craven’s first filmic effort is actually a remake of Bergman’s The Virgin Spring. While oft compared to I Spit on Your Grave, it has none of the Feminist vibe, as neither of the two girls in the film makes it out alive. Last House is an evil little movie that made me feel sick for days. I actually sold the film a few days after picking it up at a Halloween sale.

1. Salo, The 120 Days of Sodom. Pasolini’s portrayal of Italian Fascism is one of the most sickening spectacles ever. Shit eating, child abuse and more await those who choose to venture down the path of Pasolini’s “unwatchable” film. The production must have been mentally damaging, as of the child actors in the film actually murdered Pasolini later on in life. My friend would like to me to add this is reportedly George Bush’s favorite film.

Honorable mention: Anything by Takashi Ishii, from Angel Guts to Freeze Me. These films are disturbing as all hell. You will make you have to take a hot shower with lye to rid yourself of the feeling of impurity. Yuck. Plus, About Schmidt. That Kathy Bates scene has traumatized me for life.

Think we missed something? Have your own top 10 list? Feel free to post it below.