By S.K. Sapiano
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Popularised in the mainstream by the work of iconic Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg, body horror is a horror film subgenre dedicated to deriving fear from damage or changes happening to characters' bodies. Such films typically linger on images of injury detail, mutations and decay with the hopes of making audiences feel uncomfortable in their own skin. Body horror sequences in films can be caused by illness, accidents and torture, as well as through sci-fi or supernatural means, lending versatility and variety to the subgenre.
In the last 40 years especially, many filmmakers from across the world have turned their talents to making body horror films, inventing new and creative ways to represent and warp the human body onscreen. With the recent release of the satirical and extreme body horror film The Substance, these are our picks for 10 body horror masterpieces that approach genre perfection.
10 'Hellraiser' (1987)
Directed by Clive Barker
Hellraiser is a 1987 British supernatural body horror movie written and directed by Clive Barker, based on his novella The Hellbound Heart. The film centers on a mysterious puzzle box that summons the Cenobites, a group of demonic entities that derive extreme pleasure from extreme pain. The Cenobites are brought into the life of teenager Kirsty (Ashley Laurence) due to the actions of her uncle Frank (Sean Chapman) and stepmother Julia (Clare Higgins), two morally corrupt hedonists who endanger their own lives as well as the lives of the people around them.
Creating true horror icons in the form of Pinhead (Doug Bradley) and the other Cenobites, Hellraiser tackles the subjects of sadomasochism and extreme spiritual experiences through its use of body horror. The film's body horror is surreal and gruesome, leaning into the realm of dark fantasy due to its complex and fantastical world-building, giving the film a highly unique identity. The best film in the long-lasting franchise it created, Hellraiser is a vital entry into horror history.
Hellraiser (1987)
R
Horror
Thriller
- Release Date
- September 18, 1987
- Director
- Clive Barker
- Cast
- Ashley Laurence , Sean Chapman , Doug Bradley , Andrew Robinson , Claire Higgins , Nicholas Vince , Simon Bamford , Grace Kirby , Oliver Smith
- Runtime
- 94 minutes
- Writers
- Clive Barker
- Tagline
- Budget
- $1 million
- Studio(s)
- Film Futures , New World Pictures
- Distributor(s)
- Entertainment Film Distributors
- Sequel(s)
- Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 , Hellraiser 3: Hell on Earth , Hellraiser: Bloodline , Hellraiser: Inferno , Hellraiser: Hellseeker , Hellraiser: Deader , Hellraiser: Hellworld , Hellraiser: Revelations , Hellraiser: Judgment
- Franchise(s)
- Hellraiser
9 'Blue My Mind'
Directed by Lisa Brühlmann
Blue My Mind is a 2017 Swiss coming-of-age body horror film written and directed by Lisa Brühlmann. The film centers on a teenage girl, Mia (Luna Wedler), for whom the onset of puberty coincides with the beginning of a complete transformation from human to mermaid. As her body begins to become unrecognizable to herself, Mia seeks solace in her close relationship with her friend Gianna (Zoë Pastelle).
Exploring themes of womanhood, sapphic love and both psychological and physical trauma, the film portrays life as a teenage girl in a unique and brutal fashion. Beginning slowly and subtly, Mia's gradual transformation is equally horrifying and beautiful, mirroring the complicated feelings of closeted queer teenagers about their true identities. While the film's slowburn structure may not be for everyone, Blue My Mind is an underrated body horror masterpiece.
Blue My Mind
NR
Fantasy
Drama
Horror
Thriller
- Release Date
- October 2, 2017
- Director
- Lisa Brühlmann
- Cast
- Luna Wedler , Zoë Pastelle Holthuizen , Regula Grauwiller , Georg Scharegg , Lou Haltinner , Yael Meier
- Runtime
- 97
- Main Genre
- Fantasy
- Writers
- Lisa Brühlmann
- Tagline
- Mia's body is changing.
- Website
- http://www.bluemymind.ch/en/
8 'May'
Directed by Lucky McKee
May is a 2002 psychological body horror film written and directed by Lucky McKee. The film follows its titular character (Angela Bettis), a shy and emotionally stunted young woman who struggles with human connection, feeling closer to her childhood doll than to the people around her. As May fixates on individual features of her peers, she decides to construct a new friend using their body parts.
May is a perfect blend of psychological and body horror, with the construction of May's imaginary friend being equal parts horrifying and tragic. Angela Bettis is immaculate in the lead role, with McKee's strikingly sensitive filmmaking greatly complimenting her performance. Having gained a cult following in the two decades since its release, May is an unsettling and haunting body horror film.
May
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7 'Excision' (2012)
Directed by Richard Bates Jr.
Excision is a 2012 psychological body horror film written and directed by Richard Bates Jr. The film follows Pauline (AnnaLynne McCord), a psychologically troubled teenager who aspires to be a surgeon and fantasizes about scenes of bizarre bodily mutilation. Centering on her complicated relationship with her family and her increasingly fractured psyche, the film is a disturbing and darkly comedic interpretation of a coming-of-age narrative.
Excision is an outlier among its body horror cohorts, as the majority of its violence is confined to surreal and clinical fantasy sequences rather than representing real events. This places the audience in the disturbing realm of Pauline's mind, as they are encouraged to sympathize with her but simultaneously fear what she may be capable of. Visually stunning, intelligently written and anchored by powerhouse performances from AnnaLynne McCord and Traci Lords, Excision is a body horror masterpiece.
Excision
NR
Comedy
Documentary
Drama
Horror
- Release Date
- September 12, 2012
- Director
- Richard Bates Jr.
- Cast
- AnnaLynne McCord , Traci Lords , Ariel Winter , Roger Bart , John Waters , Malcolm McDowell
- Runtime
- 81
- Writers
- Richard Bates Jr.
6 'Titane' (2021)
Directed by Julia Ducournau
Titane is a 2021 French body horror film written and directed by Julia Ducournau. The film follows Alexia (Agathe Rousselle), a serial killer who goes on the run from the police and poses as a missing boy in order to be accepted and sheltered by the boy's father (Vincent Lindon). More than simply hiding her identity, however, Alexia is also concealing the fact that she is pregnant with a half-human, half-car child.
Titane is a highly intense film full of strong, memorable imagery and visceral scenes of violence and body horror. Specific focus is placed on the effects of Alexia's secret pregnancy, such as the injuries caused by her binding her stomach, and the deep connections between her body and metal. Exploring themes of gender, sexuality and found family, Titane is a brutal and emotional body horror film.
Titane
R
Horror
Drama
Sci-Fi
- Release Date
- October 1, 2021
- Director
- Julia Ducournau
- Cast
- Vincent Lindon , Agathe Rousselle , Garance Marillier , Laïs Salameh , Dominique Frot , Myriem Akeddiou
- Runtime
- 108 minutes
- Main Genre
- Horror
- Writers
- Julia Ducournau
5 'Eyes Without a Face' (1960)
Directed by Georges Franju
Adapted from Jean Redon's novel of the same name, Eyes Without a Face is a 1960 French horror film directed by Georges Franju. The film centers on an innovative plastic surgeon (Pierre Brasseur) and his assistant (Alida Valli) as they kidnap young women to perform illegal face transplants. The film's emotional core is Christiane (Édith Scob), the doctor's daughter, who was disfigured in an accident and is instructed to wear an expressionless mask until a face transplant is successful on her.
Considered controversial and highly shocking at the time of release, the film contains gnarly and explicit scenes of medical body horror that were unusually graphic for the early 1960s. The film is artful and intelligent, with its most iconic feature being the unnerving mask Christiane wears, which plays on fears of ambiguity and the uncanny. Eyes Without a Face is an underrated and influential horror classic that makes excellent use of body horror and suspense.
Eyes Without a Face
Approved
Horror
Drama
- Release Date
- October 24, 1962
- Director
- Georges Franju
- Cast
- Pierre Brasseur , Alida Valli , Juliette Mayniel , Alexandre Rignault , Edith Scob
- Runtime
- 90 Minutes
- Main Genre
- Horror
- Writers
- Pierre Boileau , Thomas Narcejac , Jean Redon
Watch on The Criterion Channel
4 'Rosemary's Baby' (1968)
Directed by Roman Polanski
Adapted from the book by Ira Levin, Rosemary's Baby is a 1968 occult horror film written and directed by Roman Polanski. The film follows Rosemary (Mia Farrow), a young woman who becomes pregnant after an assault and develops suspicions that there is a Satanic conspiracy surrounding her. Rosemary's pregnancy takes a horrific toll on her body, causing her to lose a dangerous amount of weight and endure severe pain, hinting at a dark truth regarding her baby.
Rosemary's Baby has become a horror classic, renowned for its tense and unsettling atmosphere and for its sinister portrayal of the occult. The film's body horror aspects are disturbing and excellent, playing on the concept of Rosemary losing her bodily autonomy and being forced to endure a deeply painful pregnancy. Smart, phenomenally acted and still genuinely scary, Rosemary's Baby is an iconic work of psychological, supernatural and body horror.
Rosemary's Baby
R
Horror
Psychological
Supernatural
- Release Date
- June 12, 1968
- Director
- Roman Polanski
- Cast
- Mia Farrow , John Cassavetes , Ruth Gordon , Sidney Blackmer , Maurice Evans , Ralph Bellamy
- Runtime
- 137 minutes
- Main Genre
- Drama
- Writers
- Ira Levin , Roman Polanski
- Tagline
- Pray for Rosemary's Baby
- Production Company
- William Castle Productions
Watch on The Criterion Channel
3 'The Substance' (2024)
Directed by Coralie Fargeat
The Substance is a 2024 satirical science fiction body horror film written and directed by Coralie Fargeat in her American debut. The film follows Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), a celebrity who is unceremoniously fired from her television job on her 50th birthday. In order to regain her youth and fame, Elisabeth uses an experimental treatment called "the substance" that replicates her DNA to create Sue (Margaret Qualley), a younger version of herself.
The film is a sharp satire of the fleeting nature of fame and the extreme beauty standards women in the public eye are held to, using body horror to symbolize the lengths some celebrities go to in order to maintain their appearance. Featuring almost every form of body horror possible, the film exploits every common squeamishness trigger, including eyeball horror, needle phobias and teeth falling out, before eventually devolving into utter chaos and buckets of blood and gore. One of the most talked-about horror films in recent years, The Substance is an instant classic of extreme body horror.
The Substance
R
Horror
Drama
- Release Date
- September 20, 2024
- Director
- Coralie Fargeat
- Cast
- Demi Moore , Margaret Qualley , Dennis Quaid , Gore Abrams , Hugo Diego Garcia , Olivier Raynal , Tiffany Hofstetter , Tom Morton , Jiselle Burkhalter , Axel Baille , Oscar Lesage , Matthew Géczy , Philip Schurer
- Runtime
- 140 Minutes
- Main Genre
- Horror
- Writers
- Coralie Fargeat
- IMDb ID
- tt17526714
- TMDB User Rating
- 0 .0
- Studio(s)
- Working Title Films , A Good Story
- Character(s)
- Elisabeth Sparkle , Sue , Harvey , Oliver , Diego , Alan , The Stylist , The Doctor , Girl , The Photographer , Troy , Bob Haswell , Mr. Scream
2 'Videodrome' (1983)
Directed by David Cronenberg
Written and directed by body horror master David Cronenberg, Videodrome is a 1983 sci-fi horror film. The film follows Max (James Woods), a television programmer who discovers Videodrome, a TV show consisting of footage of torture and murder. Max becomes fixated on the show and begins to investigate its origins, becoming affected by horrifying visions of his body warping and mutating as a result of the show's powerful and malignant broadcast signal.
Considered by many to be Cronenberg's horror masterpiece, Videodrome contains some of the most creative and bizarre body horror in film history. The film's visuals are stunning, featuring incredibly strong practical special effects that have a highly tactile quality to them. Exploring themes of politics, sexuality and the harmful effects of new technology and media, Videodrome is one of the most effective body horror films ever made.
Videodrome
R
Horror
Mystery
Sci-Fi
- Release Date
- February 4, 1983
- Director
- David Cronenberg
- Cast
- James Woods , Sonja Smits , Deborah Harry , Peter Dvorsky , Leslie Carlson , Jack Creley
- Runtime
- 87
- Main Genre
- Horror
- Writers
- David Cronenberg
- Tagline
- First it controls your mind. Then it destroys your body.
Rent with Amazon
1 'Possession' (1981)
Directed by Andrzej Żuławski
Directed and co-written by Andrzej Żuławski, Possession is a 1981 psychological horror film with strong elements of body horror. The film centers on the toxic marriage between Mark (Sam Neill) and Anna (Isabelle Adjani) as it explodes to a cataclysmic extent when Anna confesses to an affair and initiates a separation. Anna's behavior is erratic and bizarre, and the identity of her lover is truly horrifying, leaving Mark to attempt to make sense of their situation on his own.
Possession is most famous for the terrifyingly committed performance given by Isabelle Adjani, who absolutely steals the show with her stunningly intense portrayal of Anna's fear and grief in the film's notorious subway scene. Inspired by the director's own divorce, the film captures the desperation, heartbreak and confusion of a failing marriage with stark clarity, using its body horror to emphasize the harmful patterns that people can find themselves trapped in. Emotionally challenging and at times deliberately off-putting, Possession is an utterly unique body horror film.
Possession
R
Horror
Drama
- Release Date
- May 25, 1981
- Director
- Andrzej Zulawski
- Cast
- Isabelle Adjani , Sam Neill , Margit Carstensen , Heinz Bennent
- Runtime
- 124 minutes
- Main Genre
- Horror
- Writers
- Andrzej Zulawski , Frederic Tuten
- Studio
- Gaumont
NEXT:The 10 Most Thrilling Horror Movies of All Time, Ranked
- Movie
- Horror
- David Cronenberg
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