10 Nastiest Horror Films Since 2000
3. Audition
Audition premiered in Canada in October 1999 but wasn’t released in the UK until March 2001, much to the gratitude of yours truly, because of all the foreign-language titles on this list, Takashi Miike’s film is the one you need to beg, borrow or steal a copy of.
When a lonely widower attempts to begin dating, he uses a filmmaker friend to “audition” prospective girlfriends, and eventually settles for Asami (Eihi Shiina), unaware she has a past that’s best described as “complicated.” But if you think this is going to be a psychodrama of the Fatal Attraction variety, guess again – Glenn Close never put needles in Michael Douglas’s eyes or displayed a penchant for amputation.
When first shown in Japan, Audition caused walkouts, with one outraged female viewer telling the director – to his face – that he was a very sick person. Don’t be fooled by the deliberate pacing because this is a picture that, like all the best horror movies, creeps up on you. If you only watch one of Miike 90+ films, make it this one.