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.
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.
Some of the Black Mirror episodes give that existential dread. The one where a conciousness is imprisoned in a teddybear comes to mind.
Old Boy. The 2003 Korean one, at least.
Modern one is not much better. Same story.
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.
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.
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.
Seven Pounds
Watched soon after untimely death of a loved one.
Spent like a week in bed after watching.
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.
