Now before I get started with this one, I want this to be on record that this is in my opinion based on watching these movies several times and rigorously analyzing each one. The criteria for what makes a movie “violent” exceeds more than just someone being shot or a broken nose. We live in a world where violence depends entirely on heads rolling down the street, stepping on eyeballs (See #2) and deformities that not even Sloth from the Goonies could explain. Anyway, here is the list of the Top 10 Violent Movies.
10. Psycho – Come on, you have to appreciate the classics! The movie that essentially started the concept of a slasher that could strike at any given moment deserves some credit as being one of the most violent movies out there. The infamous shower scene STILL strikes fear into anyone who ever wondered what’s on the other side of a closed curtain.
9. Jaws – Another classic. You can argue there is no violence in this movie, but that would be a losing battle. Think about it. You have a 20 foot shark that weighs as much as a car or 2 coming right at you, mouth gaping to expose its sharp, jagged teeth; those black eyes the last sight you see before it tears you in half. Granted, the movie itself is a little…outdated…in terms of the technology they had available, but come on, how many movies do you know that would feature the antagonist killing a child immediately after slaughtering a dog? Enjoy your next visit to the beach.
8. Black Christmas (Original) – One of the best movies ever made. No doubt. But in terms of violence, there is nothing too outrageous to report. The level of violence is just amplified by how terrifying the concept is. That said, of course, there are still scenes that make you turn away in disgust! How about being stabbed to death by a crystal statue that you thought would look cute beside your bed at night. Or how about choking to death thanks to some Saran wrap that was wrapped around your face? Add a massive, swinging hook that crashes into a woman’s face and suspends her above the ground and you have yourself a pretty violent movie!
7. Friday the 13th Series – I’m going to just throw Freddy into this mix too. I know they are obviously two very different villains in two very different series, but I can’t go making a Top 11 list, now can I? So please, for the sake of argument, let’s agree to disagree. These movies feature all kinds of violent deaths that happen to unsuspecting teens who seem to forget the fundamentals of escaping a horror movie alive. Between being suspended over and open fire and burned alive, a machete slicing your head off, being stabbed in front of your girlfriend before she, in turn, faces the same fate, add the element of being hunted every time you sleep, and you have yourself a pretty horrific story-line. Plus the added value of possibly being afraid of the number 13.
6. Passion of the Christ – Let’s ignore the religious element of this movie and focus on the violence on its own. I see what they were trying to do with this one. They really wanted to point out the fact that Jesus suffered through a lot more than just having nails pounded through his hands and feet as he was hung from a cross and left there to die. Between that and the scenes of him walking through town as he is savagely beaten and whipped as townsfolk point and laugh, this movie is just a flashback of the past where this kind of torture was basically encouraged by the rulers of the area.
5. Gladiator – Takes place in a time where violence was encouraged. The more violent, the better. This logic was embraced with open arms during the shooting of the movie. You have lions mauling people, swords in the eyes, blood spurting from sliced necks; meanwhile, women are raped and then burned alive with their children. Yes, that is a little extreme, I know, but it’s shockingly important towards the plot itself. The movie itself is extremely well done and the violence seems to fit the story line to a T. Oh, and it’s awesome.
4. 300 – Grudgingly, I have to list this one on here. Yes, there is violence. Blood spurting, limbs flying, while spears and swords are busy impaling people left, right and center, but that’s the product of war! What do you expect to happen when 300 Spartans and 1,000,000 Persians fight each other to the bitter end? It’s just a high-powered version of Gladiator. Hence the positioning of the two movies on this list. The massive battle scene is just a montage of carnage, though the CGI kind of lessens the damage.
3. Hostel – I swear, that scene where the girl accidentally gets a power saw pushed against her head/face leaves me shuddering for weeks. By the way, Hostel refers to the series, not just the first movie. The movie itself is kind of what would happen if an episode of Criminal Minds got tangled up with Saw. It’s about the underground world of human trafficking and what people with a lot of free time like to do. Some me more memorable scenes include a guy trying to escape after getting his Achilles tendon sliced, a naked woman soaking herself with the blood another woman who is suspended by a hook over a bathtub with her throat slit. Oh, and some dogs eat a certain part of a man.
2. Kill Bill – Every scene in this movie is loaded with violence. The level of violence ranges from heads being smashed by large, metal doors all the way to seeing someone’s eye ripped out and watching…something…ooze out of it as it is stepped on. Not to mention limbs flying everywhere (Crazy 88, anyone?), decapitation, bullets in the head, and a poisoned fish head. This movie has it all when it comes to violence. It leaves you wondering what you are doing with your life.
1. Saw – All of them. Think about what you are actually seeing in any given Saw movie. For example, a pendulum that gradually gets closer and closer to a victim that is forced to break his hands to escape. Of course, he gets ripped in half as evident by the intestines flying across the room and painting the walls a healthy crimson. Not violent enough for you? How about having all of your ribs viciously ripped off your body as you dip your hands in acid that tears away at your flesh as you desperately try to grab a key that is slowly dissolving before your eyes. Because Saw covers that. Saw has every single extraordinary, elaborate and repulsive death you can possibly think of. Not to mention one of the most iconic images in modern-day horror films: Jigsaw’s little puppet friend. Wanna play a game?
0. The Human Centipede – Just…don’t watch it. Or the sequel. There’s violence and then there’s this freak of nature. If you have to watch it, try your best to ignore the scenes when the people are getting their teeth pulled out without aesthetic, or the weird little man watching film from the first Human Centipede movie (yes, there are two) while he…pleasures himself…with a piece of sandpaper. Oh, and do your best to just avoid any scene when line of 3+ people are attached together with some staples and some ad hoc stitches. Just…don’t watch this movie.
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