10 most disturbing horror movies from the past decade

4. The Neon Demon

If you want to talk about controversial movies from the past decade, The Neon Demon fits under that umbrella. Many people have argued that the film is terrible because it’s only desire is to sicken its audience. I can understand that perspective, and I think it holds merit.

I’m still undecided years later if I enjoyed The Neon Demon, but I have to give it credit for remaining memorable. It’s certainly a distinctive role for actress Elle Fanning, who stars as an aspiring model. The film contains rape, knife-swallowing, necrophilia, eyeball-swallowing, and more. It’s not for the faint of heart and can be quite sickening to watch.

3. The Skin I Live In (2011)

You’ve never seen Antonio Banderas quite like this before. The Skin I Live In is an extremely violent, profane, and grim psychological horror film. It’s hard to watch, especially if you’re affected by graphic rape and assault scenes. That said, if you can stomach it, the story is entrancing, and it is an overall good film.

It certainly has some issues, and there are plenty of arguments to be made about the amount of sexual violence. Still, it’s also a well-written movie that makes subtle criticisms about her society and has several stellar performances. It was nominated for several awards upon release.

The central story is about Banderas’s character Dr. Robert Legard, an accomplished plastic surgeon. He spends years trying to create synthetic skin to help burn victims after his wife became the victim of a car accident that left her disfigured. Unfortunately, he decides to test his creations out on a woman held captive in his home against her will.