Movies
What Is the Goriest Movie of All Time?
A few months ago, after reading a rather laughable “most disturbing movies” list from Buzzfeed, we put together our own list of The 11 Most Disturbing Horror Movies Of All Time. This highly researched list (seriously, I watched way too many movies for that list), was met with a multitude of responses. “You’ve clearly never seen a disturbing movie.” “You think that’s disturbing?” “That one has too much vomit for me,” etc. Since we dedicated July to gore and gory horror films, we wondered what YOU would think the goriest horror movie is.
Your responses were all over the board and were interesting to look through. Some of the responses we received were on the money, like Martyrs, The August Underground Trilogy, The Human Centipede 2, and films of that ilk. They fit the bill for goriest movie of all time.
To whomever said Pearl, I suggest you don’t watch any of the films on this list.
After a two-week poll, the results are in!
Top Six Goriest Movies, According to Readers
(Author’s note: there was a three-way tie for fourth place so we’ll do the top six with the tied films all taking fourth place.)
6. Hellraiser (1987)
Clive Barker’s masterful, practical effect-filled nightmare is a classic for a reason. Even those who aren’t fans of the film cannot deny just how brutal, goopy, and downright chilling the practical effects are. From one brother coming back to life and stealing his brother’s skin, to hundreds of hooks in someone’s skin ready to rip them apart, Hellraiser is truly a horror classic that deserves to be on this goriest movie list.
Jesus really did weep.
5. The Green Inferno (2013)
Described (by me) as the last solid film Eli Roth made, The Green Inferno was a brutal homage to the Italian cannibal films of the 70s and 80s. I remember seeing this in the theaters as a 19-year-old, and I couldn’t help but shake the feeling that I had watched something I should not have been allowed to watch in a theater. Is this what people felt when they saw Cannibal Holocaust all those years ago? Everything about The Green Inferno is impressive, even if it’s hard to watch. It may look more polished and clean than the films it was homaging, but there’s still a distinct horrific authenticity to the violence.
4. Ready or Not (2019)
To horror fans, the names Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett might ring a bell, but for general audiences, that name might not mean much. Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett were part of the filmmaking team Radio Silence, who would have a hand in one of the best segments in the V/H/S franchise and then would go on to take over the directing reigns of Scream 5 and 6. Ready or Not would be a critical and financial success, putting their names on the map for general filmgoers. I don’t necessarily agree that Ready or Not should be on this list, even if it’s a great movie. This all goes back to one of the questions raised in our Top 11 Most Disturbing Movies list: can one scene make up for a lack of gore throughout a film?
If so, then there’s definitely one scene in Ready or Not that’s pretty gory. Other than that, we aren’t sure if it’s truly the goriest movie.
3. Evil Dead (2013)
Fede Alvarez came out swinging with his remake of this horror classic. 2013’s Evil Dead was a surprising change from the franchise’s campy horror comedy. Honestly, who can forget the tongue scene? Yuck! Evil Dead would use [reportedly] 700,000 gallons of fake blood. If that’s not enough to get you to the top of the list, I don’t know what is (even if a good portion of it was used for the blood rain). Evil Dead would be followed up with an equally gruesome, and scary, film that would go on to flip the franchise on its head with Lee Cronin’s Evil Dead Rise.
2. Terrifier 2 (2022)
This is the only film on this list that I have received death threats about! A few years ago I wrote about how I just do not like the Terrifier films, and the totally normal fans were not happy. Here’s a snippet of some DMs I received: “I hope Art cuts you from dick to head,” “I’d pay to watch Art skin you in your bedroom,” “F*gg*t.”
I can understand why this film was voted for so many times, I mean Scream 6 tooootally stole a bunch of ideas from this masterpiece! Anyway, this is your list of goriest movies, not mine. Um. Sure, the bedroom scene is pretty gnarly, but this 2 ½ hour bore fest just doesn’t do it for me.
1. Brain Dead/Dead Alive (1992)
Peter Jackson’s gorefest Dead Alive is beloved by many who seek gory films. The first half of the film is fairly tame, and kind of hysterical. It’s not until you get to the mid-second act that things get gross as hell. If you want to watch a practical effects masterclass of blood and viscera, then you must check out the unrated cut of Dead Alive. You can read my full thoughts on it here.
Shudder knows summer is the perfect time to watch scary things in air-conditioned places. Which is why the beloved streamer is giving us newer movies like Heresy, Whistle, This is Not a Test, and Smothered. While it’s always fun to see recent titles arrive alongside classics and deep cuts, my eye isn’t on the films this month. Most of my picks this May are television series and documentaries. Maybe that means I want longer comments with my media and an open library. Or perhaps I’m just reminding myself that I’m a cool nerd and making it your problem too. Whatever the case may be, I have curated another list of titles that I believe deserve our attention. Check out my top five priorities while surfing our favorite streamer below.
Tales From the Crypt (1989 – 1996)
Our beloved 90s anthology is finally making its way to our most cherished streamer. As someone who hasn’t seen Tales From the Crypt since I was a tyke, I’m so giddy that I get to watch it as an adult. More importantly, I get to binge it as John Kassir (the voice of our favorite ghoul) intended. I have been floating since this news was announced at the Overlook Film Festival in April. My insomnia and my Crypt Keeper are about to be reunited, and all is going to be alright in my little world. Come for the celebrities and stay for the puns and wicked deaths. I sincerely hope you call out of work each Friday as a new season gets added to Shudder.
You can watch Tales From the Crypt: Season 1 on May 1st. Subsequent seasons will premiere on Fridays, concluding with Season 7 on June 12
Horror Noire: History of Black Horror (2019)
Based on Dr. Robin R. Means Coleman’s book of the same name, Horror Noire: History of Black Horror is simply that girl. It unpacks the complicated history of Black people in the genre with humor, honesty, and heart. It even gets into the conversations no one seems to want to have and makes room for Black horror icons to actually be heard for once. You could hear the record scratch on Bluesky when this Shudder Original disappeared a few months ago. So, we can all rest easy knowing that it’s coming back home and we can continue to have it in our regular rotation. Horror Noire made many of us feel seen and made us better cinephiles and critics. It’s worth the Shudder subscription on its own if we’re being completely honest.
You can watch Horror Noire: History of Black Horror on May 4th.
The Terror: Devil in Silver (2026)
Your favorite unsettlingly stoic anthology has returned for a new season, and this time, Dan Stevens is in the mix. Stevens plays Pepper, a man with bad luck and a bad temper who gets himself committed to a psychiatric hospital. Any horror fan knows that’s the recipe for many horror bangers, and that’s why I will be sat. The cast also includes CCH Pounder, Judith Light, and Marin Ireland. However, my heart belongs to Karyn Kusama, who is in the director’s chair and the queen of tension. As a Momma Kusma stan account, I am so ready for her to raise my blood pressure and send me to the ER. The demonic duo of AMC+ and Shudder is cooking with this one.
You can watch episode one of The Terror: Devil in Silver on May 7th. Subsequent episodes will premiere weekly, concluding with the season finale on June 11th.
In Search of Darkness 1990-1994 (2024)
We all love to see our faves get together and discuss the horror eras we have romanticized. Which is why watching genre royalty unpack the “lost” decade of horror is something we all probably want to see. As a 90s kid, I feel like we ate pretty well in my day. So, I want to collect all of these stories like infinity stones. Some of the faces we can expect to see are Heather Langenkamp, John Carpenter, Frank Henenlotter, Tim Balme, and Michael Gross. My little nerd heart could bust, and I am happy Shudder is opening the library this May.
You can watch episode one of In Search of Darkness 1990-1994 on May 11th.
Something Is About to Happen (2023)
Things take a turn for a woman who loses her job as a computer programmer. The only movie in my roundup this month goes to the one I perhaps know the least about. Truthfully, I am just here for horror movies about women going through it. Excuse me as I gesture to the world and my bank account. More importantly, Spanish-language horror rarely fails me. So, I am willing to look past the two-hour and two-minute runtime. I am ignoring that it is listed as a romantic horror. I’m doing this because I expect my kind of chaos, and I hope I am right. From one down girl to another, I am rooting for this character on sight.
You can watch episode one of Something Is About to Happen on May 15th.
That is what I plan to use my Shudder Saturdays for this month. Let us know what you’re plotting to hit play on in the comments because we’re nosy.
Is anyone else remembering we have movies at home and logging in a lot of Netflix hours this spring? I know I am, and I keep finding more hidden treasures on this app. They collect so much international media and never tell us they have it. I find this frustrating as I pull up late to things I’m probably going to love. Quite a few foreign films make it into my lineup this month. Two of them I have never heard of before and are newer titles that should be getting some attention, in case they’re some of the best of their respective years. One is French, and we all need to revisit it for reasons that I’ll explain later.
Another thing worth noting about Netflix’s recent additions is an American show called Man on Fire. This serialized adaptation of A. J. Quinnell’s novel of the same name stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. He’ll be playing the character my generation associates with Denzel Washington because of the 2004 film adaptation. As a nerd who has been wondering why Yahya hasn’t been on my screen for a minute, I will probably have finished binging this before you even make it to the end of this article. I digress! Here are the five movies I plan to watch this month on Netflix!
180 (2026)
An act of road rage leaves a young boy in critical condition and his father seeking revenge. As usual, Netflix has not really advertised this South African thriller. However, I love revenge and am always game for a new release. So, I’m happy the powers that be put this in the recent lineup. It looks good, which gives me hope that this is going to be a gritty and bloody adventure. Fingers crossed, a few of you also hit play on this one because I’d like more quality South African thrillers that are easily accessible in America. I’m tired of hunting them down years after the fact.
Benedetta (2021)
A nun has religious visions that threaten the core of the Church while she is also having a secret affair in the 17th century. You are probably confused as to why Paul Verhoeven’s French psychological romantic drama is in my Netflix round-up. Especially if you clocked the long run time, and now I love a 90-minute or less movie. Listen! If you give me a nun having visions and having a lesbian affair in a period piece, it is my sworn duty to tell everybody. It is also my job to rewatch it for reasons. Don’t say I never did anything for you!
Him (2025)
A young athlete discovers why you should never meet your heroes when he is invited to train with a football legend. People were way too mean to this movie. It’s giving Neon Demon and Black Swan for Black male athletes. It’s not perfect, but the aesthetics and vibes are on 10. More importantly, Marlon Wayans and Tyriq Withers deliver some pretty fantastic performances that keep you locked in. I’m excited to revisit it and see if I like it more (or less) than when I caught it in theaters. Hopefully, more people will do the same now that the more biased discourse has died down.
Mudborn (2025)
A spirit terrorizes a video-game designer and his pregnant wife. I have no idea what to expect from Meng-Ju Shieh’s Mandarin supernatural horror film. However, I’m excited to see what this spirit is about. Again, Netflix continues to drop the ball on advertising international films. So, it’s up to us to find it in the streets and raise the alarm. In a perfect world, this movie will be the nightmare fuel I’m always seeking out. However, at the end of the day, I’m just happy to show up and support international films helmed by people of color. It’s a win-win situation, however I look at it.
Scream (2022)
A new Ghostface is terrorizing Woodsboro 25 years after the original killing spree rocked the town. As a Wes Craven stan account and fan of Radio Silence, I was so happy this movie turned out awesome. I can still say this is one of my favorite horror wins of this decade because it showed this franchise still had some life in it. It also introduced us to our Core Four, led by my new favorite final girl, Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera). As someone who enjoyed these first six movies, I will always clear my schedule for a marathon and am happy to see Scream (2022) on Netflix this month. I plan to rewatch it and continue being salty that I will never know how this new trilogy was supposed to end.
That’s what I have this month. Happy Netflixing to each and every one of you!
