10 Terrifying Horror Movies Based On Human Experiments
3. Das Experiment
Of all the unethical social experiments that have been completed in recent memory, the Stanford Prison Experiment created by Philip Zimbardo in 1971 is one of the most infamous. This horrifying test wasn't only shocking because of how immoral it was, but also the disgusting and unthinkable things that it revealed about humanity.
The experiment has been brought to life on film a few times, but none have done it better than this 2001 German horror.
Das Experiment unfolds as twenty male participants are chosen to play guards and prisoners in a makeshift jail. The prisoners are encouraged to follow the chosen guards' rules, and the guards themselves are told to maintain order without using any physical violence. However, it only takes a few days before power starts to be abused and for the prisoners to lose their grip on sanity.
The film isn't a direct adaptation of the Zimbardo experiment, rather inspired by it. However, all of the powerful lessons about authority, corruption and how quickly an ordinary person can turn sociopathic are clear.
There is a horrifying grittiness to the movie that makes it feel dirty and unstable, which fully reflects the real-life context behind it.