2010: The Year Of The Grossest, Most Offensive, and Most Violent Horror Movies

Every year, movie critics will decry a horror film as a senseless slasher or "torture porn." Many times, they'll be right. But 2010 was unique in having three separate films that pushed the boundaries of good taste and decorum further than nearly any films that preceded them. Not since the 70s have motion pictures managed to gross out and offend audiences to such a wide degree.

Although much of the horror genre has been derided as tasteless gore fests, it takes something truly perverse to get jaws wagging.  For every fifty Friday the 13ths, there's one Audition that makes people stop and realize what movie violence really is.

So, what are these new Salos, the next generation's, the latest Cannibal Holocaust, the new millennium's Men Behind The Sun? Continue on to find out about 2010's grossest, most offensive horror films.

This Lars Van Trier film takes audiences to the most painful heights of love and hate, the depths of self-delusion, and shows just how quickly the familiar can curdle into something grotesque and unimaginably terrible. Starring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg as a husband and wife who find themselves in a nightmarish version of what was once their life. While they make love one night, their child dies in a tragic accident.

Gainsbourg retreats into her research into witchcraft in the middle ages, leading her to believe that women are inherently evil. While the two work out their issues, Dafoe insists they recuperate in a secluded cabin. After being visited by three representations of abstract evil, showing themselves as dead or dying animals.

The cabin takes on an increasingly malevolent atmosphere as nature seems to turn against the outsiders. While staying, Dafoe discovers evidence that calls into questions his wife's mental health to dates prior to the death of their son. The wife's anti-women views spiral out of control and, to save those who feel like skipping the film any more anguish, there's plenty of genital mutilation to go around.

Antichrist is actually quite good, and Von Trier has created a beautiful film. It is, however, one of the most difficult films of the decade and there's no easy way to classify it. First time viewers who want to be able to understand the film without repeat viewings: think about the title.

Well, not a whole lot going on in this one. The Human Centipede is probably the singularly most disgusting film I've ever seen. Kudos to writer/director Tom Six for creating the best possible piece of trash he could. Everything about it is competent: the cinematography, the acting, the directing. The only problem is that it is a subject matter that shouldn't be seen. By anyone. Ever.

Long story short, it is a movie about a classic mad scientists. He likes to play in realms of science sane minds shun. This particular mad scientist is obsessed with creating a human centipede. How does he go about accomplishing this feat? Simple: he kidnaps three people, and surgically connects them to one another, mouth to anus. Food enters the mouth of the first one and travels through the all three segments of the body before exiting the "tail."

Yup. You read that right. The back portions of the "human centipede" have to live off of human waste. I can't argue with the result: it is revolting and horrifying. It certainly evokes some of the body horror of David Cronenberg films like The Fly and Altered States. The concept, however, is too exploitative and the metaphor (people should rise above their base instincts and live as humans not insects) is spelled out pretty plainly.

Really, there's not a lot going on for viewers looking for an intelligent film. For what is essentially a one note gross out film, you could do worse. But ask yourself, why even bother? I can promise you nothing you don't expect to happen from this very thin concept will happen. It is what it is. And what it is is mostly terrible.

Released in the US in 2010, A Serbian Film might be the grossest film put out since Salo: 120 Days of Sodom was released in the 70s. To be fair, I have not actually been able to see this one personally, but for once, I think I'll skip. The subject matter is actually too gross and offensive to accurately describe in this web space. Since The Human Centipede was just described in detail, that should give a fair idea how deep this particular rabbit hole goes.

The basic plot is that a retired male porn star is asked to come out of retirement to star in an erotic film directed by a respected "art film" director. Much like a heist film, this "one last job" is certain to spin wildly out of control. Unlike The Italian Job, this coming out of retirement involves a disturbingly high amount of sexual violence.

I have read a full synopsis of the film after it generated headlines after premiering at SXSW in Austin and decided it is not something I want to witness. It is equal parts Saw and Silence of the Lambs, with the more unseemly portions of 8MM added in. There is violence, often sexual, against women. Against children. Just about everything depraved possible will happen.

Does that make it a bad film? I'm not sure. It takes violence to levels film rarely goes. It is not made by a shameless hack looking to make a few bucks. But there are things people should not see. Much of that is presented in this film.

It is important to note that all of what is shown has actually occurred in Serbia and has largely been ignored by the Western media. The setting is changed from the streets of a country tearing at the seams and moved to the trappings of a horror film. For those who do wish to see this film, ask yourself: why do I care to learn more about these fictional atrocities happening in this film than to acknowledge the real horror that the people of Serbia were witness to?

These are the three best contenders for 2010's grossest, most violent, most offensive horror movies. If you have any you think take are better examples, leave a message in the comments below.

In the mean time, why not read a few more articles about horror films?