Certain films are powerfully unsettling, making them difficult to watch repeatedly. Classics like Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List, and David Fincher’s Se7en have deeply affected viewers. While many movies aim to entertain, some confront us with fear, sadness, or difficult historical truths, making them particularly challenging. These films, often dealing with tough subjects, aren’t always easy to digest, but many are also incredibly well-made and deserving of recognition.
These seven films are definitely worth a watch, but they’re not the kind you’ll want to re-watch.
7) Room
Room is a deeply moving and difficult film about Joy and her son, Jack, who are trying to rebuild their lives after being held captive in a small shed for seven years. The movie doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of their recovery and the lasting trauma they experience following their escape. It’s a significant challenge for both Joy, who struggles with her mental health, and Jack, who knows nothing of the outside world after being born in captivity. Viewers should see Room for Brie Larson’s incredible, Academy Award-winning performance and the film’s thoughtful look at its characters. Be warned, however, that Room tackles very sensitive and upsetting themes like depression, suicide, and sexual assault, and its emotional intensity can be overwhelming.
6) Requiem for a Dream
Requiem for a Dream is a powerfully disturbing, yet crucial, film about the devastating effects of addiction, told through the stories of four individuals. The film is particularly heartbreaking when following Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn) as her life spirals downward. Director Darren Aronofsky doesn’t shy away from showing the intense physical and emotional toll addiction takes, which is why the movie received an NC-17 rating. Despite being incredibly difficult to watch, Requiem for a Dream is a film everyone should experience. It expertly demonstrates how addiction can ruin lives in different ways. While most viewers will find it a worthwhile experience, its intense and unsettling content makes it unlikely anyone will want to watch it more than once.
5) The Long Walk
Based on Stephen King’s novel, The Long Walk is a relentlessly grim and disturbing film. Set in a bleak 1970s America, it follows 50 teenage boys competing in a walking contest with a terrifying consequence: if they slow down or stop, they are immediately killed. Most of them don’t survive, and the film doesn’t shy away from showing their violent deaths. What makes The Long Walk especially impactful is the time it takes to develop the characters and their stories, making their fates even more heartbreaking. While nearly everything that happens is shocking, the film finds moments of warmth through the growing bond between Ray, Pete, Art, Hank, and the other participants. The Long Walk is a difficult watch, and will likely be upsetting, but it’s ultimately a powerful and worthwhile experience.
4) Killers of the Flower Moon
Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon is a difficult but powerful film detailing the murders of Osage Nation members in 1920s Oklahoma. The story focuses on Ernest Burkhardt (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his uncle William Hale (Robert De Niro), who are responsible for the killings, and Ernest’s wife, Molly Burkhardt (Lily Gladstone), who finds herself and her family in constant danger. The film is deeply unsettling due to Ernest’s weakness, Hale’s manipulative nature, and the brutal violence against the Osage people. Despite its lengthy runtime of over three hours, Killers of the Flower Moon is a captivating and important story about greed and racism in American history. With exceptional performances and stunning visuals, the film expertly blends artistic style with a meaningful narrative. While it’s a tough watch, Killers of the Flower Moon is a film everyone should experience.
3) The Zone of Interest
The Zone of Interest is a deeply unsettling film, remarkable for what it doesn’t show. It follows Rudolf Höss, a Nazi commandant, and his family as they live comfortably near the Auschwitz concentration camp. The movie deliberately avoids depicting the horrors within the camp itself. Instead, it uses background sounds – screams, gunshots, and the noises of the gas chambers – to hint at the atrocities occurring nearby. It’s incredibly chilling to see the family going about their ordinary lives while these sounds permeate the atmosphere. The Zone of Interest is a uniquely disturbing Holocaust film, and powerfully illustrates how ordinary people can become complicit in evil. While effective, it’s not a movie most will want to revisit.
2) 12 Years a Slave
The Academy Award for Best Picture was well-deserved by 12 Years a Slave, though the film is incredibly difficult to watch due to its graphic depiction of brutality. The story follows Solomon Northup, a free Black man kidnapped and enslaved for twelve years starting in 1841, and is based on his own memoir. It’s a heartbreaking account of the horrific treatment – including beatings and rape – endured by Northup and others at the hands of plantation owners. These scenes are among the most powerfully disturbing portrayals of slavery ever filmed, making it a film many will likely only watch once. Director Steve McQueen has crafted a masterful and unflinching look at a dark chapter in American history. While deeply upsetting, 12 Years a Slave is an important film for everyone to see at least once.
1) Midsommar
I have to admit, most horror movies I watch, I only need to see once. But Midsommar… that one really stuck with me. It starts with this incredibly disturbing scene – a murder-suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning – and honestly, it just gets more unsettling from there. The story follows Dani, played brilliantly by Florence Pugh, who’s dealing with immense grief. She and her friends end up in the Swedish countryside and get caught up in this absolutely terrifying cult. Honestly, almost every single moment of the film is painful to watch, with one creepy scene leading to another, all building towards some truly shocking and disturbing twists. It’s full of gruesome deaths and awful imagery, making it a really tough watch. But despite how uncomfortable it is, I think it’s absolutely worth seeing – the scares are fantastic, and Florence Pugh gives an incredible performance.
Have you seen these movies more than once? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!
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2025-11-21 23:18