10 Horror Movies That Don't Start As Horror Movies
3. Climax
Gaspar Noé's Climax may open with the brief glimpse of a bloodied woman dragging herself through the snow, but after that, audiences are in for quite the long wait before the psychedelic horror elements announce themselves.
Noé's film is about a French dance troupe whose rehearsal after-party goes horribly wrong when an unknown character spikes the communal sangria with LSD, causing mayhem to ensue as dozens of afflicted dancers spiral into psychosis. But so much of Climax is about the build up to said climax, investing the audience in the many characters and showcasing some utterly hypnotic dance sequences long before even a drop of tainted sangria is consumed.
It isn't until the second half of the movie that the central characters start to realise what's going on, at which point the rest of the picture is basically a series of scenes of people mentally disintegrating and horribly abusing one another.
Climax's first half is a banging dance party you probably want to be a part of; the second half is a kaleidoscopic nightmare you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy.