Watching movies does not always bring aesthetic and spiritual pleasure. Frankly, some scenes are so shocking that they can cause nausea or fainting. Other passages, on the contrary, are so astonishing with their frankness that even playboys blush. We will talk about these moments in the movies.
Legal warning: The material contains descriptions of scenes that may cause disgust or anxiety. If you are impressionable, you should skip this material. Better check out what great tests we have.
Interrogation of heroine Sharon Stone – “Basic Instinct”, dir. Paul Verhoeven (1992)

What’s wrong with a beautiful girl showing off her assets, especially when it comes to Sharon Stone? The episode in which heroine Catherine Tramell spread her legs and exposed her sharpest parts during interrogation lasted only a few seconds, but many viewers were shocked that the controversial director showed everything as it is. By the way, in Russia and other countries this scene is either cut or blurred, so not everyone has seen the original.
Razor and Eye – “Un Chien Andalou”, dir. Luis Buñuel (1929)
Two surrealist friends, Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali, came up with the script of “Un Chien Andalou” based on their dreams. Let’s admit it, there are many shocking scenes, but one particularly shocked the audience: Although the short film is only 20 minutes long, it is literally “painful” to watch. In this episode, a girl’s eye is scratched with a razor. By the way, it was a real bullseye. Now you know too, don’t thank me.
All scenes – “Pink Flamingos”, dir. John Waters (1972)
This movie is definitely not for the faint of heart. Welcome if you hate someone very much – you can recommend it to a person who committed a crime in the form of torture. It was difficult to choose the most disgusting part because the movie itself as a whole is a test for the soul, but we tried. The plot tells the story of Babs Johnson, who is considered “the dirtiest creature in the world” by her acquaintances, but one day a group of stupid freaks want to compete with her and challenge her status. Among the disgusting scenes, the most disgusting one was the eating of dog feces. Overall, this is an experience no one should have to go through.
Burning cow – “Andrei Rublev”, dir. Andrey Tarkovsky (1966)
Don’t be surprised if a classic painting is included in this list. The episode with the burning cow seemed so natural to viewers that it still causes justified outrage among animal rights advocates. After all, in those days there were no computer graphics yet, and Tarkovsky was ready to do anything for the sake of art. We assure you that he was an adequate person and did not torture the animal: The cow had asbestos coating on it and was set on fire. We don’t think the risk is justified; after all, he may have actually been injured by sheer luck. However, in his defense we can add that, for example, in Elem Klimov’s war drama “Come and See” the cow was shot.
Butter – “Last Tango in Paris”, dir. Bernardo Bertolucci (1972)
For Maria Schneider, the role in “Last Tango in Paris” was her debut. It is unlikely that the girl could have imagined how filming would turn out for her career. Bertolucci believed that for rape to be natural, the actor did not need to predict what would happen to him. The director conspired with Marlon Brando, who unexpectedly attacked Schneider during filming and used butter as a lubricant. Not only that, the girl was traumatized for life and swore not to act together with Bertolucci. After this role, she was only offered roles in erotic films, and Schneider announced her retirement.
Eating live octopus – “Oldboy”, dir. Park Chan Wook (2003)
It seems like you won’t surprise anyone with a shocking movie in Asia. But watching the hero use two chopsticks to suck the lips of a live, flapping octopus and push it into his mouth is quite an ordeal.
Sophisticated torture – “Salo or 120 days of Sodom”, dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini (1975)
The name of the Marquis de Sade has long become a household name. His controversial books include descriptions of rape, BDSM practices and much more. Pasolini filmed his novel “Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom” as naturally as possible. In the story, a group of aristocrats forcibly hold a group of young men and women on their estate and subject them to degrading practices, including mutilation.
Dead Man – “Cargo 200”, dir. Aleksey Balabanov (2007)
Balabanov said that the plot of “Cargo 200” was based on a true story that his girlfriend at the time told him. After this detail, it becomes even more difficult to watch the movie. In the most difficult scene, the prisoner chained to his bed wakes up next to the corpse of the groom thrown in front of him by an impotent police officer.
Swivel Head – “Exorcist”, dir. William Friedkin (1973)
In fact, today’s horror movies are even more complex, but old horror movies have a particularly disturbing atmosphere. Even modern audiences shudder at this sudden scene: when the demon-possessed hero begins to feel dizzy.
Chestburst and xenomorph – “Alien”, dir. Ridley Scott (1979)
Some fans of artist Hans Giger’s work even find the xenomorph beautiful, but his appearance in the first episode of the series is so shocking and sudden that it makes the heart race. The alien literally smashes the inside of the chest of the scientist it inhabits. Yes, this episode makes you want to scream in terror.
Allergic reaction – “Reincarnation”, dir. Ari Aster (2018)
Most viewers know Ari Aster from the movie “Midsummer”, which tells about the brutal ritual murders of pagans, but his earlier work “Reincarnation” is even more striking. The sudden death of a girl as a result of an allergic reaction is shown so realistically that it feels like you can’t breathe while watching it.
Killing an animal – “DAU. Degeneration”, dir. Ilya Khrzhanovsky (2020)
It is no coincidence that Ilya Khrzhanovsky’s megalomaniacal project “DAU”, which turned from a biography about the scientist Lev Landau into a 700-hour film, received scandalous publicity. “DAU. Many of Natasha’s followers were shocked by the rape of the heroine, but a more disgusting scene was shown in “DAU”. Degeneration where a pig’s head is cut off with a kitchen knife. It is definitely not recommended for psychologically unstable people to watch this.
Threesome – “Nymphomaniac”, dir. Lars Von Trier (2013)
The controversial Danish director stunned the audience with a scene in which the nympho heroine and her partners appear completely naked.
Brutal rape – “Irreversible”, dir. Gaspar Noe (2002)
Gaspar Noe is also known for his films that contain plenty of pornographic scenes. For example, in the movie “Love” the actors are almost always naked. But the director showed the most shocking episode of the movie “Irreversible”, when Monica Bellucci’s heroine was brutally beaten and raped in an underground passage.
Rewind – “Funny Games”, dir. Michael Haneke
Telling the story of two sociopathic teenagers who take their new neighbors hostage and brutally torture them, the film leaves a strong impression on the audience. The most surprising thing is that there are almost no such violent incidents in the movie. Perhaps the most alarming moment was when not everything went as planned for the torturers and they began to “rewind” the scene on television so that everything happened as in their script. This technique of the director erases the “fourth wall” between the characters and the audience, plunging them into complete despair and hopelessness.
Source: People Talk

Errol Villanueva is an author and lifestyle journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a passion for exploring the latest trends in fashion, food, travel, and wellness, Errol’s articles are a must-read for anyone interested in living a stylish and fulfilling life.