Best Horror Movies You’ll Only Watch Once (& Where To Stream) – Screen Rant

Some horror movies have such a profound effect on their audience that even the bravest of viewers can only dare watch them once.

The horror genrehas always had a proud and passionate fanbase, filled with movie-lovers who can handle the most thematically and visually disturbing films. However, even for devoted followers of the genre,some horror movies prove too shockingand upsetting to warrant multiple viewings, no matter how well-made they may be.

Though it might seem contradictory toenjoy a film while simultaneously never wanting to watch it again, this feeling loudly announces itself in the horror genre. Many films within the genre root themselves in an audience's adrenaline, looking to excite and disturb at the same time. Maybe too successful in this are a handful of horror films that hit so hard the first time it is difficult to imagine a second round.

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Whilea number offilms within thehorror genre have been criticized fortheir gratuitous, and occasionally pointless depictions of violence, falling into the category of "torture porn", many are made of strong narratives that deliver as much emotional pain as physical. The most haunting horror films are able to scare on multiple levels, igniting fear through creative forms and divingdeep into the psyche. Whether disturbing in their overall theme or specific moments of horror, these six films are so rattling that just one viewingshould suffice.

Based on Ryu Murakami' s novel of the same name, Takashi Miike's 1999 psychological horror film Audition is filled to the brim with emotional and physical dread, delivering such a brutal plot that it does notwarrant a re-watch. Horror fans will be thrilled by the increasingly disturbing scenes as the film's creative antagonist, Asami, enacts a unique type of torture on a potential suitor. Her warped obsession with love and loyalty lead Asamidown a gruesome path that viewers will not quickly forget. The scenes of violence in Audition are slow and precise, torturing the audience along with the victim.

Doing all it can to secure itsspot in the New French Extremity film movement, Pascal Laugier's Martyrsis known for its relentlessscenes of torturethat definitely do need not beseen more than once. The film focuses on two women, Lucie and Anna, who are tracked and tormented by a philosophicalcultthat believes the key to transcendence and awareness of the afterlife lies in torture. Depraved, demeaning but commendably daring, Martyrs is not an easy film to forget, though viewers may wish they could.

Danish filmmakerLars von Trier's erotic psychological horror film, Antichrist, is extremely hard to watch, as are most of the controversial director's films. Following a married couple, stunningly played by Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg, as they wallow in the wake of a horrible tragedy, the film examines pain in a visceral and violent way. Daring its audience to cover their eyes, Antichristpresents some of the most gory mutilation scenes in recent years, standing out as a film many can only watch once, if that.

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Ben Wheatley's2011 film,Kill List, is a horror crime film thatusesa dreary tone and a horrific twist to hauntits viewers. While the movie serves a consistent sense of doom, the final thirty minutes are a non-stop scare-fest, building up at a steady rate and climaxing in an unforgettable moment of horror as sad as it is violent. Emotionally heavy and packed with gore, Wheatley's film is a slow, psychological burn that is tough to sit through but worth the one-time effort. Wheatley followed Kill List withSightseers,alighter and less mentally consuming horror-comedythat feels like a breather beside its predecessor.

Green Room, a brutally tense thriller bydirector Jeremy Saulnier, amps up the metal music andthe gore ina tightly packed plot filled withcringe-worthydepictionsof violence. Starring the late Anton Yelchin, Alia Shawkat, ImogenPoots and Patrick Stewart, Saulnier's film follows a young punk rock band traveling through the Pacific Northwest and a gig gone very wrong. After becoming accidental witnesses to a murderwhile playing at a neo-Nazi bar theband struggles to escape a cruel group of locals led by the vicious Darcy Banker (Stewart). Green Room pushes the limits of its viewers but rewards them with a strong, satisfying story of terrifyingly realistic horror.

Darren Aronofsky's 2017 psychological horror film mother!caused critics to debate, audiences to warn one another and horror fans to relish in its visceral violence. An aesthetic hit, the film stars Jennifer Lawrence as the young, and most recent wife, of an eccentric and strong willed poet played by Javier Bardem. Packed withbiblical allegories and metaphorical depictions of motherhood burdens, Aronofsky's film is a relentless exploration into religion, isolation and selflessness.The horror movieincrementally increases the violence, resulting in a highly disturbing climax that does not necessarily need to be seen twice. A beautifully dizzying one-time ride, mother!may reappear in its viewers mind but perhapsnot their screens.

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Elizabeth Lerman is a graduate from the University of Vermont where she earned her B.A in Film Studies and Literature. An avid reader, watcher and writer, her mind is usually flooded by film theory she is surprised to still remember from college. Specifically passionate about horror, comedy and... horror-comedy, Elizabeth grew up watching a healthy mix of Hitchcock and Will Ferrell and developed a love for both genres. A freelance writer based in Brooklyn, Elizabeth spends her free time prowling used bookstores, seeing how many movies she can watch in a weekend, and talking way too much about Korean horror films.

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Best Horror Movies You'll Only Watch Once (& Where To Stream) - Screen Rant