With Halloween fast approaching, it seemed like a good time to get to the bread and butter of a decent horror film, the blood and guts of it all. There’s many reasons to watch a horror film, but arguably the main reason audiences fawn over the likes of Jason and Leatherface are the various, brutal and bloody ways they dispatch their victims, so with that said, we’re looking at the goriest horrors to watch this Halloween.
Evil Dead (2013)
“Five friends decide to spend a weekend in a remote cabin located deep in the forest. When they accidentally summon a dormant demon, they strive to survive its evil ploys.”
A remake come reboot of Sam Raimi’s fantastic 1980’s horror, the modern telling of the familiar story dials the blood and guts up to eleven, with the added budget and modern effects being put to good use.
The deaths of each of the group is brutal and graphic in their own way, but the real brutality comes at the film’s climax, when absolutely everything is covered in a thick coat of blood, with it literally raining from the sky. The amputation is nothing short of unnerving as we see it in all its bloody detail, so it may be a sparse film with gore, but it’s definitely one of the goriest horrors to choose from.
The Sadness (2021)
“As Taiwan succumbs to a viral pandemic that transforms peaceful citizens into sadistic, bloodthirsty maniacs, a young couple must battle to be reunited before they too become infected.”
The most recent entry on this list, and definitely one of the goriest horrors going in modern film, you might go into the film thinking it’s just another zombie film, but you’d be very wrong. Every death is so visceral and brutal you’ll forget you’re watching a film, and the effects are top notch, to the point you’d be able to see every muscle fibre, sinew and bone crunch between the zombie’s teeth as they devour their latest victim. Bloody doesn’t really describe the film aptly enough.
Related: 31 Days of Horror: 7 Scary Possession Films You’ll Wish You’d Never Watched
Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
“During a rescue mission into the Amazon rainforest, a professor stumbles across lost film shot by a missing documentary crew whose goal was to study the region’s indigenous cannibalistic tribes.”
Not only one of the goriest horrors but one of the most controversial films ever, Cannibal Holocaust was a big deal at the time for many reasons, and few of them were good.
Arguably the inspiration and starting point for the found footage horror genre, being filmed back in 1980 afforded it a lot of believability the internet wouldn’t give it in the present day. Following a professor as he finds documentary footage detailing a tribes brutal treatment to a documentary crew, the film employed some questionable filming techniques, including having the cast torture, eat and kill live animals; as well as the director being required by a court of law to prove he’d not filmed a snuff film, in that he had to have the cast appear in court to prove they were still alive. As well as the controversy surrounding the film, the entire thing is a bloodbath from start to finish.
Braindead (1992)
“A young man’s mother is bitten by a Sumatran rat-monkey. She gets sick and dies, at which time she comes back to life, killing and eating dogs, nurses, friends, and neighbors.”
The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson directed this film, which when you’re watching it you’ll be double checking that fact, as it is so ridiculously different you’d have no idea he helmed both projects.
One thing is clear though, his love for practical effects present throughout his first Tolkien trilogy came from his time on this film, as due to budgetary restrictions and the time it wasn’t possible for any CGI to be used to bring the monstrous creatures in Braindead to life on the big screen. Blood, guts and a particularly memorable scene involving a lawnmower make this one of the goriest horrors you could spend your night watching this Halloween.
Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991)
“Incarcerated for assault and manslaughter, a man (Siu-wong Fan) survives in a futuristic prison by resorting to more extreme violence.”
Based on a manga of the same name, this is one of the most ridiculous and incredible films to ever come out of Hong Kong. Primarily a martial arts film, it follows Ricky as he attempts to survive in prison using anything at his disposal to hurt those trying to hurt him.
Throughout the 91 minute runtime, you’ll have the pleasure of watching him break bones, literally kick a guy so hard his eye pops out, punch through people’s chests and more, all because he’s in the unenviable position of being wrongly Incarcerated. Least he can defend himself pretty well mind you.
Leaning heavily into the B-movie side of things, you’ll laugh as much as you’re disgusted with the violence, as so much of it is so bad it’s good.
Related: 31 Days of Horror: 5 Horror Film Victims Who Kinda Deserved It
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