I recently saw “Rampage” from 2009. Its basically a movie where a spree shooter is portrayed as the good guy/anti-hero. Several parts gave me that pit in your stomach, teeth gritting uncomfortable moment. I really hated it. Although I’m not surprised there are sequals I am disappointed and will not be watching them.
I thought Johnny Got His Gun was disturbing when I watched it in school. May have been because I was a kid though.
Dogville, and most of everything else by Lars von Trier (as others have mentioned).
Trainspotting
Requiem for a Dream
Both movies were good. Both movies were absolutely a one time watch and never again.
The first time I ever watched Trainspotting (like a decade or so ago) I had taken 2 tabs of acid and looked up online “movies that will change your life” or something along those lines.
One of the first ones listed was this one called Trainspotting and I had no idea what it was about I was expecting some drama about a special needs little boy who likes to look at trains or something.
Ohhh boy. That one scene was horrifying I got up and almost turned the TV off but I’m glad I didn’t. I love that movie so much.
Some of the Black Mirror episodes give that existential dread. The one where a conciousness is imprisoned in a teddybear comes to mind.
I thought sunshine was going to be a cool science fiction movie… i had no idea it was also classified as a psychological thriller…
Sometimes i just rewatch the first half.
The 9th Gate.
I mean, other than it being kinda a crappy movie the whole “I ascend to power by literally banging the devil” just seemed … wow.
Old Boy. The 2003 Korean one, at least.
Modern one is not much better. Same story.
Rosemead. Watched it recently and went in completely blind. On one hand I recommend doing that, on the other hand I feel its irresponsible to tell someone to do that.
Watership Down. It’s animated. It’s a kid’s movie.
Also Plague Dogs.
I read Watership Down as a 10 year old. I loved to read but couldn’t go out much, so id often pick up the fattest books at the library so they would last me a while. Book messed me up. I didn’t know there was an animated movie. Seems like a bad choice.
Seven Pounds
Watched soon after untimely death of a loved one.
Spent like a week in bed after watching.
They’ve both been mentioned below but mine are ‘Grave of the Fireflies,’ and ‘When the Wind Blows.’ They hit harder than ‘horror’ movies because they are, in a way, the real human horror for which a ‘genre:horror’ movie would be an abstraction.
I don’t remember what it was called, but there was one I watched in theaters in 1st grade for a class field trip that would absolutely freak me out today. It was a documentary on bugs.
Edit:
I misread it as non-horror documentary.
I cannot think of any films right now that really scared me, but I might come back if any come to mind. Closest I can think of would be things from cartoons, like the moon spirit thing from Courage The Cowardly Dog or a Goosebumps commercial where they show a scene of a mummy rising and the kid banging on a door because they couldn’t get out.
Compliance might be cheating because it’s based on a true story, but it’s not s documentary despite being an almost exact retelling of the original events. Which just makes it more fucked up.
All great recommendations here
For a recent one I thought The Drama was quite tense and uncomfortable, worth a watch for sure.
A Serbian Film.
I guess it could qualify as horror so maybe not but… Only movie Ive ever regretted watching.
That movie is so badly fucked up.
