10 Horror Movies You'll Never Watch Again (And Why)

8. Irreversible

The Movie

Gaspar Noé’s reverse chronological tale of vengeance is notorious for two parts in particular – first, a ten-minute-long anal rape scene after which victim Alex (Monica Bellucci) is brutally beaten into a coma and secondly, a scene in which a man mistakenly believed to be her rapist is repeatedly bludgeoned with a fire extinguisher until his face is nothing but a bloody pulp.

When it premiered at Cannes Film Festival in 2002 it was reported that over 200 audience members walked out, some even requiring medical attention.

Why You'll Never Watch it Again

It’s not that Irreversible isn’t an intelligent film. In fact, with the non-linear narrative placing its most violent scenes towards the beginning of the film rather than at the end, the audience has more time to ponder its implications. It’s not even that the violence is necessary gratuitous – rape, after all, is a very real violent act perpetrated all the time.

It’s more that the violence is so gritty, unflinching and real – especially in the case of the infamous rape scene – that it’s hard to even consider watching twice, let alone actually going through with it.