10 Hidden Gem Body Horror Movies
7. Swallow
Not to be mixed up with 2022 body-horror Swallowed, Swallow follows a pregnant housewife called Hunter who suddenly develops a very real disorder called pica, compelling her to eat inedible objects. Despite causing damage to her body and jeopardising her relationship with her husband, Hunter can't stop eating marbles, paperclips, chess pieces, mud, and batteries.
Even though pica is extremely rare, it's easy to empathise with Hunter. While she gazes at the ice in her glass, it glistens and swirls in an alluring away, almost like it's begging to be eaten. By making non-foods like this look enticing, it's understandable why Hunter can't control herself.
The editing and camera angles become erratic when Hunter suppresses her compulsion, so she's depicted as a prisoner in her own body. And with her husband and family constantly down her throat, she feels like a prisoner in her own home. This magnifies Hunter's condition, since she believes embracing her pica is the only way she can stay in control.
Rather than pushing the body-horror, Swallow focuses on the mental side of Hunter's obsession. She understands her problem lies deep within and she must face it to stop her disorder from consuming her entirely.
Swallow mightn't play out like a conventional horror, but it's sure to leave anyone unnerved nonetheless.