20 Most Extreme Horror Films Of All Time

Over the past few weeks the internet has been buzzing with new clips for the year's biggest blockbusters (as well as one that isn't due until next year). Trailers for everything, including Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Fantastic Four, Jurassic World, Marvel's Ant-Man, and Batman V Superman has fans properly enthused and thoroughly amped. However, there is one upcoming film that stands triumphantly above the rest. That's right, the first footage for The Human Centipede 3 (Final Sequence) has finally been released.

Say what you will about the Human Centipede series. As unfathomably abhorrent as they may be, the films never suffered from any delusions of grandeur of either being artistic achievements or the conceit of containing a deeper "message." Rather, they carry themselves with the dignity befitting of films about people getting abducted and turned into a sickening phalanx of gastrointestinal extension cords.

So, in celebration of the impending Final Sequence (which will feature an insane 500 person human centipede), now is as good a time as ever to look back at the films that helped pave the way for the extremities that are now possible in the horror genre. Some films pushed the limits of torture porn simply for the sake of doing so, while others are masterclasses in excessiveness.

Be warned, some descriptions for the films contain spoilers for emphasis purposes, and are definitely not for the faint of heart. For everyone else, keep some Pepto-Bismol close by and enjoy. 

For some, Dumplings is a master work. Director Fruit Chan arguably constructed a very cohesive piece of horror in which every detail grinds at your senses. In a nutshell, the story follows an ageing actress who is desperate to regain her youth. To this end, she seeks the help of Aunt Mei, a local chef.

Aunt Mei has a reputation underground for making dumplings that give women youthful looks. These dumplings have a mysterious recipe, but are proven to work, with Aunt Mei being the perfect example. Her clients get first hand witness as to what they can do just by looking at her. So, what's her secret? Well, the dumplings are filled with veggies, herbs... and unborn fetuses. Yup!

An interesting tale on how far some people will go to preserve their looks, Dumplings never hides the hideous ingredient that goes into the titular snack. Less of a horror film than just plain horrific, nothing here is meant to scare you, but it is meant to hit on every guttural impulse you have. You’ll remember Dumplings long after the credits; in that it does not disappoint.