10 Movies That Can Make You Feel Uncomfortable

Cinema has forever subsisted as an escape hatch, but some films deny the warmth of such escapes, pushing the audiences into very unsettling encounters. Such scary films are really "skinners" of an emotional sort; they leave you anxious, disturbed, or flat-out exhausted. Be it through psychological torment or simply violence serve in shock, or some existential horror, they choose to disturb in methods that rot in long after the credits have rolled.

Some films, such as Requiem for a Dream or Hereditary, rely upon intensely personal tragedy to keep us unsettled, a kind of grief and trauma from which it feels almost impossible to escape. Others, like Funny Games or A Serbian Film, dismantle the very mechanism of storytelling, withdrawing the reassuring cloak of predictable narratives. War dramas like Come and See would not touch the disturbing area of their storytelling with gore, but rather, they are raw and hauntingly realistic.

These films remain equally relevant, if not more so, as mental health, violence, and the limitations of art become topics of increasing discussion in 2025. These notoriously watchable films put forth an interrogation of the perceptions behind them, provoke thought, and raise the difficulty of the narrative brilliance that comes with these filmmakers.

Disclaimer: This article is based on the writer's opinions. Reader's discretion is advised.

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1. Requiem for a Dream (2000)

Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream sets itself apart from typical drug addiction films in that it unleashes an unmitigated psychological select. With quick cuts, an effectively harrowing score, and characters in their degradation, it immerses the audience into a nightmarish spiral down. Jennifer Connelly's dreadful fate and Ellen Burstyn's unbearable performance as a lonely woman following a warped version of happiness seal this film's fate in misery. Two decades later, the cultural implications of the film hover above discussions of addiction and mental health, only adding to the film's discomfort.

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2. Funny Games (1997/2007)

Both installments of Funny Games, under the direction of Michael Haneke, subject viewers to a sadistic social experiment. It's not simply horror; it's a meta-analytical probe into our voyeuristic fascination with violence. The antagonists in the film, unsettlingly courteous but menacing, shatter the fourth wall, involving viewers in their brutality. By withholding catharsis from the audience, Haneke guarantees unease will persist long after the credits. In the age of true crime frenzy and sensationalism in the media, Funny Games is more relevant than ever, questioning the role of being a mere spectator. If you believe that horror is all about formulaic scares, this movie will challenge you to question your engagement with violence on screen.

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3. A Serbian Film (2010)

Few movies have been as incendiary as A Serbian Film. Promoted as a vicious political allegory, it became infamous for its sheer, relentless depravity. After a retired p*rn actress is enticed into a hellish project, the movie thrusts audiences into a sickening universe of exploitation, where every scene becomes more unbelievable than the last. Though director Srdjan Spasojevic claims it's a metaphor for Serbia's troubled history, many argue that the shock value cancels out any deeper message. Even in 2025, it is still one of the most banned films on the planet, showing us that some cinematic experiences transcend discomfort into out-and-out psychological stamina.

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4. Mother! (2017)

Darren Aronofsky's Mother! is a fever dream of biblical allegories, ecological devastation, and psychological horror. Jennifer Lawrence's growing nightmare as an unidentified woman terrorized in her own home is downright disturbing. The film teases with escalating tension, developing from uneasy quietude to disintegrating madness, leading to one of the most jarring third acts of recent cinema. Mother! particularly uncomfortable is the way it makes the viewer into her anguish; there's no respite, no release. A decade later, its themes of despoliation and ecological disaster ring even more urgent, making it one of the most incendiary films of the past ten years.

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5. Martyrs (2008)

French horror has never been the same since Martyrs redefined on-screen suffering. A more than mere torture-p*rn, the film explores the idea of transcendence through suffering, making it a singularly unsettling experience. The violence isn't merely graphic; it's existential, compelling viewers to question the very meaning of suffering. The final twist in the film is as haunting as the violence, leaving the viewer emotionally exhausted. Despite today's surge in extreme horror, Martyrs is still unparalleled in its capacity to unsettle and destroy. A remake in 2015 took a shot at diluting its effect, but the nihilistic vision of the original will never be forgotten.

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6. Irreversible (2002)

Narrated in reverse, Gaspar Noé's Irreversible is a bone-crushing ordeal from the beginning. The opening sequence of the film, filmed with a queasy spinning camera and ear-shattering sound design, is enough to cause immediate discomfort. But it's the notorious 10-minute scene, filmed in a single take, that makes this movie almost unbearable. The sheer realism, absence of music, and brutal candor make it one of the toughest scenes in film history. But in the world today, where violence and trauma are discussed more openly, Irreversible is even more chilling, affirming the notion that time heals no wounds; it merely makes them more difficult to endure.

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7. Hereditary (2018)

Ari Aster's Hereditary is not just horror. It's grief turned against the audience. What begins slowly as a family drama couldn't transform into an all-consuming mind-bending nightmare. Each scene in the movie is defined by the raw, voyeuristic nature of Toni Collette's performances during the dinner table confrontation. But nothing primes you for that shocking scene with the telephone pole, which redefined modern horror's capacity to shock without warning. Even years later, Hereditary still astonished viewers, not only because it's supernaturally haunted but because it coarsely engages toxic family heritage in a brutally candid way.

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8. The House That Jack Built (2018)

Lars von Trier is accustomed to stirring up controversy, and The House That Jack Built is perhaps his most unsettling film yet. Matt Dillon stars as a sadistic serial killer who is narrating his most gruesome killings, rationalizing his brutality by twisted philosophy. The film subjects the audience to his brutality, pushing beyond moral unease into outright horror. It's not only the violence that's unsettling; it's the manner in which von Trier invites audiences to find art within monstrosity. At a time when true crime documentaries are more popular than ever, this movie is hauntingly contemporary, questioning our attraction to evil.

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9. Come and See (1985)

Unlike other war films, Come and See does not romanticize heroism but drags the audience through the muck of war's horrors. This Soviet anti-war masterpiece tells the story of a young boy who faces the atrocities of WWII and the transition from innocence to hollow-eyed trauma in what is one of the most devastating character arcs ever filmed. The movie's surreal realism and haunting ending sequence make it an unforgettable, deeply uncomfortable experience. Global conflict headlines in 2025 reinforce Come and See's relevance, a stark reminder that war kills not only bodies but souls.

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10. We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)

Few movies dramatize the creation of a psychopath as unflinchingly as We Need to Talk About Kevin. Tilda Swinton gives a chillingly natural performance as a guilt-wracked, fear-stricken, resentful mother of a manipulative son. What makes the film so disturbing is its eerie calm no jump scares, no otherworldly influences, only the creeping horror of a mother discovering she's creating a monster. With continued controversies surrounding mental health, parenting, and school shootings, the film is as disturbingly relevant today as it was when it was first released.