Dark movies are not everyone’s cup of tea. The extreme visuals often leave people scarred and the plot too is not something that you would usually find in regular cinema. Dark movies are characterized by exceptional direction and require a unique style of thinking and creativity. Only those who understand creativity can understand the form of expression those dark movies represent. Today we are here with a list of the 14 best dark movies of all time that every dark movie fanatic swears by!
1. Get out
Get Out is a horror/thriller that exposes the harsh reality of Black Americans living among the white elite. Although a little exaggerated, which adds to the impact of the film, Get out is an unsettling film which will make you look around and reflect on the society that you live in (especially if you’re American) The movie is known for its direction that aids the expression of the idea of the movie with utter brilliance.
2. American Psycho
We added this one to gather all the sigma males. American psycho starring the evergreen actor, Christian Bale is a favourite among people who love dark movies. It revolves around a self-centred narcissistic Wall Street banker who has psychopathic tendencies which escalate into him becoming a serial killer. Christian bale as Patrick Bateman, the businessman, was remarkable. You know an actor has done an outstanding job as a serial killer when his mere presence invokes a sense of discomfort.
3. Antichrist
The Antichrist is a 2009 movie starring William Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg. The movie has haunting visuals that will leave you speechless but are perfect with the backdrop of the movie. The plot is unusual, to say the least. The movie is disturbing and is not like your typical horror movie.
4. They shoot horses, don’t they?
A 1969 psychological drama, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? is a movie that depicted the trauma that people had to go through during the Great Depression. In order to earn some money, a few people decide to contest in a dance marathon. It takes a dark turn when these contestants become an object of entertainment for other audiences who watch them go through exhaustion and pain. The movie will make your gut wrench at how we have a tendency of wanting to watch our own kind suffer.
5. Precious
Precious is an extraordinary movie with the most bizarre plot which takes on a few twists and turns. The main plot of the movie revolves around a 16-year-old girl, Precious who is pregnant for the second time after being sexually assaulted by her own father. She is also subject to regular emotional abuse by her mother which is portrayed morbidly. The movie is not easy to watch. It reveals the truth of how generational trauma is reflected in younger children who don’t have the option to escape.
6. Midsommar
The symbolic visuals of the movie are truly distressing once you find the true meaning behind them. Midsommar is the perfect movie for people who are into cults. It depicts how cults completely brainwash their members to become abnormal. The movie will leave you perturbed by the seemingly harmless scenes. It is one of the best dark movies out there.
7. Compliance
Compliance is a movie about a real-life scam that was taking place in America in the 2000s. The scammer, posing as a police officer would ask female employees for a strip search and would later exploit them. The movie revolves around one such incident which takes a grave turn when the woman is tortured to an extreme. the fact that the movie is based on a real-life incident makes it all the more disconcerting.
8. The Human Centipede Trilogy
Yup, the movie is exactly what it sounds like. The movie is gory and fits perfectly into the body horror genre. It deals with a psychotic doctor who captures people to achieve his dream of curating a human centipede. How these humans are connected to form the centipede, you ask? By their buttocks. Yes, the heads of the people forming the midsection of the centipede are ripped from their bodies which are then attached to the preceding one’s butt. Only the person who forms the head of the centipede naturally gets to keep his head. It is a not-so-ordinary trilogy which is a must-watch.
9. Salo
Salo is a 1976 Italian movie directed by the famous and celebrated Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini. The movie is known for its vivid portrayal of Evil. Set in 1943-45, it follows the story of 9 adolescent boys who are subject to extreme mental, emotional and sexual torture. The portrayal of this torture in the movie is extremely disturbing making it one of the most uncomfortable and the best dark movies of all time.
10. Piggy
Released in 2022, Piggy is the story of a fat girl who witnesses a man kidnap her bullies but remains silent during the police investigation. The internal conflict that she goes through during the investigation and search is one of a kind and gives the audience an insight into how the human brain works.
11. Cannibal Holocaust
Cannibal Holocaust is probably one of the most horrifying movies out there. The cannibalistic tribes of the amazon basin and elsewhere in the world remain a mystery. The movie attempts to explore the mystery with the portrayal of extreme violence and REAL animal deaths. the gore in the movie is almost realistic so the viewer’s discretion is advised before watching the movie. You genuinely have to be prepared for the unexpected while watching the movie. It is certainly a repulsive movie which proves that it is one of the best dark movies.
12. Infinity Pool
The 2023 movie Infinity pool starts off rather unsuspectingly with a couple going on a vacation. No one and nothing will be able to prepare you for the amount of foreboding turns the movie takes before becoming a complete bodymorphic horror. Infinity Pool might not have been received well by its audience for its extreme mind-boggling visuals but hey isn’t that the characteristic of dark movies?
13. Raw
This movie is exceptional when it comes to screenplay and plot. It follows the story of a vegan who when enters vet school is forced to have meat and that’s where the problem begins. She develops an urge to eat human flesh, adding an absolute cannibalistic twist to the movie. the movie has gore, is disturbing and sometimes also unwatchable making it one of the best dark movies.
14. Requiem for a dream
Starring Jared Leto and Jennifer Connelly, Requiem for a dream is a story of a couple who start taking drugs to fulfil the needs of what they think is a healthy life but end up getting addicted to them. The movie conveys the struggles they go through while facing addiction in an extremely vivid manner. The psychological thriller is said to have perfectly captured the addictive nature of the human brain in such detail that it has left its viewers in complete shock.
Well, that’s enough gore for the day. This was our list of the best dark movies of all time. Let us know which one made you wince in your seats and made your gut wrench out of discomfort!
Also read: 10 Best Dark Korean Movies On Netflix That Will Make You Feel Heavy