Live Poll: Big Directors Who Directed Disturbing Movies

Thank you, Jen. :D

there are a few directors, I will take in. But I can only take in directors, whose work I've seen or when some other users confirm, they're a good choice. Most of them I do know (Miike, Trier, Cronenberg, Haneke, Wook). One of them I don't like, but I will put him in (Pasolini). Two of them I think I don't know, but maybe I do (Peckinpaw, Jodorowsky). Maybe I just can't associate the names to movies I could have seen. I will check that. ;)

Ok, i checked it. Could you please tell me what makes Jodorowsky and Peckinpaw qualified for the list, because i can't remember - or haven't seen - one of he movies they did? It's hard to put something or someone in a list one doesn't know about. And maybe some other user could give some information, too. Did i miss big artists work there? I'm allways ready to fill gaps in movie-knowledge by watching them. ;) When I closed the gap, I will consider again. But sometimes it's hard to get movies that are so not not not mainstream in germany. All praise to Amazon - sometimes one can find some special movies.

Till then, Jodorwsky and Peckinpaw are out. But maybe later in. The other directors are good choice for the list. :D

And know, I just put movie-titles in the list, that are really disturbing. For example: Ridley Scott made 'Alien'. For my consideration that's not a disturbing movie. It's high-tensioned and frightening, but not that twisted or kinky, that I would say: It's disturbing. It's more the atmosphere, some feeling of uneasyness in a twisted way.

About the proper spelling: I learn and try hard to make no errors. It's really hard, but it keeps my brain in training. ;)

I can answer some of that since one of Sam Peckinpah’s The wild Bunch” came up in my research about films that were originally rated NC-17 by the M.P.A.A. and had to be Editted and resubmitted to MPAA for re-rating down to an “R” rating because an NC-17 rating usually means box office death because many cinemas in the USA simply refuse to screen NC-17 movies. A work still in progress. This stems from a conversation I had with Jen about “Sleeping With The Enemy “ which the film makers editted out a scene they knew would get them an NC-17 rating. Before they submitted it to the MPAA but they left it in for cinemas outside the USA to screen (known as the international version). Several of the films you have mentioned originally were re-rated NC-17 and had to be Editted and resubmitted to get the “R” rating. Now getting back to Peckinpah. In his day, he was known to be an ultra-violent director with “Straw Dogs”, “The Wild Bunch”, “The Cross Of Iron”, “The Osterman Weekend”, “The invadsion Of the Body Snatchers”, and “Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia”. In the “Cross Of Iron”, he begins the film with children reciting a nursery rhyme while showing Nazis propaganda, and images of war https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2sqwkpi... . In “Straw Dogs”, his intention was to show that the American moving to Ireland to escape violence in America was actually the most violent person in the film. “The Wild Bunch” was extremely violent with a shoutout during a parade. That film was originally was rated R but when, it was to be re- release in theaters for an anniversary tour in 1993, the MPAA re-rated it NC-17 for the violence and for the bacchinal celebrating a weapons exchange. The studio appealed the re-rating and got it reverted back to it’s original R rating.

No worries - I'm just trying to help with the spelling/punctuation, not judge.

Jodorowsky
Santa Sangre - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098253 - A former circus artist escapes from a mental hospital to rejoin his armless mother - the leader of a strange religious cult - and is forced to enact brutal murders in her name as he becomes "her arms".
El Topo - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067866 - El Topo decides to confront warrior Masters on a trans-formative desert journey he begins with his 6 year old son, who must bury his childhood totems to become a man. El Topo (the mole) claims to be God, while dressed as a gunfighter in black, riding a horse through a spiritual, mystical landscape strewn with old Western movie, and ancient Eastern religious symbols. Bandits slaughtered a village on his path, so El Topo avenges the massacred, then forcibly takes their leader's woman Mara as his. El Topo's surreal way is bloody, sexual and self-reflective, musing of his own demons, as he tries to vanquish those he encounters.

Sam Peckinpah
Straw Dogs - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067800 - Upon moving to Britain to get away from American violence, astrophysicist David Sumner and his wife Amy are bullied and taken advantage of by the locals hired to do construction. When David finally takes a stand it escalates quickly into a bloody battle as the locals assault his house.

Review the pictures - they will tell the tale.

Jen:
Well, maybe I should watch 'Straw Dogs'. I must admit that I don't know that title. So I will do, but I don't know when. The Jodorowskys: I dont know them, I will watch them. But in germany it's 03:12 am, so i will sleep first. Maybe I'll find time to watch your links tomorrow. Thank you for taking part. You're good buddie. :D

dgranger:
About 'The Cross of iron' (1977):
I understand, that the opening-sequence may look disturbing to americans and maybe english people. I know:

The song 'Hans'chen klein' is a german children song about a little boy who leaves home, to travel around the wide world, while his mother cries because he isn't at home any more. So the boys thinks of it, comes back home fast. It's a song to teach children about mother's love for them and why they shouldn't get away and into troubles. To use this song in a anti-war-movie is to create cynical or sarcastic similie about the youth and young soldiers, Hitler sent to an absolut senseless war. It's cynicaly used and it's sarcastic, but not really disturbing - when you are a german.

But I guess, I understand your intention. If you don't now the text-content, it may look disturbing - hearing the boys sing the old song with the war scenes on screen. As a german, I would say it's just sarcastic in a teaching way, not really disturbing.

Hello, Jen.
I just think it's more about insanity. That's more clear than disturbance. ;)

Just ordered 'Straw Dogs'. I'm really curious about it. :D

Breumaster, I had been meaning to say this, “thank you for your reply”. You see here in America, we always talk about our family’s heritage and I’m Of German and Irish decent - actually more of Scandinavian sine my grandmother’s family was passing through Germany when her father was born. Never-the-less, we (my family) consider ourselves German and Irish. I always like learning about both.
Now from an American POV, since Peckinpah is an American directing a film essentially for the American audiences at that time, he knew don’t like the idea of kids and war being combined no matter how much kids love to play Soldier at the time that film was made. He knew that footage which you thought was sarcastic, would upset American audiences. Over here, kids still retain the idea of innocence in films. If you want to make some character appear as truly evil, have him kill or corrupt a kid.

Peckinpaw:Neighter the one, nor the other does fit for this list. I've seen "Straw Dogs" (in german "Wer Gewalt sät") at last, but I don't think it's disturbing enough. There are scene, which appear in many other movies similar. The are disturbing seces or dialogues - yes. But not enough.

@dgranger:I accept that it might look disturbing to non-german audiences hearing the kids song while seeing the scenes of war. You can believe me - I didn't face the war cause I'm too young. But we had some education about it in the 80's at school. The new wisdom about german blame shoved me to learn more about it. So I learned may things about WWII and the dictatorship. So to me this Movie-Intro is a hard kind of sarcasm. But ok, some people who can't understand german, might find that intro disturbing. So I put 'The Cross of Iron' on the list. But please don't forget that it has another sense to germans. ;) But first I gotta need some images from that movie on IMDb. It should be images, that let the audience remind about the disturbing scenes. Could you help me?

Ok

One image is enough, as it stands for the disturbing intro - like the red toned pictures of tanks. The Images on the movies page are not really useable for the poll. ;) Thank you, dgranger. :)

My words. :D

a very disturbing comedy and a very disturbing drama. ;)
The end of Heavenly creatures is nearly unbearable.

In my humble opinion Heavenly Creatures is a tough movie, but he somehow managed to make a puppet show movie Meet the Feebles a much more disturbing venture then anything in his body of work, which says a lot. 

Hi, Nikolay. :)

I just put 'Heavenly Creatures' on the list. Thank you for suggesting and sorry I had so less time the last days. It's still hot in Germany. I hope this heatwave will disapear, soon. So then I got more time to answere. ;)

Welcome back Alb! We've missed you out here. 

Hello, albstein.

I will take your contributions into my consideration. We have a grey zone about what director is 'well-known' – which i sat as a rule in the title. ;) I have to sleep now, because tomorrow i will face 'Infinity War' at cinema. But I love your thoughts to the p.s.

Hallo, albstein.

Danke für Deine Vorschläge. Ich werde mich morgen damit auseinandersetzen. Es ist ein Bisschen schwierig für mich, die Linie zu ziehen ab wann ein Regisseur 'wohl-bekannt' ist. Ich habe da meine eigenen Ansichten drüber. So könnten es eigen-hedonistische dekret-Entscheidungen werden. Aber ein gutes Kriterium ist es sicher,wenn ein Regiesseur mal bei den Oscars war. Dann kann er sich wohl 'wohl bekannt' nennen. So wie der Regiesseur von 'The Lobster'. Aber jetzt muss ich erst mal schlafen. Bin todmüde. ;)

Ciao,

Bis denne.

I shortened the poll by taking only bigger directors.

Ich habe den Poll begrenzt, in dem ich nur größere Regiesseure zulasse.

Hello, dgranger. What Brian DePalma-movies would you suggest me to see for guessing if he did disturbing movies? Do you think about 'Carrie' or 'Scarface'? I'm not really sure, if 'Scarface' would be disturbing enough. 'Carrie' was d. because of the twisted mother and the strange behavior on the prom night. (i ment Chris Hargensen's) ;)) Maybe i put him on the list. I don't know yet.

Not only those but the movies where he was ripping off Alfred Hitchcock and going way more bloodier than Hitchcock ever did.
- Dressed to Kill (rip off of “Psycho”) the elevator scene. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=R8_HfT2...
- YouTube won’t even show the murder with the drill scene in “Body Double” (ripping off parts of “Rear Window” and the entire storyline of “Vertigo”). Plus the fact the man explores the world of porn when he had noticed a porn star did the same dance moves he supposedly seen the murdered woman did. As in Vertigo, he is being set up to be a witness to something that really was another thing altogether.

Now that I had mentioned him, Hitchcock. It may not be as bloody as some of today’s movies but it was definitely an unsettling picture when it was made, “Psycho”.
And just for suspense fun,
- “Vertigo”
-“Rear Window”

I'll think of it. I'll watch 'Dressed to Kill' and then i decide. :)
'Rear Window' is definitely not a film I would say it's disturbing that much.
So I think at 'Vertigo'. It's not that disturbing like e.g. 'Fight Club' or 'Blue Velvet'
That does not say the movies of Hitchcock are worse than Fincher's or Lynch's.
But I would put Hitchcock to the list because of 'Psycho' because 'Psycho' was disturbing at the time of the release-date. And it became the epitome of a disturbing movie.

I don't think Hitchcock qualifies, I don't even think Fincher would qualify, not on the basis of "Fight Club" anyway, "Se7en" IS disturbing but "Fight Club" has a few disturbing scenes but is generally fun to watch.

I think there should be a distinction between violence/thriller and disturbing, it's not quite the same thing and Hitchcock was more of a thriller, he loved to shock but never at the expenses of 'entertainment'. It's like Clouzot who made "Diaboliques" or "Wages of Fear".

Even by the standards of his era, I don't think Hitchcock qualifies, sure, "Psycho" is disturbing but it's nothing compared to the real slashers of 1960: "Peeping Tom" and French movie "Eyes Without a Face", if you see these two films, "Psycho" will be as disturbing as "The Sound of Music".

Hi, Sdk ElMaruecan.
Why do you think 'Fight Club' is not disturbing? What about the scenes with Brad Pitt lying at the ground of the basement with bloody mouth, shouting at his attacker to beat him more? Or what about the weird coversations about the self-help groups? I think some of the conversations are very disturbing. Just think of the fat they steal and why they are doing that. The disturbance lies here in how normal it is for Tyler Durdan to do that. He tells about it in a normal straight voice as it would be normal. And there are a few more disturbing scenes at 'Fight Club'. The  conclusion turns the whole movie to a sick-minded state. I sure will keep fincher in the list. It's the whole lot, that turns out 'Fight Club' to be disturbing. :D

Hitchcock, well ... I first thought his movies are not really disturbing. But when you look at the one scene that is so brilliant - the shower scene - I let my self overcome to put Hitchcock on the list. This really atmospheric scene is disturbing as hell, even still today. It's a masterpiece of taking suspense to a bizarre climax. :)

But if there are better arguments or other users, too, think this is a good point,  you maybe  right and I shouldn't have put him to the list. I want all users to feel free talking about that point. If I'm convinced, I put him from the list. This might be a democratic choice to put Hitchcock on the list or not. ;) So to all: Hitchcock on the list - yes or no? - and why?

(That's no poll-vote for Hitchcock just your answere to the question, if you think he is qualified for the list).

My argument for hitchcock’s “Psycho” is not just based on the shower scene but on the whole film. Before the shower scene, he gets you to think the whole film was about a women stealing 10,000 dollars and her paranoid thoughts as she is driving to LA (?) and trying to avoid attention. Then she meets Norman with that creepy scene in his room filled with his taxidermy stuffed animals and him peeping through a peep hole. Then comes the showers scene that totally changes the style and direction of the film. I could go scene by unsettling scene after that, especially with the fruit cellar scene where they find Norman’s “Mother”. But for my money, the most unsettling scene in the movie is Norman sitting in a police interrogation room and the voice over of Norman’s thoughts as Norman’s mother.

Vertigo is unsettling because the film’s hero is in love and obsessed with a married DEAD woman so much that he forces his new girl friend to become her. And of course, the plot twist at the end.

Your arguments are valid to a certain degree, you must also take into consideration other parameters such as:

- does it still hold up today?
- is the 'visual' treatment disturbing as well as the theme?
- is the movie so disturbing that you would want to watch it a second time?

Fight Club is a cult-classic, one of the most watched and rewatched movie, a pop-culture phenomenon, yes, there are disturbing parts here and there, but the film is too 'seductive' and too aware of its appeal that I don't think it wanted to disturb the audience. 

As for Hitchcock, what you say is right but following your reasoning, then you have to add Henri-George Clouzot, Roman Polanski, Luis Bunuel, Ingmar Bergman, maybe Werner Herzog I'm not sure... but those I mentioned made disturbing and unsettling movies and a few bloody ones, or at least creepy.

But maybe this is my bias talking, I love Hitchcock but recently, I saw Peeping Tom and I was like "why the hell isn't this movie not as known as Psycho?" this is not only a slasher pioneer but it's as full of disturbing Freudian undertones and sexual implicitness as Psycho.

By the way, I don't mean to be contradictory just for the sake of it, I understand it can be annoying sometimes... I just don't genuinely believe these movies are disturbing in the broad meaning of the term. They have disturbing parts that's for sure but it's not like they leave you with knots in your stomach so you can promise not to watch the film again.

I would consider Darren Aronofsky a perfect candidate for the title, but not Fincher, or Nolan...

Sorry, I don't understand. Where did I mention Nolan in this Poll-Suggestion?

I know you didn't mention Nolan, I just threw his name as a way of saying that I would more associate Fincher with Nolan than any disturbing movies director ... lol, I knew mentioning Nolan would be confusing

By myself I consider Aronofsky as a perfect candidate. Ok  so far. But do they really all have to be perfect candidates? And what would you understand as disturbing? The all-around-in-the-internet-german translation of  the english word disturbing is verstörend. And as verstörend I take the word disturbing.

In germany this means to become some kind of temporary irritated feelings based on a specific experience. It's much about being irritated by experiencing something. This can be a movie or just a movie scene. First time I saw 'Fight Club' I was irritated about the strange behavior of the protagonists, feeling and speaking 'normaly' when doing that. And that was over the whole movie.

Okay, I just said "perfect" as "fitting", don't take everything I say literally, I understand that there's no specific parameters to describe what is disturbing or not, but if you go for these directors, then you'll open the door to so many directors you'll end up asking yourself "in fact, which well known director HASN'T MADE a disturbing movie?"

Hello, Sdk ElMaruecan. :)
I guess i know what you mean. I thought a lot about your words. That's my prob with this suggestion. To avoid a ton of FYC's, I limited it to the bigger directors. But if I set the rules too restricted, there will be five big directors, who nailed it. But I will consider your words and maybe i would delete some of them from the list. Be free to write. I also learn through fundamented critical comments.

I think dgranger is also wright with his look at 'Psycho'. The whole movies turns more strange every 10 minutes. First in bed with her lover, then at work, then out of work but on the run, the motel with it's fishy patron and the dead animals, the shower scene, the mum-scene and at the end Norman speaking to him self in mental illness. It's a very subliminal 'go down' every 10 to 15 minutes. When you look at the beginning then look at the end and all between, it's a bizarre down spiral that makes the audience shiver.

Otherwise I think you're right when you say, that in modern times this movie isn't as bad as in the 60's, watched by a more innocent audience. Innocent in cause of movie-experience. Later directors did pack more bizarre agressive scenes into their movies. I'll think over it and maybe i will delete some of them from the list. Shyamalan could be one of them.

Some I surely will let stay on the list. Aronofsky, Lynch, Trier, Cronenberg, Jackson, Noé, Tarantino, Park Chan-wook.

It I say let Shyamalan stay on the list because physchological thrillers can be equally disturbing as those who go for the violent acts and gore. Shyamalan’s “The Sixth sense”, “Unbreakable”, “Signs”, and “Split” are certainly that. Even episodes of the old tv show “The Twilight Zone” are disturbing to today - but your poll is about movies and not about old tv shows. But in the case of Shyamalan, to use the words of what Sdk ElMaruecan said to me about Mel Gibson, “because it's not about the number in his case, but the ratio.” (great line ElMaruecan), and Shyamalan seams to specialize in disturbing physchological movies, where as; the topic of your poll seams to be only occasionally. A tough call here.
But getting back to Hitchcock, this whole page should stand as a testament as to how disturbing and groundbreaking “Psycho” is that after half a century after it’s release, we can remember and find enough in it to debate it today. As for disturbing scenes I would like to add abrgast’s walk up the staircase, and the scene in Norman’s room inside the house. Also there is Hitchcock’s entry into the Monster horror movie genre, “The Birds”,. You guys don’t tell me that the scene where the old lady is visiting Dan’s house https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=M0HjlCo... Or the scene in the school and playground https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aGUw6Vi... didn’t unnerve you! That got everyone who saw it!!!
FYI, could I suggest John Frankenheimer for his The Manchurian Candidate(1962) and the little known thriller Seconds (1966)
- this one might not make your list, but HHSC did give me my very first nightmare that I can remember. “The Dirty Dozen” Robert Aldrich’s “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” (1962), and “Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte” (1964)

See, I was looking for a Hitchcock movie that could epitomize the word "disturbing", well, I can't believe I let The Birds fly off my mind. I think the most disturbing Hitch movies are:
- The Birds
- Rope
- Psycho 
- Marnie 

"Marnie" and "The Rope" don't fit. The music destroys any kind of Disturbance.
"Psycho" and "The Birds" may fit, but I'm not sure. I 'll wait for more comments. If other user want Hitch back, I'll put him back to the list. But I'm about to change the system:

https://www.imdb.com/list/ls026642618/

I think, this is much better. Don't you?

"Marnie" and "The Rope" don't fit. The music destroys any kind of Disturbance.
"Psycho" and "The Birds" may fit, but I'm not sure. I 'll wait for more comments. If other user want Hitch back, I'll put him back to the list. But I'm about to change the system:

https://www.imdb.com/list/ls026642618/

I think, this is much better. Don't you?

I don't recall any music in Rope, not one used for emotional "amplification" anyway... but the whole plot was rather disturbing, people casually talking about a friend, wondering where he is, worrying about him while we already know he's dead... that was quite disturbing

I want hitch back, if it wasn’t for him and John Carpenter, 99% of The made slasher films wouldn’t exist. And ElMaruerican is right. There is little or no music in Rope<., and like “Psycho”, it is based on an actual murders :: - “The original play was said to be inspired by the real-life murder of 14-year-old Bobby Franks in 1924 by University of Chicago students Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb” https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rope_...
How about “Frenzy”. Not my favorite Hitchcock film but it is after the 1960’s , 1972. But to me, the gas stove murder in “Torn Curtain” is quite unsettling. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xte7y3

In my humble opinion THE most disturbing Hitchcock movies are Frenzy (1972) and an unfinished Kaleidoscope (1967). 

I've seen 'Dressed to Kill' so Brian De Palma is in. :D

I've seen 'Dressed to Kill' so Brian De Palma is in. :D

Ok, he'll join the list - already because of 'Death Proof', but i guess for most of his movies. ;)

Black Swan and Requiem for a Dream, they are so disturbing but beautiful at the same time because they all focus on the addictions and problems of the characters and their consequences. From dream to illusion. 

I wouldn't put Hitchcock to the list, if there wasn't the bizarre shower scene.
I think movies like 'Rear Window' or 'Vertigo' are not disturbing enough.
It's both. A 'premium' director with at least one premium disturbing movie. ;D

Seeing words "delete Hitchcock" makes me sad regardless of context.

Well you feel sad about. I specially watched the movie again for to think over, if I rellay feel, that this movie really is enough disturbing to put Hitchcock in. I decided, it's not disturbing enough for this poll-suggestion. But it was a hard decision to delete Hitchcock. I decided only to keep in the extreme masters of disturbance.
And so I re-started the idea by making a new list:

https://www.imdb.com/list/ls026642618/

The general idea is to turn the procedure by 180°.
Now it's about the movies of the directors, by picking pictures of the movies.
One new rule is: Only movies after the 1960's. The other rules are the same:
Only Big Directors and the movies have to be disturbing.
I linked it before, below: