10 Underrated War Horror Movies

2. Men Behind The Sun

Painted Bird
Grand Essex Enterprises

The level of brutality in Men Behind the Sun caused it to be the first film in Hong Kong to receive the equivalent of the NC-17 rating. After watching a few minutes, it's easy to see why.

The WWII drama explores a Japanese Army based in Unit 731, where medical experiments were performed on Chinese and Soviet prisoners, often leading to mutilation and death.

Frankly, it's challenging to know where to start when breaking down Men Behind the Sun's barbaric content. It contains scenes of a cat being eaten alive by rats, a woman's arms melted down to the bone, and a child having his organs removed while he's awake. 

As hard as it is to believe, that's the tame stuff. Since these torturous sequences only get worse, nobody should be judged for switching the film off pre-emptively.

Worst of all, Men Behind the Sun is based on a true story. Even though historic works tend to exaggerate details for the sake of drama, little had to be embellished here. Although plenty of war horrors involve ghosts, zombies, or demons, Men Behind the Sun highlights how human beings can be more terrifying than any monster.

Contributor

James Egan has been with Whatculture for five years and prominently works on Horror, Film, and Video Games. He's written over 80 books including 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts About James Bond 1000 Facts About TV Shows