10 Best Horror Films Of The 2010s (So Far)
5. Mother!
Aronofsky's divisive film was so effective that people hated it for it.
Despite the negative buzz surrounding it, this film is a masterclass of audience subjugation. It draws us into a strange yet fairly familiar plot; an isolated couple dealing with an unwelcome house guest and the ensuing tension which it brings. But as the runtime wears on, the film grows increasingly mad and transparent. Its themes and allegories take the film over, violently, and the narrative is rendered practically pointless.
It breaks from all conventional filmmaking rules but that's exactly why it is so affecting. It's hard to fathom that the first and third acts of this story even exist within the same film, evolving from an intrusive thriller to a flat-out repulsive fever-dream.
As the untamed masses flood the house and destroy everything, it feels as though they are also bursting into the viewer's mind. Audiences felt violated, as if the film had misled or betrayed them. But that was kind of the entire point.