Table of Contents
- The Autopsy (2016)
- Color Out of Space (2019)
- The Fly (1986)
- The Substance (2024)
- The Sadness (2021)
- Good Night, Mom (2014)
- Crimes of the Future (2022)
- Devour (2019)
- From Beyond (1986)
- Eraserhead (1977)
- Excision (2012)
- Twins – Morbid Resemblance (1988)
- Grave (2016)
- Evil (2021)
- The Riddle of Another World (1982)
- The Children of Fear (1979)
- The Body Snatchers: The Invasion Continues (1993)
- Possession (1981)
- Possessor (2020)
- Creepy Crawlies (2006)
- T Blockers (2023)
- Teeth (2007)
- Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)
- Titanium (2021)
- Crazy Trips (1980)
- Videodrome: The Video Syndrome (1983)
Within the genre terror, which aims to explore the darker sides of our subconscious, several subgenres have developed such as psychological, supernatural, slasher, and the self body horror (body terror, in free translation). This works directly with the most primitive fear of human beings, which is having bodily injuries, voluntary or involuntary transformations and mutilations.
So, anything that involves impacting the human body, from Natalie Portman ripping off a piece of skin at the corner of her fingernail and tearing herself, in 'Black Swan' to Jeff Goldblum gradually transforming into a giant insect in 'The fly', the focus is on the extrasensory experience that uses affliction as the greatest instrument of horror.
The body horror film of the moment is 'The Substance', which contributes impeccably to the history of the genre and brings not only the feminine bias of Coralie Forgeat, but also an essential narrative about the experience of being a woman, the constant changes that time brings and how the world punishes for it. To celebrate this plot, which is showing in theaters and officially premieres on October 31st on the streaming platform MUBI, we have selected the 25 best body horror films produced throughout the history of horror.
The Autopsy (2016)
Original title: The Autopsy of Jane Doe
86% on Rotten Tomatoes | 6,8 on IMDb
Where to watch: AppleTV +, Google Play Movies e Prime Video
The body of an unidentified woman is discovered in a small town in Virginia. Unexplained events begin to haunt the owners of the morgue and those responsible for performing the autopsy on the corpse.
Color Out of Space (2019)
Original title: Color Out Of Space
86% on Rotten Tomatoes | 6,2 on IMDb
Where to watch: Currently unavailable
After his wife undergoes a delicate surgery, Nathan Gardner (Nicolas Cage) decides to move with his family to his father's farm in order to have a more peaceful life. One day, a meteorite crashes into Gardner's backyard and, as time passes, the object begins to have strange effects on everyone's daily lives, managing to manipulate minds and bodies.
The Fly (1986)
Original title: the Fly
93% on Rotten Tomatoes | 7,6 on IMDb
Where to watch: Disney +
A classic that is one of the best body horror films directed by David Cronenberg, a pioneering filmmaker in the genre. In the plot, the eccentric scientist Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) completes his teleportation device and decides to test the effectiveness of the experiment on himself. Without him realizing it, a fly enters the device with him and this causes him to merge with the insect. However, he thinks the experiment was a success, until he begins to notice that the fly's cells are taking over his body, and he ends up gradually transforming into a monstrous creature.
The Substance (2024)
Original title: The Substance
91% on Rotten Tomatoes | 7,6 on IMDb
Where to watch: MUBI
In the story, Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), renowned for a popular aerobics program on television, faces a devastating blow when her boss fires her. Amidst her despair, a laboratory offers her a substance that promises to transform her into an improved and younger version.
The Sadness (2021)
Original title: Well done
Popular title: The Sadness
89% on Rotten Tomatoes | 6,4 on IMDb
Where to watch: Prime Video
In 'The Sadness', the city of Taipei is thrown into bloody chaos as ordinary people are compulsively driven to commit the most cruel and horrific acts imaginable. Meanwhile, a young couple is pushed to the limits of sanity as they try to reunite amidst the extreme violence.
Good Night, Mom (2014)
Original title: Ich seh, Ich seh
Popular title: Goodnight mommy
85% on Rotten Tomatoes | 6,7 on IMDb
Where to watch: Youtube, Google Play Movies, Prime Video e AppleTV +
In the Austrian original directed by Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz, after being away for a few days due to plastic surgery, the mother of twin boys returns home. However, her children do not believe that the woman with her face covered is really their mother. From that moment on, nothing will be the same again.
Crimes of the Future (2022)
Original title: Crimes of the Future
80% on Rotten Tomatoes | 5,8 on IMDb
Where to watch: MUBI e Prime Video
As the human species adapts to a synthetic environment, the body undergoes new transformations and mutations. Accompanied by his partner Caprice (Léa Seydoux), performance artist Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen) demonstrates the metamorphosis of his organs. Meanwhile, a mysterious group attempts to use Saul's notoriety to shed light on the next phase of human evolution.
Devour (2019)
Original title: Swallow
88% on Rotten Tomatoes | 6,5 on IMDb
Where to watch: MUBI e Prime Video
In this story, Hunter (Haley Bennett) is a pregnant housewife who seems to have everything she needs to be happy. However, as she finds herself increasingly pressured to live up to the rigid expectations of her controlling in-laws and her perfect husband, her facade begins to crumble. Hunter begins to develop a dangerous habit, and a dark secret from her past is revealed.
From Beyond (1986)
Original title: FromBeyond
80% on Rotten Tomatoes | 6,6 on IMDb
Where to watch: Currently unavailable
Em 'From Beyond', based on a homonymous short story by HP Lovecraft, a group of scientists developed a machine that can reveal many macabre things that hide beneath the thin veil of reality.
Eraserhead (1977)
89% on Rotten Tomatoes | 7,3 on IMDb
Where to watch: Currently unavailable
Set in a deserted, unnamed urban wasteland, 'Eraserhead' chronicles the travails of Henry Spencer (Jack Nance), whose bleak existence becomes much worse when his bitter girlfriend reveals that she gave birth to his "son," an elusive mutant. After she abandons the baby, it is up to him to struggle to fulfill his role as a single father.
Excision (2012)
Original title: Excision
86% on Rotten Tomatoes | 6,1 on IMDb
Where to watch: Currently unavailable
In this feature-length exploration of body horror, a tormented high school student with aspirations of a career in medicine goes to extreme lengths to gain the approval of her controlling mother.
Twins – Morbid Resemblance (1988)
Original title: Dead Ringers
85% on Rotten Tomatoes | 7,2 on IMDb
Where to watch: Currently unavailable
In another classic from the king of body horror, David Cronenberg, two twin gynecologists with opposite personalities share everything: the same office, the same apartment and the same women.
Grave (2016)
Original title: Raw
93% on Rotten Tomatoes | 6,9 on IMDb
Where to watch: AppleTV +
In 'Grave', a young vegetarian is forced to eat raw meat in a college hazing. From that moment on, she begins to be tormented by an uncontrollable desire to devour human flesh.
Evil (2021)
Original title: malignant
76% on Rotten Tomatoes | 6,2 on IMDb
Where to watch: Max, Prime Video, Google Play Movies e AppleTV +
In 'Malignant', Madison (Annabelle Wallis) begins to have terrifying dreams of people being brutally murdered and ends up discovering that, in fact, they are visions of the crimes as they happen. Little by little, she realizes that these murders are connected to an entity from her past called Gabriel and, to stop the creature, Madison must investigate where it came from and face her childhood traumas.
The Riddle of Another World (1982)
Original title: The Thing
85% on Rotten Tomatoes | 8,2 on IMDb
Where to watch: Prime Video e AppleTV +
In this classic set in remote Antarctica, a group of American scientists are disturbed at their base when a helicopter shoots a dog at the camp. As they try to rescue the wounded dog, the animal begins to attack the scientists and other dogs, and they soon discover that the animal can take the form of its victims. This means that members of the team can be killed and a copy can take their place. With this, a pilot and a doctor must capture the beast before it is too late.
The Children of Fear (1979)
Original title: The Brood
81% on Rotten Tomatoes | 6,8 on IMDb
Where to watch: Currently unavailable
While his wife suffers from mental health issues, a psychiatrist tries to uncover unconventional psychological techniques to treat her. Encouraged to overcome her fears, the woman begins to develop strange somatization processes, generating abnormally shaped creatures.
The Body Snatchers: The Invasion Continues (1993)
Original title: Body Snatchers
71% on Rotten Tomatoes | 6,0 on IMDb
Where to watch: Prime Video
An environmental researcher takes his family to a military base where he studies the presence of toxic materials. Little by little, the people there begin to act strangely, as if they were being replaced by alien plants.
Possession (1981)
Original title: Possession
85% on Rotten Tomatoes | 7,3 on IMDb
Where to watch: Youtube
After returning from a long trip, all Mark (Sam Neill) wants is to see his wife Anna (Isabelle Adjani) and their son again. However, as soon as he arrives in Berlin, Marc realizes that Anna has radically changed her behavior and, as soon as she can, she asks for a divorce.
Possessor (2020)
94% on Rotten Tomatoes | 6,5 on IMDb
Where to watch: Max e Prime Video
An agent for a secret organization uses brain implant technology to inhabit other people's bodies, leading them to commit murders for high-paying clients. But something goes wrong and she soon finds herself trapped in the mind of a man whose appetite for violence rivals her own.
Creepy Crawlies (2006)
Original title: Slither
87% on Rotten Tomatoes | 6,5 on IMDb
Where to watch: Youtube e AppleTV +
The town of Wheelsy is hit by a meteor and soon the animals begin to die. Sheriff Bill Pardy (Nathan Fillion) begins an investigation that leads him to a terrible discovery: alien parasites are infiltrating the minds of the town's inhabitants.
T Blockers (2023)
100% on Rotten Tomatoes | 5,2 on IMDb
Where to watch: Currently unavailable
'T Blockers' is an Australian queer body horror film that tells the story of a young trans filmmaker who is the only one able to realize that the residents of a small town are being mind-controlled by an ancient parasite.
Teeth (2007)
80% on Rotten Tomatoes | 5,4 on IMDb
Where to watch: Currently unavailable
In this body horror film, Dawn O'Keefe (Jess Weixler) is a high school student who lives near a nuclear power plant. She is in love with Tobey, a classmate, and has a great physical attraction to him. At the same time, she begins to think that something may be wrong with her body. When she goes to the doctor, the young woman discovers that her anatomy is very different from that of other women and that this fact can be very dangerous.
Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)
Original title: Tetsuo: The Iron Man
84% on Rotten Tomatoes | 6,9 on IMDb
Where to watch: Currently unavailable
In one of the best body horror films, we follow a man who was run over and left for dead. Seriously injured, the young man realizes that he is gradually being affected by a type of syndrome and begins to rebuild his body with scraps.
Titanium (2021)
90% on Rotten Tomatoes | 6,5 on IMDb
Where to watch: MUBI e Prime Video
In 'Titanium', a woman with a fetish for cars, a metal plate implanted in her head and a killer instinct embarks on a bizarre journey involving identity, escape and unconditional love.
Crazy Trips (1980)
Original title: altered states
86% on Rotten Tomatoes | 6,9 on IMDb
Where to watch: Currently unavailable
In 'Mind-Blowing Trips', a respected scientist and psychology professor named Edward Jessup (William Hurt) decides to combine his experiments in sensory deprivation tanks with powerful hallucinogenic drugs, convinced that this can help unlock different states of consciousness. The experiments are successful at first, but as Jessup continues his work, he begins to experience changes not only in his mental state but also in his physical state.
Videodrome: The Video Syndrome (1983)
Original title: Videodrome
83% on Rotten Tomatoes | 7,2 on IMDb
Where to watch: AppleTV +, Google Play Movies, Prime Video e Youtube
In this body horror film, Max Renn (James Woods), the owner of a small cable television station, captures images of people being tortured and killed. He soon discovers that the broadcast is called Videodrome, which originated in Pittsburgh and is much more than a morbid show. It is an experiment that uses television to permanently alter people's perceptions, causing serious brain damage.
What about you? Have you seen any of these films or do you think there is a title missing from this list? Tell us in the comments!
See also:
Sources: IndieWire, Screen Rant e Vulture
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