The Horror Movie That Over 41% Of People Think Went Too Far
While the horror genre is known for being scary, gory, and very disturbing, leaving only the bravest of audiences to watch, there are some horror movies that just go too far. Sure, it's all movie magic and not real, but if a movie's good enough, it draws you in and makes you feel like you're a part of the story. Some people like being scared and challenged to face the darkest parts of life, but there are a few places you never want to go.
In the past, certain movies have led audience members to get up and walk out, get sick or faint, and in a few rare cases, people have even had heart attacks while watching. Of course, bear in mind that in these instances there are usually other factors that lead to the health crisis, not just the scares, but people like to believe it anyway. When "The Exorcist" was released in 1973 it was believed to be one of the scariest movies ever made, with many people vomiting and fainting. Even The New York Times reported rumors of heart attacks, but believe what you will. More recent films that are known for including intense, gory horror are the 2018 remake of "Suspiria" and Ari Aster's "Hereditary."
Wanting to know for ourselves what horror movie truly crossed the line into the unacceptable, we put out a poll and found an answer.
The Human Centipede was voted the most disturbing horror film
According to a poll in which 675 people across the country participated, the 2009 horror film "The Human Centipede (First Sequence)" is the movie most people think went too far, with 41.04% of the vote. It's not too surprising that "The Human Centipede" came out on top, as the film really caused an uproar around the world when it was released. In case you live under a rock and don't know about this movie, it's basically about a mad scientist who does an experiment to put humans together and form a centipede, like the title says. Feel free to imagine the rest on your own.
Although "The Human Centipede" was the clear winner of the poll, 1980's "Cannibal Holocaust" came in second with 28.44%. "Cannibal Holocaust" is an Italian found-footage movie about a documentary film crew that goes missing in the Amazon rainforest while filming local cannibalistic tribes. The rescue team only finds the cameras left by the original crew, and given the title, you can guess what sort of footage is on the tapes. The movie is scary enough on its own, but it also caused a scandal due to rumors that several cameramen were actually killed on camera. Director Ruggero Deodato was arrested and charged, but later cleared (cannibalholocaust.net). While the murders were simply rumors, "Cannibal Holocaust" does include actual violence against animals on-screen, which is a felony in the U.S. as of 2019 (CBS News, The New York Times).
Other films included in the poll that are worth a mention are "The Shining," which got about 11% of the vote, along with "Martyrs," "Braindead," and "Misery."