20 Horror Movies That Were Way Too Cruel

Cannibal Ferox, a cannibal exploitation film from the (thankfully) short-lived Cannibal movie boom in Italian cinema during the 1980s, represents perhaps the worst kind of horror. That is, the type that only seeks to shock and offend. 

Horror is usually such a rich and exciting genre that, at its best, offers palm-sweating thrills, rich characters, and powerful examinations of the darkest aspects of human existence. Films like Cannibal Ferox are the equivalent of a small child trying to show off by saying loads of rude words to their friends, coming off as obnoxious and desperate. 

As well as being an outright terrible film in general, Ferox is also a seemingly endless display of wanton cruelty that doesn't reward viewers in any form, making it about as ugly as movies get. Admittedly, Ferox isn't as aggressively nasty as Cannibal Holocaust, easily the most infamous picture from this subgenre... but then again, what is? This one is still torture to get through. 

Perhaps the worst scene of all is the death of the character Pat (Zora Kerova) - if you know, you know. If you don't know, you don't want to know. These cannibal horror flicks really were monuments to just how unpleasant cinema can be in the 'right' (or rather, wrong) hands. And speaking of cannibal films...