Goriest Movies Ever Made

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Horrorphile - December 2008

Horrorphile's 13 GORIEST MOVIES EVER MADE

December 1st 2008 23:44

I had to follow up my previous post – 13 Scariest Movies Ever Made – with this one. It just wouldn’t be right if I didn’t. However when it comes down to it, compiling this list is a lot more difficult. I thought it would be easy. But the ugly truth of the matter is there are a lot more graphically violent movies than there are intensely scary ones. To be precise; the kinds of movies that meet my criteria for “scariest” are fewer than the ones that meet my criteria for “goriest”.

Splitting headache courtesy of zombie baby

Firstly I had to eliminate the ones that are full of bloody carnage, but the blood doesn’t look real (i.e. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead and Argento’s Suspiria). That gets rid of quite a few. Then I had to disregard the ones that try to gross the audience out with dismemberment and disembowelment, but the guts look like plastic tubing and the severed limbs look like papier-mâché. That’s another bunch dealt to.

Extraordinary extraterrestrial gore

Gore has to be realistic and convincing in its graphicness. It needs to induce serious wincing and if possible cause the viewer to gag. Now, some people will gag at anything, so the gore needs to make hardened horrorphile’s have a rough time. There needs to be extreme brutality, cruelty, viciousness, and savagery.

Somebody should take an axe to this vamp

But what about special effects make-up vs. CGI? And therein lies The Rub. CGI as a rule doesn’t deliver the same palpable, tangible effect as effects which are created and realised in front of the camera. You know it’s been digitally created and therefore the effect isn’t really there; essentially it’s been drawn in, added after, and so lacks the raw immediacy which is a crucial part of the horror. But I suppose that’s all academic. What you see on screen is what counts.

Yes, that's a pregnant belly, and yes, those are sharp scissors

There are numerous movies that claim to be the goriest ever made which I’ve not yet seen, such as the Japanese flick Guinea Pig: Flowers of Flesh and Blood (1985) and the Hong Kong flick Men Behind the Sun (1988). In itself this should present a problem, but I’m not going to let that weigh too heavily on my shoulders, I’ve seen enough to warrant a reasonably definitive list. I’ve seen the first two Saw movies. The first was inventive and the second was a pile of steaming crap.

You want torture? Takashi Miike delivers in spades

So have you eaten lunch yet, ‘cos I’m gonna spill the beans? It was very hard limiting it to my rule of thumb (13), and it was equally hard deciding on the order.

1. Day of the Dead
(US, 1985, George A. Romero)
2. Braindead
(NZ, 1991, Peter Jackson)
3. The Thing
(US, 1982, John Carpenter)
4. 30 Days of Night
(US, 2007, David Slade)
5. À l'intérieur
(France, 2007, Alexandre Bustillo & Julien Maury)
6. Imprint
(Japan, 2006, Takashi Miike)
7. The Evil Dead
(US, 1982, Sam Raimi)
8. Land of the Dead
(Unrated version, US, 2005, George A. Romero)
9. Cannibal Holocaust
(Italy, 1980, Ruggero Deodato)
10. Opera
(Italy, 1987, Dario Argento)
11. Re-Animator
(US, 1985, Stuart Gordon)
12. Frontière(s)
(France, 2007, Xavier Gens)
13. Hostel: Part II
(US, 2007, Eli Roth)

Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988), Dawn of the Dead (2004), The Hills Have Eyes (2006), Dèmoni (1985), RoboCop (1986), Feast (2005), and 28 Weeks Later (2007) didn’t make the final 13, but they deserve a mention.

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: lists

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Comments

31 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Damo

December 2nd 2008 08:57

With the zombie baby the victim is still smiling.
You have to love that.

Comment by Morgan Bell

December 2nd 2008 12:31

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Artist Quirk

gore hmmm . . .

id probably say

- House Of Wax (2005)

actually i think thats my whole list, im not really that into gore

sometimes just a splash of gore in an otherwise non-gorey movie can make you shudder, like the cheek biting scene in Cape Fear, or the curly torture scenes in Pans Labyrinth

i liked 30 Days Of Night, i didnt find it that gorey, although i guess you do see more blood than a regular vampire flick . . . would you believe thats the only movie i have seen from your list?

Comment by Bryn

December 3rd 2008 00:47

Horrorphile

Damo, yeah, I worked on that flick! Great gory fun indeed!

Morgan, you didn't find 30 Days of Night that gory??!!! It has the best decapitation (savagely and messily by axe) scene in horror history (although The Omen runs a close second) ... also my father's in it, he's the first victim, the old codger.
I don't think I've seen House of Wax, or if I have I've completely forgotten it. I'll check it out (again), even if it's just to see Paris get offed.
Pan's Labyrinth has a particularly nasty bludgeoning by wine bottle ... and then there's the razor blade too.

Comment by Morgan Bell

December 3rd 2008 10:55

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Artist Quirk

oh wow, was that your father?

thats a very cool claim to fame!

maybe all the snow just gave it a clean feeling? *shrug*

Comment by Bryn

December 3rd 2008 15:47

Horrorphile

I'm just impressed you somehow missed how graphic and realistic that axe in the neck sequence was at the end of 30 Days of Night ...

Comment by Morgan Bell

December 3rd 2008 17:46

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Artist Quirk

lets watch it shall we . . .

as you can see it was all totally implied

Comment by Kleonaptra

December 3rd 2008 20:40

Kalikapsychosis

Im glad you threw in the latest Dawn of the Dead - not necessarily gory worthy but so much suspense, the early on disaster scenes were so well done. And, you know, theres no hope, even at the end.

Popping off zombie celebs was a special moment.

Comment by Bryn

December 4th 2008 02:03

Horrorphile

Morgan ... mmmmmmm.

Kleo, yeah Zack Snyder impressed the hell out of me with his re-envisioning.

Comment by Edinburgh festival grinch

July 8th 2009 15:57

Cannibal Holocaust is a truly shocking film. People I know who I`ve given plot outlines to have refused to watch the film. Remember also that 7 animals were actually killed in the making of the film. Could you imagine if that happened today? I think the film is still banned in some countries.

Last House on the Left might be worth a mention too.

As far as decapitation scenes go you should check out Severance - a cool horror comedy - with the emphasis on horror and also The Cottage - with possibly the most gruesome decapitation scene of them all which involves a face, a shovel and a foot.

Comment by Bryn

July 9th 2009 01:20

Horrorphile

Grinch, it was the disgusting butchering of the live turtle in Holocaust that lingered with me in a most distasteful way. The human gore didn't affect me so much.

I'm not impressed with the original Last House, the special effects aren't very special at all. I haven't seen the remake yet, it hasn't been released down under.

I haven't heard of Severance, but I quite enjoyed The Cottage. Best decapitation scenes for me are The Omen (glass plane), Haute Tension (wardrobe) and 30 Days of Night (axe), but yes, The Cottage has a pretty good one.

Comment by dwllamorte dellamore

August 1st 2009 06:40

wat about maniac..savanis head and a shot gun..nuff said..City of the living dead aka the gates of hell a girl vomits her own guts , crys blood and rips the back of her boy friends head off..not mention the drill through the temple

Comment by Bryn

August 1st 2009 10:00

Horrorphile

Dwllamorte (with a "w")

Yup, yup, yup. All worthy mentions. Some of the sfx are a little dodgy in places in some of those movies, but the intent is clear. Savini is a legend. Cheers mate.

Comment by Anonymous

August 24th 2009 00:02

what about ichi the killer?

Comment by Bryn

August 24th 2009 00:52

Horrorphile

Anon, Ichi the Killer was definitely visceral and gory for sure, but I didn't find it as convincing in its realism as the movies I've listed, it was more fantastical ... (The Evil Dead being the exception)

Comment by Anonymous

August 28th 2009 15:17

Watch 'Evil Breed', my opinion, goriest movie ever, and the gore is the most realistic I have ever seen.

Comment by Bryn

August 29th 2009 02:50

Horrorphile

Evil Breed, huh? Don't think I've heard of it, but I'll investigate. High praise, and it will need to be pretty damn impressive to bet some of the contenders on my list. Cheers for the heads up.

Comment by seve

November 12th 2009 18:26

All the films mentioned are definitely gore-tastic but the one scene that genuinely shocked me was the skin ripping scene from Silent Hill.
It really caught me off guard and made me feel very uneasy,

Comment by ZombiFreak

November 15th 2009 20:16

Okay Okay this is getting on my nerves. How in the name of god could no one mention films like Bad Taste,Zombi,Suspiria,Battle Royale,Cat in The Brain,Ricky O,Hatchet,Hell Of The Living Dead,I Spit On Your Grave,The Beyond & The Original Dawn Of The Dead. Oh and whoever mentioned Tom Savini's name in mention to City Of The Living Dead is an idiot! City was a Lucio Fulci film and was far beyond Savini's skills (i'm sorry). I find this list flawed and as far as Evil Breed goes Jenna Jameson was the only thing that even made that film watchable!Also how in the hell does Day Of The Dead beat Cannibal Holocaust on this list?

Comment by Bryn

November 15th 2009 22:40

Horrorphile

ZombiFreak, no need to get your intestines in a twist!
I'll spell things out for you shall I?
If you'd actually read the introduction to my list, which you obviously didn't, I describe the criteria for my selection.
My list of goriest movies is based on how convincing the special effects make-up are. In my humble opinion none of the movies you mentioned have particularly convincing special effects make up, either because the colour and consistency of blood is wrong, or the dismembered limbs look fake, etc, etc.
I love many Fulci movies, but not because I think the special effects are awesome. I enjoy his movies for their atmosphere and creepiness. The same goes for Argento. I'm a huge Argento fan. Suspiria's special effects are dodgy as hell, but the movie as an overall experience is brilliant. Opera's gore effects are far more convincing!
Day of the Dead easily beats Cannibal Holocaust in the special effects department. The woman impaled on the spear is the most impressive special effect, but it doesn't come close to the realism of Day of the Dead's arm amputation or face tearing. Cannibal Holocaust is definitely grim and horrific, but it is most shocking for the disgusting butchery of the live turtle. But that doesn't count, because it's not a special effect.
So, you can't call my list flawed. You can disagree with it, that's your prerogative, but next time before you get all high and mighty make sure you understand where I'm coming from first, cheers!

Comment by ZombiFreak

November 16th 2009 03:37

My apologies I get carried away sometimes when it comes to this topic. In the case of the special effects most of the films I mentioned don't have the greatest I will admit but I have always been a firm believer that better special effects don't in all cases make a better movie but I do see your point and I agree that Day Of The Dead DOES deserve to be number 1 without doubt and Opera is the better Argento for the realism aspect

Comment by Bryn

November 16th 2009 04:08

Horrorphile

Zombi ... that's cool, glad you finally peered into the Darkness and saw the light

I quite agree that great special effects do not make a great film. The special effects makeup in Tim Burton's re-envisioning of Planet of the Apes is very impressive, but the movie barks like a bloody dog!

Comment by ZombiFreak

November 23rd 2009 19:15

Now I have a question on this topic and need some help if you could? I just watched Cannibal Ferox aka Make Them Die Slow and can some on PLEASE tell me what the hell was supposed to be SO SHOCKING that is has been banned in like 31 countries? I get the whole live animal(s) being killed on film but other then that I think it was kind of a run of the mill cannibal flick. I understand that for most this movie MAY bother some people i.e. my wife (not a gore fan). From a mechanics stand point this movie blows but what made it such a taboo film? I love Lenzi's work (Man From Deep River) and I understand he was trying to push it as far as he could for the 80's anyway but I just don't get the big deal

Comment by Bryn

November 24th 2009 01:42

Horrorphile

Zombi, there isn't such a big deal. Cannibal Ferox is a cheap and nasty affair with dodgy special effects. Twenty years ago it was considered taboo.

Comment by ZombiFreak

November 24th 2009 16:51

Kinda what my impression was too but I wanted a second opinion and who better to go to then someone who thinks like me. Now have you ever seen or heard anything about Cannibal Holocaust:The Beginning or Schramm. I cant find CH but Schramm I can get on Blockbuster and it sounds really hardcore (in the description it says he nails his "rooster" to a table) I need some advice if you could

Comment by Bryn

November 24th 2009 21:31

Horrorphile

Cannibal Holocaust: The Beginning I've not heard of. Only Ruggero's original, and also that he's in pre-production on what was to be a remake but is now a sequel called Cannibals (the teaser poster of which suggests the cannibals have made it to NYC). I reviewed Schramm, and I find it curious you can find such a movie at Blockbuster (certainly can't get it at the one up the road from my place).

Comment by ZombiFreak

November 24th 2009 23:23

I am stoked for Cannibals but Cannibal Holocaust:The Beginning was from my understanding a limited release "remake" of sorts from what I have read but it is hard as hell to find. I am a HUGE fan of the cannibal sub-genre and I am looking to find some films that I have not yet seen. Also I did read your review and I am gonna check it out I think because blood,guts & gore are a few of my favorite things lol

Comment by Xstine

December 8th 2009 04:29

Oh, thank you THANK YOU for giving props to Imprint. I am a big time Miike fan, and the first time I watched that torture scene, I had to cover my eyes AND ears. The sound of the needles going in still get me!! Not to mention all the other stuff that goes on in that movie.... genuinely stomach turning. Personally I'd add in 3 extremes, especially Dumplings. Although there's not a ton of blood and guts, chopping up dead fetuses and eating them.... ugh.

Comment by Bryn

December 8th 2009 22:07

Horrorphile

Xstine (like your name styling), yeah Miike, whew! I presume you've seen Audition (the sound of the amputation in that is ghastly!!!)
I've seen 3 Extremes, and Dumplings is the best of the three. The concept is very gross indeed, but it didn't make the goriest list.

Comment by ZombiFreak

January 23rd 2010 04:10

I have been watching Romero's Dead series again from the 1st thru the remakes (ugh) and what about Land Of The Dead for a close runner up? I know it wasn't his finest work but damn it the gore was pretty realistic and the blood flowed freely in it. I think it was one of his over looked pieces of art but who am I?

Comment by Bryn

January 23rd 2010 06:54

Horrorphile

Zombi, actually check my review for Land of the Dead, I plugged the DVD unrated version as pretty darn good as far as the gore effects go, since he had to tone it down for the widely-released US R-rated version (which Australia got as well, but rated MA), blackening the colour of the blood and obscuring some graphic parts with CGI obstacles.
My fave of the series in this order:
Day of the Dead
Night of the Living Dead
Land of the Dead
Dawn of the Dead
Diary of the Dead
Apparently Survival of the Dead will be his last. But I'm still hanging out for Twilight of the Dead or Dusk of the Dead ...

Comment by ZombiFreak

January 23rd 2010 19:40

I hate when they do that to OUR films!!!
My fave's are as follows:
Dawn Of The Dead (All Time Fave!!)
Night Of The Living Dead
Day Of The Dead
Land Of The Dead
Diary Of The Dead

I also love in "Land" when Tom Savini's biker character w/ machete in hand is still in it!!

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