Now,
just so we're clear, my criteria for composing this list will not be
merely based upon the level of gore, but also the quality of the film.
I'm not interested in drivel, no matter how disgusting it may be, but a
well-made feature boasting some obnoxious gore. Special effects are an
artform, and gore belongs under that umbrella, but what difference does
the quality of the effects make if the movie in question is a complete
and total piece of shit? Now, my definition of drivel is a bit loose, so filmmakers like Lucio Fulci and Lamberto Bava will make the cut, yet I can't summon any love for pictures from directors like
Herschell Gordon Lewis and Jess Franco.
Anyway, time is wasting, so let's get disgusting up in here!
#1) The Evil Dead (original) - 1981
The 80s dominate this list, and since that decade is still known for its excess, maybe that's appropriate. Regardless, of all the films to make the cut, this one clearly had the biggest impact on the horror genre. This film gave us Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell, and it spawned a franchise that is still making serious noise on the scene. The budget was minimal and the players were amateurs, but the damn thing still works to perfection. Yes, it is incredibly dated, but it still has raw power. Putting this disc in your player is like lighting a fuse. Despite the obvious limitations, this little picture that could wound up being the most vicious assault on audiences to be featured on this list.
You know the drill: five teens head out for a weekend getaway at a spooky old cabin in the woods. Everything is going great until they release terrible demons into the world. Soon they're hacking one another to pieces in the name of bloody horror, and the ending is a real bummer. Despite the limitations of the budget, Raimi's creativity and the courage of the cast give
The Evil Dead a major boost. I say courage because if you believe everything you read, Raimi has made a living out of beating the hell out of Bruce Campbell, to include driving motorbikes into The Chin's chin.
The gore is tremendous, and the last ten minutes of the picture are among the goriest moments ever captured on film. The most disturbing scene in the piece may be the tree rape, and though that bit is relatively gore-free, it is totally cringe-worthy. Demon-possessed teenagers are dismembered and both the cast and the cabin are painted red with blood as a hero known as Ash rises to the occasion. There is an abundance of carnage, and Raimi is wildly inventive and eager to disgust in his application of the effects. I also enjoy the score, and many of the big scares sprinkled throughout the film owe a great deal to the audio.
A new version of this cult classic is tearing it up in theaters as I write this, but the original has a pedigree that will be difficult to match. If you're looking for an atmospheric and bloody rampage that reeks of doom and awesomeness, you're looking for
The Evil Dead. Yes, doom and awesomeness. It's
The Evil Dead, for crying out loud. The film is a gorefest with considerable mood, opening with a sense of doom and slowly gaining steam before an overblown and incredibly repulsive climax. This one has been giving me the willies for a long time, and I have no qualms about putting
The Evil Dead at the top of this Top 5.
#2) Bad Taste - 1987
There are ridiculous
movies, and then there are those movies that make ridiculous movies seem
positively normal. This is one of those movies.
Bad Taste is a
true love letter to film, a picture where most everything falls short
aside from director Peter Jackson's passion, and yet that alone elevates
everything around it. The end result is one of the goofiest
horror-comedies ever, and it is a bizarre film loaded with memorable
sequences and an outrageous amount of gore. The acting is average, the
effects are inept yet hilarious, and the plot is almost non-existent,
but the movie is consistently entertaining and warrants repeat
viewings. You can show it to your friends and you can even show it to
your parents.
What? I'm not kidding. I showed it to
mine. Of course, I once forced my parents to sit through Lamberto
Bava's dreadfully awful
Devil Fish, so my argument is flawed.
Anyway, back to
Bad Taste.
Big melon-headed aliens with huge ass-cheeks that burst out of their
pants (I couldn't make this stuff up) have disposed of all the people in
a small town to provide meat for an intergalactic fast food chain.
It's up to four unlikely heroes to save the day, and these buffoons are
up to the challenge. There's so much gore on display, I don't know
where to begin. Maybe I should just start by pointing out that our hero
will have his skull cracked open, but he'll survive by scooping his
brains back into his cranium and tying a bandana around his head.
People and big melon-headed aliens with huge ass-cheeks that burst out
of their pants are maimed, bloody floors are mopped, and puke is
ingested.
Bad Taste takes its name to heart, and the movie is a gleeful gorefest that is packed with chuckles.
There are no real scares in
Bad Taste,
though there is a lot of action and maybe even a dab of suspense.
Peter Jackson's vision and energy are on full display, and while no one
could have predicted just how far he would take his talent, his devotion
was obvious. This picture is at the other end of the spectrum from a
picture like
The Fly,
a deep and moving film, as it is a hollow vessel designed solely to
entertain. Having said that, it is both efficient and effective, and
there's nothing wrong with 91 minutes of silly fun.
#3) City of the Living Dead (a.k.a. Gates of Hell) - 1980
In
truth, some people may have filled a list of their Top 5 Gorefests with
films directed by the one and only Lucio Fulci, and it would be hard to
deny that his catalog warrants such attention. Seriously, there are
classics like
The Beyond and
Zombie, and oddities like
New York Ripper or
A Lizard in a Woman's Skin to choose from. There's also
City of the Living Dead,
one of his stronger pictures, and a movie that is truly disgusting.
Additionally, I always enjoyed Christopher George's work, and his
presence is a major asset to this gorefest. In fact, I think George may
have been the finest leading man to star in one of Fulci's films, and
much like
Zombie,
City of the Living Dead is not as
bizarre and disjointed as some of Fulci's work. This is a rather
coherent and utterly nightmarish horror film that will test your gag
reflex.
What's it about? Well, it's just your typical
"priest hangs himself in a cemetery, opening the gates of hell" yarn.
George plays a reporter who teams with a young psychic (Catriona
MacColl) to try and close the gates before All Saints Day, thereby
preventing the dead from rising up to consume the living all over the
globe. There are a multitude of gruesome sights, to include people
bleeding from their eyes, people vomiting up their intestines, drills to
the head, maggot storms, and some of the most fearsome ghouls you'll
ever encounter on film. There are ample servings of dread, suspense,
and gore to be had, and while there are an abundance of flaws on
display, Fulci still manages to ship the freight. Watching
City of the Living Dead
is a bit like enduring a terrible nightmare, and I think that's just
what Lucio was going for. Forgive me if you find watching it to be a
bit of an ordeal, but Fulci felt that horror films were supposed to
challenge and revolt the audience in equal measures.
I
have a strong stomach, and no movie has ever made me physically ill, but
few have come as close as this one. The effects are frightening, the
mood is ominous, the score is unnerving, and Fulci really puts the
screws to the viewer throughout. There are surprising deaths, shocking
images, and all the gore you expect from the Godfather of Gore. This
isn't his best film, but I think that it is his most gruesome feature,
and it is also one of his most effective. Yes, it goes off the deep end
from time to time, to include zombies that teleport, but it also has
some of his best stuff, like the incredibly tense buried alive bit and
the big finale.
City of the Living Dead is a true gorefest, and I
think it is the best Fulci film for this particular list. Some may
disagree, and I won't protest as long they favor
The Beyond or
Zombie, but I've made my choice.
#4) The Fly (remake) - 1986
Everyone loves a Brundlefly, right? Fans of
Trailer Park Trash & Vampires know that I do. This has to be one of the best remakes out there. Cronenberg's take on
The Fly
is a mind-boggling odyssey into terror ripe with fantastic performances
and grotesque visuals. The drama and gore are supported by a powerful
story that will move and revolt you. This one isn't for the squeamish,
but that doesn't mean that it isn't a thoughtful tale, and Cronenberg, a
true master, was in top form here. As a result, the movie is rewarding
for those who cherish the principles of film production and horror
buffs alike. The terribly underrated Jeff Goldblum is sensational
throughout, and the part of Seth Brundle is one of the most challenging
roles you're apt to see portrayed in a horror film.
The
film has little to do with its 1958 predecessor aside from a most basic
plot description: a scientist becomes a disgusting man/fly hybrid after
a daring teleportation experiment goes wrong. There are ample
opportunities for the crew to display startling effects, and some of the
material is extremely hard to watch. The various side effects of
Brundle's grisly transformation and an assault via regurgitation
represent some of the most repulsive scenes depicted. This one isn't
packed to the gills with gore, it's not that kind of picture, but there
are several disgusting sequences that earn the film the #4 spot on my
list.
I'll close by noting that Cronenberg made this
picture after watching his father struggle with disease. With that in
mind, know that when you slip this disc in and press "PLAY" you're
getting ready to go an emotional rollercoaster ride. Those who are
simply looking for cheap thrills might not be as pleased with the
outcome, but anyone who cherishes a good film will find this gorefest to
be a pleasant surprise. Stellar performances courtesy of the key
players and a challenging story that ultimately descends into darkness
and heartbreak give
The Fly a resonance that most of the films on
this list lack. Finally, I have the utmost respect for David
Cronenberg and his body of work, and despite my reverence for
Videodrome and
Scanners, I feel that
The Fly is his best picture.
#5) Demons - 1985
Dario Argento penned the
script, and the director is Lamberto Bava, son of the legendary Mario
Bava, so this was a major film. The budget is obvious, as the effects
are convincing and the wild screenplay calls for some truly outrageous
carnage to unfold in this unsettling gem from the 80s. The soundtrack
is all 80s all of the time, with contributions from Mötley Crüe, Billy
Idol, and (gasp!) Rick Springfield. The acting is decent, but there
aren't any big stars in the mix, and that's okay. I have always felt
that low-budget horror flicks can benefit from the lack of an
established lead. That makes it harder to know who will make it to the
end credits, and that means all of the primary characters are
vulnerable, ratcheting up the tension. That's the case here, and a
number of performers deliver riveting performances. My favorite is
Bobby Rhodes as Tony, a pimp who doesn't blink an eye and whips out his
switchblade when the people around him start turning into bloodthirsty
monsters.
The gore is absurd, particularly the
transformation stuff and a birth that I can't adequately describe for
you. Of course, there is a ton of violence, so you'll see people
mangled in a variety of ways. The blood never stops gushing, as this
one doesn't take long to get started and stampedes toward a zany
conclusion. The basic premise is that a couple of friends venture to a
cinema in West Berlin after one of them is given free passes by a truly
bizarre character. The theater itself is more than a little strange,
and the movie being shown is a horror film centered on demons, a picture
tied together with some mumbo-jumbo about predictions made by
Nostradamus. Things that happen in this movie-within-a-movie begin to
happen within the theater, and soon the place is overrun by ravenous
demons. Before the movie ends, a man riding a motorcycle and wielding a
sword will drive through the cinema, slicing up demons as he goes, and a
helicopter will crash through the roof. It's that kind of film.
I
have a lot of love for this one, and I think the sequel presented a
worthy follow-up. I loved seeing many of the same players in different
roles.
Demons is incredibly violent and incredibly disgusting,
and it is surely one of the better gory films that you're apt to view.
It is also very entertaining, and though it is tied to the 80s and it is
so over-stylized and bizarre that many won't be able to endure, I
hereby label it a gorefest of significance.
Demons boasts
striking visuals, a bold color palette, and throbs with enough energy to
fuel a dozen lesser pictures. You may love it or you may hate it, but
you won't be bored, and you will be disgusted.
. . .
So there you have it. I hope it was disgusting enough for you. Feel free to chime in and share your thoughts.
Were the gorefests of the 80s as excessive as I recall, or did I favor that era a bit too much?
Did I pick the wrong Fulci film? Should there have been more from the Godfather of Gore on this list?
Was I wrong not to include Dawn of the Dead or Suspiria? Or any of a dozen other titles that may have warranted a spot on the list?
What should I discuss in my next Top 5?
