The following article contains graphic descriptions of bodily and self-harm that some readers may find offensive. Reader discretion is advised.
Thebody horrorgenre can be a bit too gruesome for even the most staunch horror fans, but what it can offer in scares, philosophy, storytelling, and filmmaking makes it a critical part of the beloved genre. Often making the lists ofthe best horror movies ever made, body horror has been a fixture of the genre for nearly as long as the genre has existed. Mary Shelley’sFrankenstein, Franz Kafka’sTheMetamorphosis, and H. G. Wells’The Island of Doctor Moreauare classics, all with elements of body horror.
There is something beautiful, fascinating, and grotesque about the human body. It’s both completely personal and at times completely alien. Many horror directors have taken this paradoxical relationship and used it to craft some of the best-known horror stories ever put to film.David Cronenberg and his moviesare synonymous with the genre, and he’s arguably the modern father of it. Stillthere are plenty of other filmmakers in the spacecreating incredible and horrifying movies. The best of these body horror movies terrify, intrigue, and keep the audience coming back for more.
Why Body Horror Movies Are More Popular In 2020
From Brandon Cronenberg to Misha Green, body horror movies have gained heightened popularity in 2020. Here’s why the subgenre is so popular today.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe
Cast
The Autopsy of Jane Doe is a chilling horror film that follows father-and-son coroners who encounter a highly unusual and disturbing autopsy. As they delve deeper into the examination of an unidentified woman’s body found at a crime scene, they uncover increasingly bizarre clues that reveal a dark and terrifying secret. The film masterfully combines supernatural elements with a claustrophobic setting to create a tense and gripping mystery.
InThe Autopsy of Jane Doe, father-and-son Coroners, Austin Tilden (Emile Hirsch) and Tommy Tilden (Brian Cox) receive a late-night job. A young woman has been found and her death needs to be determined ASAP. As the autopsy gets underway, the Tildens find physically impossible and unnerving damage to the body before things begin to get really frightening.
The autopsy portions ofThe Autopsy of Jane Doeare visceraland clinically detailed. Each time Tommy explains a new horrifying realization about the body, it’s too easy to imagine what exactly happened to the young woman thanks to the time spent showing the Tildens' process.
Teeth
Teeth is a horror-comedy film directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein. It tells the story of Dawn (Jess Weixler), a teenage girl who discovers a unique anatomical trait with dangerous implications during a time of personal crisis. As she navigates complex social interactions and traumatic experiences, Dawn grapples with her emerging identity and newfound power. The film combines elements of dark humor and body horror to explore themes of female empowerment and sexuality.
Teethis a body horror comedy that follows Dawn O’Keefe (Jess Weixler), a young member of a Christian abstinence group who realizes during a sexual assault that the more intimate region of her body has the capability to violently defend itself. As she finds out more about her condition, Dawn begins to get revenge on those who would hurt her.
The tagline and plot ofTeethare purposefully ridiculous, but the tone of the film works perfectly as a coming-of-age story and a parable about feminity and puberty. The scenes of Dawn using her newfound power to take violent men down a peg are as satisfying as they are hilariously gruesome.
In My Skin
In My Skin is a psychological horror film directed by Marina de Van. Released in 2002, the film centers on a young woman’s disturbing obsession with self-mutilation following an accident. As she becomes increasingly disconnected from reality, her behavior spirals out of control, affecting her personal and professional life. The film portrays a dark exploration of identity and self-destruction.
The 2002 French film,In My Skin, was written, directed by, and stars Marina de Van as Esther, a marketing professional in Paris. After cutting herself one night on a jagged piece of metal, Esther becomes obsessed with the idea of cutting and soon begins chopping off pieces of herself in larger and larger quantities.
In My Skinis Marina de Van’s directorial debut.
In My Skinis an unrelenting and shocking look into self-mutilation and bodily autonomy. It may be a slower story with a somewhat flat plot, but Esther’s treatment of herself even while her friends and family look on in horror makes it hard to look away from.
Prometheus
Prometheus, released in 2012, is a science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott. It follows a team of explorers as they uncover clues about humanity’s origins, embarking on a perilous interstellar expedition where they confront formidable challenges to secure the future of mankind.
Thanks in part toH. R. Giger’s designs in theAlienfranchise, body horror has always been a key element of the sci-fi horror and action films. Of them,Prometheushas the most in common with the classic body horror movies. In this prequel to the 1980 Ridley Scott film, a team of scientists investigates a mysterious planet and discover the progenitors of the human race.
As the progenitors, there is body horror galore with creatures breaking down to their DNA, black sludge transforming scientists, andan alien c-section scene that is one of the most shocking and intimate horror moments in recent memory. It’s all the mystery and terror ofAlien, with a modern and gruesome instinct for body horror.
Societyis a satirical body horror that follows Bill Whitney (Billy Warlock), the scion of a wealthy family who has sneaking suspicions about his family and their upper-crust friends. Bill discovers that his family and their pal are actually a horrific alien species that meld their bodies together to absorb energy.
Societyis more than just its over-the-top and expertly crafted ending. Its pulpy, b-movie plot in the first two-thirds makes the ending even more delightful.
It’s an incredibly gross movie that has scenes of bodies melting together and faces coming out of every inadvisable body part imaginable.Societyis more than just its over-the-top and expertly crafted ending. Its pulpy, b-movie plot in the first two-thirds makes the ending even more delightful.
Malignant
In this horror thriller from the creator of the Conjuring universe, a woman named Madison is tormented by visions of grisly murders. When she discovers that these waking dreams are in fact terrifying realities, she attempts to unlock her repressed memories to find the killer and stop him.
James Wan is a modern master of horrorthanks to his many acclaimed and influential movies, includingSaw,The Conjuring, andInsidious.Malignantis a response to all those films, flipping the tropes on their head in this delightful near-farce aimed squarely at the fans of his work. In the film, Madison Mitchell (Annabelle Wallis) begins experiencing blackouts and supernatural occurrences that terrorize her.
The body horror comes in the twisted reveal, which really should not be spoiled to enjoy the film. It’s disgusting, horrifying, and so bizarrely fun it’s hard not to cackle in joy when it happens. Every strange and convoluted event that happens before suddenly falls clearly into place andMalignantis a brilliant thrill ride after.
Rabid
Rabid is a 1977 horror film by David Cronenberg. The story follows a young woman who, after experimental surgery, develops a phallic stinger that feeds on human blood, triggering a citywide epidemic. Starring Marilyn Chambers, the film explores themes of medical experimentation and societal breakdown.
David Cronenberg’sRabidfollows Rose (Marilyn Chambers), a woman who is injured in a motorcycle accident. After undergoing a mysterious surgery, she learns there is now an orifice under her arm that hides a stinger that drains blood from those who get too close to her.
A remake of the film was made in 2019, by sisters Jen and Sylvia Soska.
Rabidis a violent and horrific film, withthe disturbing stinger-like apparatus being a nausea-inducing bit of puppetryand makeup. The odd dialogue and strange plot only add to the disorientation of the film, making the gore feel even more disturbing.
From Beyond
From Beyond, directed by Stuart Gordon, is a 1986 horror film based on the story by H.P. Lovecraft. The plot centers on Dr. Crawford Tillinghast and his invention, the Resonator, which allows humans to perceive alternate dimensions. As the machine operates, it unlocks monstrous entities from a parallel universe, leading to terrifying consequences. Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton star in this atmospheric exploration of scientific ambition and the unknown.
InFrom Beyond, acosmic body horror moviebased on the short story of the same name by H. P. Lovecraft, a scientist’s experiment accidentally sends him to another dimension with sinister creatures. The creatures send him back to earth, now transformed into a grotesque shapeshifting monster that preys upon everyone else in the laboratory.
From Beyondmixes satire, horror, and some real artistry for an underrated tale about what happens to the mind when it observes something it can’t comprehend.The makeup, monsters, and body contortions are top-notchand disgusting to look at, perfectly capturing what makes Lovecraft’s stories so terrifying.
Slither
Written and directed by James Gunn, Slither tells the story of a small town that gets invaded by an alien mind-controlling parasite. Starring Nathan Fillion as Police Chief Bill Pardy, Elizabeth Banks as Starla Grant, and Michael Rooker as Grant Grant, the 2006 horror comedy marks James Gunn’s directorial debut.
If MCU fans wondered whyGuardians of the Galaxyfelt a little more zany, violent, and maybe even cosmically terrifying than the films before it, they would only need to look at directorJames Gunn’s earlier moviesto understand why.Slitheris a ridiculous and hilarious film about a small South Carolina town that’s invaded by a parasite.
The parasite transforms its victims into horrific, bloated tentacle monsters who are either used to breed more parasites or kill humans. Michael Rooker’s portrayal of Grant Grant, who gradually turns into a monstrous, tentacled monster that absorbs those he infects, is both tragic and disgusting.
Tusk
When Wallace Bryton interviews an eccentric old sailor, Howard Howe, for his podcast, the old man tells him of a walrus named “Mr. Tusk” who once saved his life. Unfortunately, the story doesn’t end there, as Howard’s obsession with Mr. Tusk means he has some disturbing plans for Wallace.
Kevin Smith added one of the strangest movies to his already odd list of directed films withTusk. In the film, Justin Long plays Wallace Bryton, an unscrupulous podcaster who interviews eccentric people to mock them online. When he finds a potential new interviewee in Canada, he is captured by the man and slowly transformed into a walrus using skin grafts and body modifications.
The transformation of Wallace into the walrus is painful and disturbing, and just looking at still images of the result is enough to be shocking.There are some truly sickening moments of Wallace desperately staring out of the skin suithe’s forced to wear, and the film lingers long after it’s over.
