As a movie reviewer, I’ve seen a lot of films try to scare us, and most do it intentionally. But sometimes, a movie with good intentions just… goes wrong, and ends up deeply unsettling. Horror and thrillers are supposed to be creepy, but it’s the movies that aren’t supposed to be – like certain kids’ films such as Coraline and Return to Oz, or even romances like Nosferatu and Crimson Peak – that really stick with you. These films expertly play with expectations. However, there are those movies that try to be sweet or romantic and completely miss the mark, becoming unintentionally disturbing. They can be hard to watch, because of those glaring flaws, but honestly, those are often the films everyone ends up talking about!
These three movies tell extremely unnerving stories, but not everyone realizes it.
3) The Polar Express
While The Polar Express aims for a heartwarming Christmas story about believing in magic, it often ends up being quite scary for both children and adults. Certain scenes, like the unsettling puppet show and the ghost on top of the train, are deliberately creepy. Beyond these moments, the overall story is actually quite disturbing. It follows children taken on a mysterious nighttime train ride to the North Pole while their parents are asleep. Throughout the journey, the main character faces repeated danger, clinging to the outside of the train and nearly falling as it slides across a frozen lake.
Instead of a cheerful Christmas journey, the children’s trip to the North Pole feels more like a dangerous ordeal. They face several frightening situations, including being tossed into Santa’s gift sack and nearly being crushed when the Christmas tree star falls. The North Pole itself feels unsettling and dreamlike, and the large group of singing elves is genuinely creepy. Some viewers have even been disturbed by how realistic the animation looks. While the movie aims to capture the spirit of Christmas, the scary elements overshadow any sense of holiday cheer, making the film surprisingly unsettling.
2) Labor Day
If you’re looking for an unusual love story, check out Labor Day. The film centers on Adele (Kate Winslet), a sad and lonely single mother, and her son Henry (Gattlin Griffith). Their lives are turned upside down when Frank (Josh Brolin), an escaped convict, takes them hostage. Over five days, an unexpected bond forms – Frank connects with Henry, and a romance blossoms between Frank and Adele. They make plans to start a new life in Canada, but their escape is thwarted and Frank is sent back to prison. Years later, they reunite after his release and find happiness together.
The movie Labor Day fails to create a believable love story. While Adele is understandably vulnerable due to past losses, the film portrays Frank exploiting her loneliness. The idea that all she needed was a man – especially one with a dark past involving the death of his family – feels absurd. Though the characters deserve happiness, the situation is simply too unbelievable to take seriously. Even given Adele’s emotional state, it’s hard to accept that she would fall for a dangerous fugitive who breaks into her home. The movie inexplicably asks viewers to support this relationship, which is deeply unsettling. Seeing Frank threaten Adele and her son is frightening, and framing this hostage situation as a romance makes it even more disturbing.
1) Passengers
Passengers is arguably the most disturbing film on this list, disguised as a romantic story. It follows Jim (Chris Pratt), who wakes up 90 years too soon during a spaceship journey to a new planet with 5,000 people on board. After a year of solitude, he decides to wake another passenger, Aurora (Jennifer Lawrence), because he’s attracted to her. Although initially angry about being awakened early, Aurora eventually falls in love with Jim and chooses to spend the remainder of her days with him on the ship until the other passengers wake up.
It seems those involved with the movie Passengers didn’t recognize how disturbing the story truly is. Jim essentially steals Aurora’s future, ruining the life she imagined and leaving her in a frightening and helpless situation. The film’s attempt to portray Aurora eventually accepting Jim, after he’s essentially imprisoned her, feels deeply flawed. While the movie frames Jim’s actions as a simple mistake, many viewers struggle to overlook the fact that he deliberately and permanently sabotaged her life. It’s hard to believe anyone in Aurora’s position would forgive or fall in love with someone who hijacked their entire existence for selfish reasons.
The movie Passengers feels shockingly insensitive, seemingly blind to the terrible situation it puts the character played by Lawrence in. What Jim does feels more like stalking than romance, which makes it hard to believe the film thinks a real love story can come from such a disturbing premise. The idea behind Passengers would have been far more effective as a horror film, shown through Aurora’s eyes, and it’s disappointing the filmmakers didn’t realize this.
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2025-10-28 00:13