Movies always manipulate the emotions of the viewer toward certain ends, but what is most impressive is when they are not just general feelings but something more specific. Filmmakers who grasp the true potential of the medium guide audiences toward these more specific feelings that lead to hyper-emotive experiences. This is what leads to the types of movies that we can't stop talking about that do more than just make us happy or sad, that consume us on a deeper level.
One such acute feeling is when a movie is best considered a chilling experience. These movies are special for how they aren't the type of thing to leave audiences screaming in terror or jumping at shadows, they stare a viewer in the eye and sit with them in the room. They're the type of film that slowly dawns on someone and envelops them in a feeling of wrongness. Here are ten such films that offer exceptionally unnerving experiences.
Touch of Evil (1958)
Orson Welles is one of the all-time legends of cinema, having made many incredible movies, one of which might be the most influential film ever made with his debut Citizen Kane. His filmography is defined by stories of immoral men struggling to maintain their grip on life, but none are quite as disturbing as his noir classic Touch of Evil. It tells the story of Miguel Vargas, a Mexican drug agent struggling to work with corrupt police captain Hank Quinlan in the investigation of a car bombing that occurred on the U.S./Mexico border.
The film is famous for its incredible one-shot opening, but not given enough credit for the more shocking elements that no other film was doing at the time. There are multiple scenes that rival many of today's most disturbing thrillers that illustrate the frighteningly callous world presented in the film. One particularly scarring scene involves a violent strangulation, resulting in a horrifying corpse with bulging eyes that is sure to stay in a viewer's mind long after the film has finished. It's another masterfully crafted movie from the great Orson Welles that continues to stand the test of time.
Perfect Blue (1997)
Most people have a desire to be famous, to be someone who is adored by so many that their existence is acknowledged on a massive scale. These dreams are natural as they stem from the universal need to be loved and appreciated, yet we fail to consider the negative consequences that can come from fame. Satoshi Kon gives what might be the greatest depiction of the price of fame in the surreal nightmare film Perfect Blue.
The movie is about a Japanese pop idol who has decided to retire from music to pursue a career in acting. This leads to a series of traumatizing situations, with her being pressured into many compromising scenarios meant to exploit her image. Her life outside of acting isn't much better, with her often living in sad isolation despite her having an overwhelming number of adoring fans. Things get progressively worse as every slowly degrades into a dehumanizing nightmare where reality no longer feels real. A deeply disturbing film that only the great Satoshi Kon could make.
The Witch (2015)
The heritage of most chilling stories can be traced back to old folktales that have been passed down for generations about all manner of supernatural occurrences tied to unknown powers. A film that perfectly captures all the energy of these folktales is Robert Eggers' The Witch, a paranoid story of a Puritan family who has been exiled from their community and is now tormented by a malevolent force hiding in the woods near their farm.
Eggers' film is about as close to perfect as you can get in telling a story of this nature, capturing the superstitious beliefs of these deeply religious people of the time with a great sense of realism. You can feel the family being ripped apart inside by their increasingly dire circumstances that challenge their deep-seated faith as well as their connection to one another. It all comes to a head in the chaotic conclusion of the film, as the family is finally bested by the terrible evils they feared most. A true masterpiece of a film, all the more impressive for being a debut for one of the most promising directors working today.
You Were Never Really Here (2017)
A genre that is often a massive crowd-pleaser among moviegoers is the revenge thriller, which shows a person highly capable of violent actions going after a criminal organization after they have been wronged by them in some way to a bloody but exciting end. Lynne Ramsay's You Were Never Really Here could be reasonably considered part of that genre, but sets itself apart by how it robs audiences of that cathartic action film and gives them something more honest, distributing, and tragic.
The film follows a veteran and former FBI agent who suffers from PTSD and has now taken up the profession of rescuing kidnapped children. While he is capable, he is no John Wick, attacking with a crude hammer after methodically planning his approach, which is shown in the style of shifting surveillance footage. Every choice brilliantly goes against the expected trademarks of the genre by withholding the excitement of the action, but not looking away from the horrific aftermath. It makes for an experience more akin to a horror film made tragic by the depiction of a man entirely devoid of joy after witnessing so much tragedy. An incredible work of art that will leave viewers shaken.
Cure (1997)
While there are many movies that can disturb viewers, few stay with them the way Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Cure does. The film starts as a tense detective thriller and then morphs into something else as it follows a police investigation of identical murders committed by multiple people who have no memory of ever committing them. The further into the investigation the detective goes, the more unreal everything becomes, with life devolving into more of a nightmare.
This only gets worse with the discovery of the killer and his methods, which present a terrifying situation that will keep viewers on edge for the entire experience. A world-class work of cinematic genius that is sure to affect even the bravest of viewers.
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
Few films have had the lasting power of Charles Laughton's The Night of the Hunter. It's a noir film like no other that tells the still-frightening story of a murderous preacher who torments the poor children of a now-dead bank robber in search of his stolen goods. It's a twisted fairy tale complete with incredible cinematography that accentuates the elevated nature of a story filled with themes of religion, innocence, repression, and poverty.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the film is Robert Mitchum's performance as Preacher Harry Powell, who gives the character an appropriately unnerving presence as he stalks the children and charms the townsfolk to serve his twisted ends. The film was tragically rejected on its initial release by both critics and audiences alike but has now proven its artistic worth as the years have gone on with the reverence for it only continuing to grow.
Gone Girl (2014)
With a director like David Fincher who has always told stories that dig deep into the dark parts of the human heart, audiences can sometimes feel his work will become predictable at some point and lose that exciting shock value. Luckily, Fincher has only continued to excel at shocking audiences, and that may be best shown in his unpredictable mystery thriller Gone Girl.
A story entangled in the uncertainty of public personas versus true life, Gone Girl is an ever-captivating watch that is sure to have you second-guessing every new bit of information it throws at you. It makes for an almost maddening effect as everything seems to contradict everything else, true to the chaos of information media outlets tend to distort for more interesting narratives. All of it pays off in a shocking reveal that leads to a deeply chilling conclusion that viewers will be thinking of for weeks after watching it.
Memories of Murder (2003)
There's nothing quite like a good mystery. These stories offer an exciting puzzle for audiences as they go along with the protagonist in revealing the who, what, and why of a certain situation with the promise of a cathartic conclusion with everything solved and any guilty parties behind bars. Bong Joon-Ho's Memories of Murder gives viewers something different and more real with a story that has no clear conclusion.
The movie is based on the true story of a serial killing that took place in rural Korea, that follows the year-long police investigation to root out the murderer to no avail. It's a tense watch with surprising moments of humor that gradually fade away, leaving nothing but existential dread. An incredible film that's to be expected from the director that would eventually give us the break-out hit that is Parasite so many years later.
The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
In the history of storytelling, the most tragic has always been the Greek plays that depict great men and women being brought to absolute desperation by the story's close. Not many modern films can match the energy of those old tales, except for the bizarre work of the genius Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos in his work The Killing of a Sacred Deer.
The film is about a renowned cardiovascular surgeon who lives a perfectly spotless life with a beautiful wife and two children, all of which are threatened by the arrival of a strange teenage boy named Martin, who presents an impossibly difficult choice to the doctor. It has the wonderfully bizarre tone that Lanthimos has become famous for, with hilarious interactions that pave the way for the disturbing, odd course the film ends up taking. A perfect modern take on Greek tragedies that's like no other film today.
Burning (2018)
Chang-dong Lee's Burning just might be the most chilling film ever made. It tells the incredibly patient story of Lee Jong-su, an aimless loner who runs into Shin Hae-mi, a girl he grew up with, and forms an intimate relationship with her. Things become more complicated when she returns from a long trip with Ben, a wealthy mystery man with strange hobbies. The entire experience has an unspoken sense of dread, like something horrible is happening, despite there being no visual proof of this.
This developed into a mystery with no true certainty about anything, just a sneaking suspicion that never goes away. It makes for one of the most unnerving experiences you can have with a movie that will have your mind running in circles for ages.