10 Twisted Horror Movies That Go Way Too Far

It's hard to think of any situation in which audiences would complain that a comedy was too funny, an action flick was too thrilling, or a biopic was too accurate. This is what they are meant to be, and as long as they check that box, there's not really a line to cross.

Horror films, however, are slightly different. You go to watch a scary movie and you know what to expect, be it gory, psychological, or something else. Again, it has to have enough of what is drawing audiences in, but with this genre comes the risk of taking things too far.

Too much gore, too much violence, too much torture (psychological, physical, or otherwise) can and will upset more viewers than not. Yes, it has to come with an element of fear and discomfort, but after all is said and done, it is still a form of entertainment, and it's not uncommon for some films to go way beyond that.

Whether actively trying to upset, offend, and shock people, being completely tone deaf to what is actually being shown to audiences, or crossing the line in terms of violence towards animals and/or children, it's not uncommon for horror movies to upset their target audience.

With Hereditary in 2018, Ari Aster announced himself as one of the best newcomers to the world of horror. The film was bleak, it was intense, and it was utterly difficult to watch, though you could argue that it was outdone in all of these departments by Midsommar just one year later.

The story took Florence Pugh's Dani, with her boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor) and his friends, to Sweden for a summer festival. However, what was slowly realised over the course of the film was that this was a ritualistic horror show that few characters would live to see the end of.

The brutality of some of Midsommar's scenes is astonishing, with Christian and all of his American pals ultimately dying in a manner of horrific ways, though easily the worst was when two of the society's elders had the honour to jump off a cliff to their deaths. When they didn't die on impact, those around them happily finished the job, and no, Aster did not cut away from it.

Even outside of the physically disgusting, there were moments up there with some of the most uncomfortable in cinematic history, not least Christian being fed a pie laced with pubic hair as part of a love spell. Midsommar is a brilliant movie, but probably not one many can stomach to watch too often.