Cinema has a tremendous power to evoke emotions in the audience. The problem, though, is that the emotions that come out of us aren’t always pleasant. In fact, throughout its history, some movies were so profoundly emotional or intense that we honestly couldn’t sit through some of them. Whether through disgust, frustration, or extreme sadness, a few notable examples were so challenging that only one viewing is all you need to find it hard to watch them ever again.
Almost every genre has that one film that’s so shocking or depressing that no one can completely sit through it. The following are ten notable films moviegoers have found way too challenging to sit through. These are heartbreakers and total shockers, movies that are infamous in every possible way, and aren’t the least bit pleasant or easy to watch. Get ready to cry or have your jaws drop because these ten certainly aren’t for the faint of heart.
‘The Last House on the Left’ (1972)
The first entry is an Exploitation film that’s cracked up to eleven and still so incredibly shocking and intense, even more than fifty years later. The Last House on the Left is a 1972 horror thriller from the talented minds of the late director Wes Craven and the co-creator of Friday the 13th, Sean S. Cunningham. It’s a gruesome tale of revenge, murder, and deplorable acts of violence that are shown in excruciating detail and without holding anything back.
This bona fide horror masterpiece was and is still regarded as revolutionary for the horror genre for its explicit violence and bold story elements. Experiencing The Last House on the Left for the first time is not easy, as some of its heavy moments, most notably the infamous group assault sequence in the first act, are liable to leave you squirming in your seats. The Last House on the Left is unafraid to show some graphic content, and because of that, it’s one of the most significant horror films featured on this list.
‘Antichrist’ (2009)
Lars von Trier‘s psychologically intense 2009 experimental horror Antichrist is unlike anything ever before experienced, a shocking film that continues to shock and boggle the mind even now with how strange it gets. Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg lead in this bizarre tale full of tragedy, grief, and pain, all roped together into 108 minutes of pure, unimaginable horror.
It’s during its run time that viewers, brave enough to sit all the way through it, are forced to watch sick and twisted imagery and grotesque moments of bodily harm. Charlotte Gainsbourg truly shone in one of this century’s best horror performances for her physically taxing role of a grieving mother succumbing to the madness brought on by the death of her child. Antichrist is tense, bold, and unforgettably unsettling.
‘Cannibal Holocaust’ (1980)
From animals actually being killed on camera to the director Ruggero Deodato being brought up on murder charges for making an alleged snuff film, there’s no doubt that 1980’s Cannibal Holocaust is one of the most infamous horror movies in history. Its controversies and backlash, both during filming and post-production, have even outshone the shocking premise itself. And yet, despite all the madness that went on behind the scenes, what the end product became was nothing short of a terrifying cult classic.
Experiencing Cannibal Holocaust is like watching something that was never meant to be seen. It’s shocking and abhorrent, featuring gruesomely realistic violence, bloody gore, and despicable acts that are too disturbing to be even mentioned here. It’s certainly not for everyone, and it’s made to disgust some viewers entirely, but it’s still a significant effort that shocked its way into film history.
‘Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer’ (1986)
One of the darkest, most twisted, and disturbingly realistic crime thrillers to come out of the ’80s was Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. This brutal 1986 cult classic has been unsettling audiences for decades now, for how it terrifies them through a story about a bloody rampage from the perspective of a remorseless killer. Michael Rooker, in his breakout performance, plays the titular Henry, and he completely loses himself as a cold-blooded and emotionless murderer who commits his horrible acts seemingly at random.
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer plops viewers right into the mindset of a killer, showing just how cruel, careless, and eerily unpredictable one could be. The violence in the film isn’t too excessive, but it’s still incredibly brutal and disheartening, especially as Henry carries out his murders. It’s a challenge to sit through this without feeling disturbed or disgusted by what’s going on, and it ends just as heartbreaking as it began.
‘Grave of the Fireflies’ (1988)
It’s not often possible for a film to make you cry profusely every single time you see it, but 1988’s Grave of the Fireflies is one of those notable examples, and perhaps the most tear-jerking of them all. Released by Studio Ghibli, this aggressively sad anti-war drama shows the harsh consequences of armed conflicts and how they can deeply affect even those caught in the middle of them.
The story is about two orphaned siblings forced to defend themselves in post-WWII Japan. As one could expect from this premise, it doesn’t work out for the two, resulting in some of the most heartbreaking moments not just in animation but in movie history. Grave of the Fireflies is honestly too hard to watch just on the first viewing, let alone a second one that would only seem more challenging.
‘Martyrs’ (2008)
One of the heaviest movies ever made, 2008’s Martyrs is a shockingly bleak film full of unending torture and horrific violence. What initially appears to be, on the surface, a tragic revenge story, slowly devolves into a relentless nightmare as audiences are forced to watch the madness that unfolds in this story. It’s about two women, angered by the abuse they suffered at the hands of a mysterious organization during their childhoods, as they edge closer to discovering why this happened, only to realize they are caught up in an eerie experiment meant to test what happens to the soul after death.
What really makes Martyrs too intense to watch is how explicit and relentless the violence is. There’s a terrible act committed on a character in nearly every scene, and the torture sequences just get worse and more shocking as the story progresses, culminating in a heartbreaking finale that leaves nothing resolved or relieves the tension. It’s overall a depressing and terrifying downer of a film that might sway many viewers away from seeing it.
‘Saló, or the 120 Days of Sodom’ (1975)
This next one is a classic shrouded in endless controversy. Saló, or the 120 Days of Sodom is a 1975 arthouse horror film by Pier Paolo Pasolini, and is notable for being one of the most disturbing movies of all time. It’s a heartwrenching, brutal critique of fascism, consumerism, and sadism, telling a story set in WWII Italy, where a group of corrupt politicians randomly kidnap and torture eighteen teenagers for four months.
Some of the acts shown on-screen are simply stomach-churning and appalling. It’s nearly impossible to sit through Saló, or the 120 Days of Sodom, without your jaw dropping at how violent it gets. Make no mistake, it’s a perfectly written, directed, and even expertly acted film with some very pressing themes. But watching it from start to finish is a challenge that not many casual viewers can handle.
‘Requiem for a Dream’ (2000)
From Darren Aronofsky comes one of the most powerful films that tackles the struggles of addiction and mental illness. 2000’s Requiem for a Dream follows four individuals in New York City as their delusions and substance abuse slowly deteriorate their lives until they hit rock bottom.
What happens throughout this story is 102 minutes of pure and utter heartbreak as Aronofsky’s tight, sharply written story holds nothing back when telling a sad tale of what happens when our own personal obsessions consume us. There’s a lot of trippy, surreal imagery, gruesome moments of bodily harm, and graphic sexual scenes that all feel incredibly difficult to experience. All this shock can make anyone feel uncomfortable, uneasy, and saddened by what it has to say. While it’s certainly not for everyone, Requiem for a Dream is a masterpiece.
‘Come and See’ (1985)
If there’s one war film that shows the brutal reality of warfare, it’s Elem Klimov’s 1985 heartbreaking masterpiece Come and See. This intense and realistic anti-war tragedy is an emotionally wrecking tale as it depicts the horrendous atrocities committed by the Nazis during WWII in a raw, unflinching light that doesn’t feel fake or exaggerated. Nor does it show this war in a heroic light.
The story follows a Belarusian boy (Aleksei Kravchenko) as he witnesses firsthand what war can bring out in people as he traverses an obliterated countryside, seeing crimes committed around him until he’s completely hollowed out by the end. Come and See holds nothing back and shows some truly disturbing scenes that might be too intense for audiences with weak hearts. It’s harsh and unforgiving, painting one of the most accurate depictions of this war you’ll ever find in cinema.
‘A Serbian Film’ (2010)
The most difficult to watch films are the ones you really only need to see once, as a second viewing is too painful to do all over again. That’s what it’s like with A Serbian Film, an infamous 2010 psychological exploitation movie that’s filled to the brim with controversy. Shocked, disturbed, and being left completely disgusted by the end are just a few things to happen in this gruesome cult classic.
A Serbian Film is widely considered one of the most controversial movies in cinema history. It’s utterly appalling, featuring unforgettable moments of torture, assault, and gruesome harm that are hard to shake from one’s memory. It’s not an easy film to sit down and watch from beginning to end, which makes it so memorable and talked about these days. And while it’s definitely not to everyone’s liking, it rightfully earns its place here as a genuine challenge to watch.