Top 10 Horror Movies No One Understands
Script written by Richard Bush
Top 10 Horror Movies Nobody Understands
These movies had us shivering, terrified, dazed and confused. Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 10 Horror Movies Nobody Understands. For this list, we’ve gathered some of the cleverest, most controversial, convoluted and downright confusing horror movies from cinema. These may be great movies, but they consistently leave viewers scratching their heads trying to figure out their hidden messages, morals and, in some cases, their plotline. Oh, and spoiler alert!#10: “Jacob's Ladder” (1990)
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Being a movie about dreams, paranoia, war and hospitals, you’ve really got to be paying attention to grasp what is going on in “Jacob's Ladder.” We hop about the timeline of a hospitalized Vietnam vet who is convinced he’s being watched by the government. Unsure if what we’re seeing is real or a figment of his imagination, we don’t know who or what to believe. And so its story of life and death, and its ending, is a little opaque, to say the least. The various religious references throughout - including the idea of Jacob’s Ladder itself and the ascension to heaven - confuse things even further.
#9: “Mother!” (2017)
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Writer and director Darren Aronofsky loves to challenge moviegoers. And “Mother!” is a perfect example of how he creates abstract characters, wrapped in metaphors, veiled in even more metaphors. On the surface, the movie can easily seem like a ton of randomly frustrating moments, bookended alongside each other, with Jennifer Lawrence looking confused the entire time. That is kind of the case, but Lawrence’s character is said to represent Mother Earth, with Javier Bardem representing God, sort of. And so the attacks on Lawrence’s character throughout are effectively attacks on Mother Earth. Get it? It’s a bit of a thinker, and it’s no wonder people left theatres scratching their heads.
#8: “The Lighthouse” (2019)
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The most recent addition to today’s list, this Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe movie was a real shot in the arm for cinema, with its black and white aesthetic and claustrophobic setting proving that genius writing can entertain just as much as a big, booming blockbuster. Following two lighthouse keepers struggling to live alongside one another, and keep their sanity, to some it may just seem like a boring, fly-on-the-wall, weird, nautical sleepover. But creator Robert Eggers packs it full of subtle - and not so subtle - imagery and meaning. There’s intense dialogue, followed by long awkward silences, spiralling madness and even mermaids. It’s enthralling, upsetting and puzzling all at once.
#7: “Suspiria” (2018)
This movie is not an easy watch. However, if you like the sense of impending doom that something like 2015’s “The Witch” exudes, and you’re partial to the cutthroat nature of 2010’s “Black Swan” and its creative arts, then you’ll probably love it. Whether you’ll fully understand it is a different thing altogether. “Suspiria” is a supernatural horror set against the backdrop of a dance studio, serving as a reinterpretation of Dario Argento’s 1977 classic of the same name. And if its themes of witches and brutal one-upmanship weren’t enough to make your head spin, then maybe its multiple protagonists and storylines will. Perhaps best described as a horror art film, “Suspiria” split opinion upon release, with many just not getting its message.
#6: “Carnival of Souls” (1962)
Another art film as we explore the intriguing, yet extremely low budget, world of the “Carnival of Souls.” This movie is about a woman who, after surviving a car accident, is drawn to a nearby town and an old carnival. Upon its release in 1962, it was disregarded as just another low budget horror flick, but over the years it’s been used as a case study to display just how effective good lighting and sound can be. The movie’s eerie atmosphere has left many viewers puzzled - that and its questionable acting. But its creative guerilla filmmaking techniques give it an interesting feel that’s totally unique, and a little disorienting.
#5: “Don't Look Now” (1973)
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It’s relentlessly foreboding, right up until the movie’s very last moments, which makes it difficult to properly, or even partially, understand “Don’t Look Now” on a first watch. The story of a grief-stricken man and wife who travel to Venice following the death of their daughter, “Don’t Look Now” is jam-packed with suggestive, deathly imagery that’s recycled and reworked almost subliminally throughout the movie. That and its chilling soundtrack make it one of the most disquieting, and at times confusing, movies of all time. And as for its strange ending, there’s likely entire film school lectures out there dedicated to deciphering what it means.
#4: “Hereditary” (2018)
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After watching its not-so-subtle trailer, it’s easy to see why movie fans might have thought “Hereditary” to be a cheap jump scare horror movie. But it’s so much more than that. After a family is targeted by a demonic cult who aims to use their 16-year old son as a vessel for their demon leader Paimon, some weird things start happening - from the death of their 13-year old daughter, to the possession of numerous family members. Culminating in an extremely disturbing ending, “Hereditary” offers a sense of abstract weirdness that you don’t usually get with your standard possession movies. And considering its mixed reception amongst mainstream audiences, it seems it’s a little too much for some to swallow.
#3: “Antichrist” (2009)
One might simply define this movie as sick. And no, not in the awesome way, more like in the extremely disturbing, literally have to hide behind a pillow because you can’t maintain eye contact, way. “Antichrist” is about a couple that moves to a cabin in the woods after the loss of their infant child. As He experiences weird visions, She develops a penchant for violence. Perhaps the very definition of arthouse, some see Lars von Trier’s “Antichrist” as an allegory of the Garden of Eden and humanity - whereas others see it as a gory, explicit mess. Either way, no one’s really sure so it belongs on this list!
#2: “Tetsuo: The Iron Man” (1991)
This couldn’t be further from Robert Downey, Jr.’s Tony Stark if it tried. This cyberpunk body horror movie follows a man who slowly transforms into a mix of twisted, rusted metal and flesh. And it’s about as nuts as it sounds. Unapologetically in your face and bizarre, this cult horror is enjoyed by many simply for its outlandish scenes of metal transformation and its surprisingly ripe humor. However, many fail to pick up on its symbolism of toxic industrialisation. To be fair, it is hard to put your analytical hat on when you feel like you’re being sucked into a nightmare.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
“The Beyond” (1981)
“Triangle” (2009)
“The Neon Demon” (2016)
“Uzumaki” (2000)
“Bug” (2006)
#1: “Eraserhead” (1977)
You can always count on David Lynch movies to chew up and spit out your brain - and although we almost went with “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me” for today’s list, we felt his directorial debut “Eraserhead” was more deserving. And the plot is pretty simple - a man and a woman have a baby and struggle to care for it. Of course there’s also the lady living in the radiator, blood-gushing food, heads turned into pencil erasers and the fact that the baby is a reptilian monster. Initially panned, “Eraserhead” was later deemed one of the most significant movies of all time - and to this day, people are still debating its meaning.
