Top 5 most disturbing movies I've seen

1. Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer - Pretty much days in the life of a serial killer and his disciple. Abhorrent because of the misanthropy displayed by the two characters. And the main setpiece is the Super 8 video sequence, of which my left arm froze when I watched it. Also has glimpses of redemption at the end but ultimately not fulfilled.

2. Irreversible - Not that bad. But the two main frontispiece - the "bashing the head with a fire extinguisher" and "the subway anal rape" scenes hang in your head for days afterwards. If only for their brutality and sheer intensity. How the story unfolds is interesting, going backwards and the ending is pure wish fulfilment shattered by grimy "reality".

3. The Untold Story (aka Human Flesh Roast Meat Buns) (Hong Kong) - This one has no other aim rather than be a sleazy exploitation piece. The grisly sequences shows the abominality of the Anthony Wong character. But even the good guys have not much redeeming aspects, with the Danny Lee police officer a pure misogynist. Deeply reactionary, mine was anger. My German friend turned green while watching it. Also compounded by the fact that the cuckoo guy in my University's Chinese Students Club advertised this as "Three Little Pigs".

4. Basket Case - Gaudy and gauche, I never understood why this one is so unsettling. Maybe it's the 16mm filmic quality. Mebbe it's the stop-start claymation. A nice case (pun intended) where a shoestring budget actually works to its advantage, the kind of juvenilistic extrapolation exhibited here works to disturb some deep subconscious area of my mind.

5. Man Bites Dog - The cavalier attitude displayed by the "documentary film makers" is the most unnerving. Also the victims scuttle around in everyday ennui. Even the main serial killer goes about everyday life and the film is almost verite. There is only an unnecessary gunfight chase sequence which spoils the mood. Also marred by a crap ending.

Notable mentions:-

Alien - Nearly gave me a heart attack at 9.

The Incredible Melting Man - Gruesome makeup effects gives any 12 y.o. boy a bad headtrip.