10 Foreign Language Horror Films Hollywood Doesn't Have The Balls To Remake

Language: French

One of the most memorable entries in the New French Extremism movement that began in earnest at the turn of the century, Irréversible consists of thirteen scenes presented in reverse chronological order that depict a violent rape and its consequences. The film leans closer to drama than it does to horror, but it is most certainly horrific and gives viewers the shivers through its sheer lack of humanity.

The plot is centred around a young woman named Alex (Monica Bellucci) who, after getting into a fight with her drugged up partner Marcus (Vincent Cassel), is corned by a man in a deserted underground tunnel where she is raped and beaten into unconsciousness. Her furious boyfriend and her friend Pierre (Albert Dupontel) decide to team up and take justice into their own hands, hunting down the rapist themselves.

The film is known for two particularly shocking moments, the first being the rape scene itself. This ten minute long, unbroken take seems to last an eternity, and most viewers will find themselves reaching for the fast-forward button before it even reaches the half-way stage. While this ranks as one of the most uncomfortable scenes ever recorded, the resulting death is arguably harder to watch.

A man who is mistaken for the rapist has his skull bashed in with a fire extinguisher, though where most filmmakers would cut away or use careful angles to spare the viewer the grisly details, Gaspar Noé relishes in the violence, making us watch as metal crushes bone and turns face to mush. Not something you're going to see remade in Hollywood any time soon.