Top 10 Non-Horror Films That Will Haunt You

Matt’s Top 10 Non-Horror Films That Will Haunt You.

Horror films are the ones we always associate with giving us nightmares and severe cases of anxiety during a two-hour period. But, there are those films where the subject matter is too intense or a certain scene frightens you or something about the film leaves a sour feeling in the pit of your stomach. Those are the kinds of films I’m talking about today. The ones that literally haunt your conscience and leave an anxious imprint, making you never watch it again or only letting yourself watch it once a year.

Before the list begins, let me just say that I love every single one of these films. In no way am I saying they are bad because of their effects on me. It’s a form of applause from me towards the filmmakers for doing their job and captivating my emotions.

10. “Alpha Dog”

For the most part, this film actually surprises you with its inner-heart and honestly portrayed characters, including an excellent performance by Justin Timberlake. The basic synopsis is a California drug kingpin, Johnny Truelove, kidnaps a rival’s brother and threatens to kill him if the rival doesn’t pay his dues. During this time, Frankie (Timberlake) and the kidnapped Zack (Anton Yelchin) build a relationship off of Frankie’s promise that Truelove won’t really kill him. The rest of the film is a decent coming-of-age story for Zack, but it comes to a haunting halt when Truelove orders Frankie to kill Zack. You know the scene is going to be emotional and you hope Frankie doesn’t do it, but what you get is something truly disturbing and unforgettable. Seeing Zack bound by duck-tape and screaming for his life while his good friend Frankie kills him with an Uzi always lights a strange flare in my stomach. It’s a scene that makes me look away from the screen or pull out my phone, and not because it’s boring or irrelevant. It’s simply so unexpectedly haunting that it keeps me from watching the film during my leisure time.

9. “Mystic River”

“Mystic River” is an emotional roller coaster. I can’t watch it more than twice a year because I feel absolutely depressed afterwards. The heartbreaking ending and the performances are so genius and wonderful that I’m left worrying about my own family’s safety at the end. Yes, I grew up in a very different neighborhood than these guys, but the themes and situations presented in the film occur around the world every day. It’s a scary thing, and this film illustrates it better than most news stations. Pure vengeance, kidnapping, molestation and murder, all wrapped beautifully in a haunting film, make it stay inside my collection and out of my Blu-ray player for most of the year.

8. “Battle Royale”

The novel for which this film is based on also inspired the now popular “The Hunger Games” franchise. With the same premise of a fight-to-the-death tournament that is filmed and presented as a television show, the film doesn’t hold back with its violent deaths and chaotic situations. There have been plenty of films with the same levels of violence, and even more so, but “Battle Royale” deals entirely with children. Watching children kill each other with guns, arrows, bombs, knives and swords flickers the anxiety in my conscience and leaves the film for infrequent viewing.

7. “The Pianist”

Holocaust films are never fun to watch, but they are important because of their stories about brave human beings living through one of the most disturbing time periods in history. “The Pianist” is my favorite Roman Polanksi film and has my favorite performance by Adrien Brody, but it’s an emotional roller coaster done in realistic fashion, making me feel ill and sorrowful the entire time. A heartbreaking moment is when Wladyslaw Szpillman (Brody) attempts to save a child who is trying to escape from Nazi Soldiers. While Szpillman pulls the child through a space under a wall, Nazi soldiers find the child’s legs sticking out and proceed to beat him, making Szpillman watch the child die a horrible death. It’s one of those scenes that stick with you, and this film is full of them.

6. “Restrepo”

“The Pianist” might’ve been realistic, but “Restrepo” is the real deal. Documentary filmmakers follow a military unit during their days at a United States outpost in one of the most dangerous places on earth. Real soldiers. Real bullets. Real emotion. Real death. This documentary is not for the faint of heart as you walk with these brave men through hell, hearing their stories and witnessing the torment that wages on their psyches. It is a harrowing experience and makes you respect the bravery the soldiers in the armed forces have to demonstrate every day. There isn’t one particular moment that sticks out to me; the entire film lets you see how real war is and how close it is to home. This film will haunt you.

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5. “A Clockwork Orange”

Since this is a list for Non-Horror films, I needed an example of the extreme discomfort I felt when I first watched the dinner scene in the original “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” The “Singin’ in the Rain” and brainwash scenes in Stanley Kubrik’s masterpiece “A Clockwork Orange” are the closest by comparison. Beautifully crafted, the film gives you chills from the opening shot and narration by Alex (Malcolm McDowell), but two particular scenes keep me from watching it during my leisure time. The song “Singin’ in the Rain” has forever been ruined for me because of a scene where Alex and his crew sing it while preparing, in a haunting relaxed manner, to rape a woman. It keeps you squeamish and forces you to shake your head the entire time. The other scene, Alex’s brainwashing, is constructed with genius editing and excellent sound design. It will have you grinding your teeth and grimacing at the disturbing and difficult nature of the sequence. The rest of the movie is just as brilliant and harrowing, but these two scenes are the first to pop into my head when I brush past it on Netflix.

4. “Four Months, Three Weeks, and Two Days”

Want a story about a woman who finds out she’s pregnant and confides in her best friend for help with finding an independent abortionist? Yeah, you got it right here. If you’ve never seen an abortion and do not want to witness one, then please do not watch this film. And the abortion isn’t the only aspect that makes this film haunting. The emotional journey these two women go through, complete with having to perform sexual favors for the abortionist, only seems to calm down after the protagonist Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) throws her aborted baby into a dumpster. If what I just said doesn’t sound so bad, then be my guest and watch it. You’ll experience a beautiful piece of cinema that every film student should watch, but you’ll be scarred. Not because of what happens in the film, but because of realizing people have actually done this, meaning they felt so trapped in a corner that they were forced to take such extreme measures to keep their lives “normal.” Haunting.

3. “Alice”

Jan Svankmajer’s surrealistic take on “Alice in Wonderland” leaves you contemplating all your opinions on the original cartoon. Svankmajer takes it to a different level here, using various techniques with sound, Claymation and puppetry to create a nightmare. The entire film makes you feel yucky and uncomfortable, but one particular scene turns the nauseous knot in my stomach and makes me snap my hands over my ears. In the scene, Alice finds a small cardboard house, which rumbles and shakes while an ear-shattering baby’s cry rings throughout the entire scene. Eventually the cardboard house grows into a larger size, and the baby throws chinaware and cookware at Alice, who tries glimpse inside. All this time, that same ear-shattering baby cry rings out. Mix it with all the clattering and shattering of the cookware, you receive a monstrosity of sound waves that ring in the sour pit of your stomach. It’s a brilliant film, but this scene, and this scene alone, keeps me away.

2. “Requiem for a Dream”

Darren Aronofsky is one of my favorite directors, but this film leaves me more depressed than “Mystic River” does. Aronofsky’s masterpiece centered on addiction will not leave you happy. There are bright moments for the characters when things seem to be looking up, but it quickly turns into a long spiral down into the mysterious world of drugs, addiction and love. Emotions run high throughout the film, and this needs to be credited to all the wonderful performances by the cast, including a surprise outing by Marlon Waynes. But when I say emotions run high, I mean with the utmost intensity that continues to drain you after the credits are over. One sequence in particular hits you hard, which I’m sure Aronofsky intended. It’s the final montage where you witness the characters hit rock bottom. The perfect editing to the astonishing soundtrack keeps turning the dial of intensity until you’re absolutely drained, just like the characters themselves. It is a sequence all film students should study, but its harrowing images and gut-wrenching emotions keep me to only watching this film once a year.

1. “Elephant”

Part of Gus Van Sant’s “Death” series, “Elephant” has garnered the name, “The Columbine Shooting Movie.” It’s not a direct re-telling of that terrible day, but the story and events revolve around a school shooting that is no doubt based on the Columbine Shooting. “Elephant” has such mystery and complex ambience that you really don’t know what you’re feeling by the end of it. You feel sick, confused, bewildered, blessed, and sorrowful, which all add up to a weird, deep sensation. So many elements make this film an enigma, and all I can tell you is to go watch it. That’s it. The subject matter is intense, so it’s not for the faint of heart. After my first viewing, I was filled with such horror and confusion that I restarted it immediately and paid attention to every detail, only finishing with the same exact emotions. It could be connected to several factors, probably because I grew up in middle school and high school when these events happened, but it’s the only film where I don’t know why it absolutely terrifies me. “Halloween,” “Jeepers Creeper,” “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” are easy when it comes to defining my terror, but “Elephant” is a mysterious, important and magnificent piece of cinema that leaves me in a dark pool of wonder. I do highly suggest watching this film, but I also highly suggest you prepare yourself because this film will tattoo your soul with sickness, confusion, bewilderment, blessings, and sorrow.

What are some of your most disturbing non-horror films?