Best Twisted Horror Movies

 

Twisted Horror Movies

Se7en

Derek Johns: Kevin Spacey has become well known for playing unsavory characters but his role as John Doe is easily his most chilling. The initial murders themselves are twisted enough but the ending is what makes the film from David Fincher truly memorable. After seeing Se7en for the first time I was left speechless for about an hour afterward and I defy any first time viewer not to feel the same.

 

Twisted Horror Movies

House of 1000 Corpses

Caliber Winfield: While I prefer The Devil’s Rejects, there was a couple years where my friends and I felt like we had discovered this twisted little gem that no one knew about, and was always fun to show girls on a date, because of how crazy it was. We originally saw it in a special theater in Seattle, because it was a limited release, and had to drive 30 miles in order to catch the showing.

It was a blast to show people, especially those who weren’t so much in to horror, because this film was pretty creative in it’s depravity. I mean, c’mon, a guy cuts the face off of a woman’s father, puts it on like a mask, and then starts kissing the girl. How great is that?
It’s one of those way out films that everyone should see with a group of friends.

When I saw it in theaters, the second Ma Firefly came in, a guy yelled “It’s Stiffler’s mom!”, at which point about 80% of the theater started chanting “MILF! MILF! MILF!”.

 

Twisted Horror Movies

Safe Haven

Rick Tym: My favorite recent piece of twisted horror is the short ‘Safe Haven’ from V/H/S 2. I know a lot of people can take or leave these anthologies — and the whole found footage genre as well — but I’ve really enjoyed them and feel found footage still has plenty to offer when executed properly. Not sure how much you can trust me, though, as I’m the guy that got excited when Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension got a release date (yay but boo! for March). Anyway, Safe Haven is the definitive highlight of both V/H/S installments (guess we’ll see soon if anything from V/H/S Viral can top it, but I doubt it). It’s a crazy cult/armageddon piece the likes of which I’ve never seen, masterfully directed to turn the twisted knob up to 11. The whole thing is just bugfuck crazy, starting out with just the right sense of dread, amping up to an all out gory, crazy horror fest. One of the best horror suprises in the past 5-10 years for me, easily.

 

Twisted Horror Movies

The Ring

Ruby Le Rouge: What she has to do to keep herself and her son alive is twisted, Living doesn’t necessarily mean a happy ending.

 

Twisted Horror Movies

Audition

Mike Luxemburg: I’m a big fan of Takashi Miike, and Audition certainly qualifies as a twisted horror movie. The disturbing visuals can’t even stand up against the plot, which is about as distressing as things can get. The movie takes terror away from the supernatural and into the very puke-inducing violence of the human psyche. It’s gross, disturbing, and fun. I love it.

Shawn S. Lealos: I honestly think the scariest movies are the ones that are based in reality. With the case of Audition, Takashi Miike takes a guy who is sympathetic (a kind widower with a son), has him do one thing that is a little dishonest (having a fake movie audition to find a new girlfriend) and then punish him severely for it. The fact that the horror in this comes from what looks like an innocent girl makes her horrific rituals even scarier. This movie is just really twisted.

 

Twisted Horror Movies

The Mist

Caleb Masters: While the movie itself isn’t exactly what I would call twisted, the ending to 2007’s The Mist left me with a feeling of senseless hopelessness that only Frank Darabont could have cooked up. The movie created an incredibly immersive experience that was dark, atmospheric, and oftentimes very grotesque. It’s a haunting film that stands out in its own right, but it’s the final moments of the film will leave your jaw on the floor as the film stains your soul will such painful nihilism.

 

Twisted Horror Movies

Splice

Bethany Lewis: Splice is more of a horror sci-fi, but it certainly is twisted. The action unfolds with a strange predictability, where you know what will happen next but can’t possibly believe that’s where the movie is going. And then of course your own twisted imaginings are played out right there on screen. It’s almost an exercise in amorality, leaving the viewer uncomfortably uncertain as to the ethicality of events. We know the choices the characters make are wrong, but didn’t we think of them first? Didn’t first we imagine putting into action those scenarios before the characters did? In the end, we are left with a feeling of complicity, and that’s maybe the most twisted thing of all.