Spoiler warning for Infinity Pool, Knock at the Cabin, Barbarian, The Menu, and The Killing of the Sacred Deer!!! I’ll be talking about how disturbing each film was, and that means detailing some of the more disturbing parts for me.
- Infinity Pool
- Quick synopsis: A man and his wife travel to an exotic island, but after committing a crime, the man is given the opportunity to pay his death penalty by creating a clone to die in his place.
- 10/10
One of my friends really really wanted to watch this movie because it’s the most recent A24 film. We spent a long time trying to find it in theatres, but it wasn’t showing in any theatre near us nor even at an appropriate time. The only theatre we found was 30 minutes away and it showed at 12:30. Am.
We ended up renting it on Amazon Prime, and I soon understood why it wasn’t showing in theatres.
I rated this a 10/10 on my disturbing scale. It’s kind of like Midsommar but if you cranked the “disturbing” notch up a few pegs. The horror comes in bright colors and uncanny imagery, which can be both satisfying to watch and also extra uncomfortable. This movie definitely toys with downright strange and uncomfortable imagery, giving you the urge to close your eyes but also keep watching. This film isn’t afraid to show gore and other forms of body horror, and I found myself closing my eyes for the latter half of the movie.
- Knock at the Cabin
- Quick synopsis: A couple and their daughter stay at a cabin for vacation. Soon, they receive 4 visitors, who tell them to sacrifice a member of their family in order to prevent the apocalypse.
- 3/10
The concept was really interesting, and most of the movie had me wondering whether the 4 intruders were insane or telling the truth. To be honest, if the intruders were part of a cult and they had genuine delusions, I would find this whole movie a lot more disturbing. Instead, their predictions of the apocalypse took away from the realism (which I find a lot scarier) of the movie.
Overall, I really didn’t find this one too disturbing, but I really enjoyed it. The acting was great and the concept had me hooked the whole time.
- Barbarian
- Quick synopsis: A woman stays at a rental home, only to find that it’s already occupied by a stranger. She decides to stay and learns that there are worse things that inhabit the home.
- 6/10
This one was pretty disturbing for me because it played on my personal fears. One of my weird and niche fears is to live in a temporary home like an AirBnB/hotel, and for someone to be still in the home while I’m living there.
While it was uncomfortable, this one was pleasantly broken up with humor, so it didn’t feel so uncomfortable to watch. The ending was satisfying and the social commentary was amusing.
The implied horror was more disturbing than the horror on the screen. Shots that included an empty bloody room with a bed and a camera, several VHS tapes with the names of various women, and evidence of a baby’s existence were more disturbing than the actual focus content itself.
- The Menu
- Quick synopsis: A couple attends a tasting at an exclusive restaurant, only to realize they were never meant to leave.
- 2/10
The concept of this one was really interesting but contrasted with all of the other movies that I’ve seen, this one was not very disturbing at all.
I’d say the most uncomfortable thing was the cult-like following the sous chefs had for the head chef. Otherwise, this movie almost felt a little bland in the context of all of the other horror movies I’d seen.
- The Killing of the Sacred Deer
- Quick synopsis:A cardiovascular surgeon and his family slowly become more and more haunted by a boy named Martin.
- 9/10
This one was also very uncomfortable to watch. The dialogue in this movie is stilted and unnatural. It’s also very hard to tell whether the warnings that Martin heeds are real or if he is just crazy. “The Killing of the Sacred Deer” is filled with uncomfortably realistic gore and unnatural human movements. The whole movie exceeds at being unsettling, and the ending just leaves you feeling gross inside. I felt like I needed to wash my brain and eyes.
All in all, watching movies with my friends has been a really good escape from all of the stressors in my life. Horror movies especially…
[edit: bros i’m looking up these movie posters and I’M GETTING SCARED AGAIN]
Hi Elyse!
I have always been a lover of movies, I always found them extremely enjoyable to watch. However, I have never been a die-hard fan and only watched the most popular movies or the ones I saw passing on Netflix when I absolutely have nothing else to do. However, I recently started working at a movie theater and have gained an easy and free way to watch all of the newest movies. The horror movie I have most recently watched is Scream 6. Like how you described the menu, the movie itself was not disturbing. The point of the movie was to discover who the killer is throughout, and the ending was unexpected, which made the movie a true success. Other than few gory jump scares, the movie itself was not disturbing. You should definitely watch it! I love the way you described all of the movies you watched without spoiling it. I definitely would like to watch Infinity Pool, The Barbarian, and the Killing of the Sacred Deer. Such an good blog!
Elyse, like you, I am also not a big fan of horror movies, though I have seen my fair share of them. Every movie that you described in your post sounds quite interesting to me, and I especially like the concept for Infinity Pool. I agree with your assertion that the worst type of horror film is the one that disturbs you, and leaves you with an uncanny feeling even after it is over. I recently watched Megan at the movie theater, and I hate haunted dolls. Growing up, Annabelle, Chucky, and Slappy from Goosebumps all terrified me, so I thought that I would find the movie scary still despite its sillier premise. However, I was pleasantly surprised by Megan, and I actually really enjoyed how it portrayed the unsettling fear of sentient AI becoming a threat to humanity. The previews before the movie started on the other hand were a whole other story. I had to sit through the preview for the surprisingly scary new Scream and a few other haunting, gory trailers for films that I don’t remember the name of. I think that my favorite horror movies are those that have some sort of social commentary as a part of them, like Jordan Peele’s Us.
Hi Elyse,
I found your blog about horror movies to be incredibly interesting. Personally, I hate this genre of film, as I find these movies incredibly disturbing. It is for this reason, that I found it interesting to read your analysis of each of these films. In my own experience, one of the most disturbing horror movies I have seen was “Human Centipede.” This movie was incredibly disturbing to me and the concept haunted my mind for weeks afterward. Moreover, I was intrigued by your description of the movie “Infinity Pool.” While I have never seen this movie myself, I have heard many things about it from my friends, as well is from social media. It seems that your opinion of this movie matches with the opinions of many others. From the short clips I have seen of this movie, I certainly agree that it does seem incredibly disturbing. I found it interesting how you rated the movie high despite this. I believe that your opinions and analysis of each of these movies illustrates that most individuals enjoy the complexity of each of these movies as well as the disturbing aspects. While I personally do not enjoy these types of movies, I believe that those who watch them feel a sense of fulfillment and security in their own lives. No matter how tedious the tasks of everyday life may be, at least we are not in a horror movie!
Hey Elyse! I am so happy to have found someone who also does not like horror movies, but somehow always gets dragged into watching them. There is something so intriguing about horror movies that makes me just want to keep watching no matter how scared I am. Maybe it is the need to finish something that I started, or the fact that I must know what happens next to be satisfied. It is a struggle, but I am glad that we can share this type of experience! I have never seen any of the movies that you mentioned in your blog, and respectfully I don’t really plan on watching them to protect my own sanity, but I feel as though I would have very similar reactions to you! I have definitely felt that feeling of wanting to wash my brain and eyes out, specifically after watching the horror movie, “Ouija”. Although the whole concept is so stupid and I definitely should not have been as scared as I was, I must argue that there were a lot of graphic deaths and of course a super creepy little girl ghost. I regretted it every time I opened my eyes to watch the screen and I ended up not being able to sleep for days.
Hi Elyse!! For starters, I haven’t seen The Menu, or the entirety of Infinity Pool because I had to go home and it scared the crap out of me. All I remember from Infinity Pool was the first 40 – ish minutes, the scene where the hot guy watches himself get killed, and that one really creepy kaleidoscope looking scene. Wacky movie, and I didn’t even see the ending! ALSO, can we just talk about how crazy wild Knock at the Cabin was?? I liked it but it just derailed there at the end, and oh my golly gumdrops, why did they have to have that scene at the end basically explaining the entire point of the four guys?? Major dislike. That thing kinda killed it for me, no pun intended. PLUS oh my golly gumdrops again I HATED the ending. Made me sob like a little baby. Not the worst movie, but still really bad. Also, okay. Barbarian. I loved the acting, and the one dickhead guy was really good at being a dick. But oh my god Bill Scarsguard (you know who I’m talking about) was actually so hot in that movie. You cannot convince me otherwise. And holy crap the ending was great. I love you Elyse. On god. Thank you for sharing this week!!
Hi Elyse! When I was younger I would always suggest horror movies when I was with friends because for some reason I thought it was hilarious to see them get scared. I personally would never watch one alone but when I’m with other people I say it’s a great pass time. I absolutely hate gore though, especially when it includes something or someone getting impaled that really disturbs me. I say I’m more of a psychological mess with your brain kind of movie because it’s always so cool to think about how the movie was written and how well it messed with me. I’ve never watched any of these movies as I tend to stay way mainstream. If I had to choose one based on your ratings I would choose the Menu since it’s the least scary! It’s also the only movie where I recongize an actress. The killing of the Sacred Deer actualy sounds pretty interesting but the way you empahszied the unnatural stuff makes me want to not but also watch it at the same time. Sometimes I need internal drama and I feel like that would help me feel something? The movie poster looks really cool too!
Hi Elyse! I am definitely not big on horror movies either. I usually like watching movies by myself in my bed but I refuse to watch a scary movie unless I have someone to hold my hand and I have no plans to fall asleep anytime soon after. I had neveer heard about Infinity Pool before but A24 makes some really interesting flims so I am not surprised this one got a high score on your disturbing scale. There is no shame in having to look away. I have seen many ads about Knock in the Cabin and this makes me want to watch it! I have always had a really niche but active fear of being in the wrong place at the wrong time and then being falsely imprisoned for a crime I did not commit, so I can relate to your Air Bnb anxiety. I am VERY disappointed to hear that you did not like The Menu! I have been dying to watcht that for a while now, but i’m not so sure I will after this! But then again, something that didn’t scare you at all might be the most disturbing movie I ever watch. I will definitely keep your opinion in mind when next choosing a movie to watch with my friends!