Body horror!
Ahhh!
Why is my arm now a giant-lobster claw - or why have I suddenly grown a tail - and oh
no, now I’m a human jellyfish.
The thing is - body horror is a facet of our fandom that just manages to strike a terrifying
chord on a very instinctual level.
There is something absolutely horrifying about the thought of unwittingly morphing into a
human hodgepodge of flesh and skin and pus-ridden matter, that it’s incredibly difficult to
ignore even the most terrible of body horror movies.
Since Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, Frankenstein - the concept of the uncanny descent into
a lifetime of monstrosity has been shaped and formed by the genre of horror - and luckily
for us, there are some stomach-churning entries to choose from.
Hello horror fans - what’s going on, and once again welcome back to the scariest channel
on YouTube - Top 5 Scary Videos.
As per usual, I’ll be your horror host Jack Finch - as today, we curiously take a look
at the Top 5 Most Disgusting Body Horror Movies.
Roll the clip.
For the curious amongst you - that clip was - of course - from David Cronenberg’s 1986
Body Horror bonanza - The Fly, starring the one and only Jeff Goldblum as Seth Brundle
- a man who’s curiosity becomes his fleshy-insectoid downfall.
It’s important to note, that David Cronenberg is THE godfather of body horror - and The
Fly - is perhaps the greatest of them all, and you know what I’m going to say, don’t
you?
We’ve covered that particular entry time and time again - as well as John Carpenter’s
The Thing, which is also a fierce contender for the number one spot - but I wanna keep
things fresh for you guys, so consider these our most honorable of honorable mentions.
Kicking off at Number 5 - Tusk, 2014
Alright guys - Tusk is messed up.
So messed up - that when Kevin Smith announced it - people were so excited that he was making
a new movie - and then within that same breath, were absolutely disgusted by how damn messed
up his newest creation was.
But - that isn’t to say that it’s not just straight up horror goodness - because
it is, it’s just really - really gross, wrapped up in the most surprising of all animalistic
packages - The Walrus.
Written and directed by the off-the-wall genius, Kevin Smith - Tusk tells the tale of a podcast
host named Wallace, played by Justin Long - who heads to the remote North of Canada
to interview a grizzled old sailor who promises to reveal a lifetime of interesting stories
as new material for his show.
What’s that go to do with a Walrus, you may ask?
Well -- I’ll let you find out for yourself -- just bare in mind that Tusk is equal parts
hilarious - but only in the way that the most nightmarish of fever dreams can be.
The thing is, Kevin Smith is a divisive filmmaker regardless of your stance on this movie - you
either love his work, or you think it’s pointless and you hate it -- and many people
felt the same about Tusk in particular.
And for the most part - it was torn apart by critics -- but if my opinion holds any
weight with Top 5 Scary viewers - then trust me, Tusk is one of the best attempts at modern-body
horror in a long, long time - and it’s freakishly unique in its own perverse way.
This film is absurd - and it defines the horrific hilarity of the human form being stripped
away and broken down on several different levels.
As a surprising side-note, Justin Long is awesome in Tusk, as is Michael Parks as the
terrifyingly convincing serial-killer turned veterinary surgeon, Howard.
Watch this film - and the next time you go to a zoo, you’ll think twice about what’s
behind the bars.
Coming in at Number 4 - Slither, 2006
Ah - Slither, an underappreciated precious gem of a movie - and a worthy entry into the
halls of horror fandom.
If you’re expecting scares from this particular film - please don’t hold your breath, but
if you’re in the mood for some of the grossest physical effects in the genre - as well as
some of the most genuinely hilarious moments in horror comedy - then this one’s for you.
Written and directed by James Gunn - in his first ever directorial debut, Slither was
written *by* a horror fan - for horror fans - and it’s a throwback to pretty much every
B-Movie ever made - all wrapped up neatly in the most disgusting of horror concepts
- a malevolent alien parasite that injects it’s larvae into a town full of human’s.
That’s a great start for any body horror - right?
Slither tells the tale of the small town of Wheelsy, South Carolina - that becomes the
host of a sentient alien parasite that crash lands in the surrounding wilderness - and
subsequently infects the local man about town, Grant Grant - played by the absolutely incredible
and equal parts hilarious, Michael Rooker.
Of course - that’s just the beginning, because what ensues is a writhing descent into the
desecration of the human body in the most disgusting way possible - as people become
wrapped up in the alien parasites insatiable hunger for breeding with human flesh.
And I do mean that literally.
Following it’s release in 2006, this film was a complete flop at the box office - but
hey, body horror is an acquired taste, right?
Just like alien larvae.
Ugh.
Gross.
Next up at Number 3 - From Beyond, 1986
And you may be expecting the legendary Re-Animator to fill this space instead of From Beyond
- and in many ways, rightfully so - as Stuart Gordon’s incredible interpretation of the
works of Howard Phillips Lovecraft is one of the finest splatterhouse movies ever made
- but as far as disgusting, twisted body horror goes, his next foray into the perverse side
of science fiction and cosmic horror is the better demonstration of the two.
From Beyond is a gross film - there is no doubting it - and it’s in it’s portrayal
of science gone wrong where we’re treated to some of the most insanely eye-opening physical
effects.
In fact - what starts as a film similar in tone to Re-Animator - with some low-budget
humour and deadpan delivery from the awesome Jeffrey Combs - quickly turns into a stomach-churning
thrill ride of over exaggerated gore and the gut-wrenching physical realisation of some
of the more insaner Lovecraftian narrative concepts.
Written and directed by Stuart Gordon, alongside his production squad of Dennis Paoli and Brian
Yuzna - From Beyond is based upon the short-story of the same name by H.P Lovecraft - and yet
it takes a few more twists and turns in it’s descent into the darker side of human consciousness.
It tells the tale of two scientists - Pretorius and Tillinghast - who’ve developed a machine
known as The Resonator - that stimulates the human pineal gland in the search to find other
dimensional planes.
Well of course - as we all know, when you go meddling with the many layers of cosmic
horror - of course, it’s filled to the brim with terrifying fleshy creatures and writhing
tentacle ridden monstrosities.
Yeah - if you want body horror, From Beyond has it in spades - from start to finish - and
it’s both great and gross the whole while through.
Swinging in next at Number 2 - Altered States, 1980
If you can’t tell already - science and body horror go hand in hand, and although
we’ve rightly given credit to the godfather of Body Horror - David Cronenberg - particularly
in the likes of The Fly, Videodrome and Scanners - there is one classic of conceptual body
horror that we all may have forgotten about.
Ken Russell's mind-bending 1980 science fiction existential horror - Altered States - and
if you haven’t seen this film, then I’m not exactly sure what to tell you - because
really - it’s something else entirely.
Now, it’s important to note that whilst the physical effects of this film aren’t
exactly in league with the likes of Cronenberg and the Lovecraftian works of Stuart Gordon
- it’s in the implication of this particular body horror where the true gross out and terror
of this film lies.
Directed by the off-the-wall legend of cinema that is the late, great Ken Russell - the
man responsible for 1971’s The Devils - as well as the epic-musical, Tommy, based on
the album of the same name by The Who - Russell's diverse and often overwhelming cinematic catalogue
probably sums up just how strange and weird Altered States really is.
It tells the tale of Edward, a scientist played by William Hurt in his debut role - who becomes
obsessed with the notion of other states of consciousness - and so he descends into an
addiction of sensory deprivation tanks and hallucinogenic drugs in the pursuit of reaching
them - but of course, this is a horror film - and that particular cautionary tale of curiosity
killing cats comes with a price.
This film is insane - it’s everything mashed up into one - and it will make you think twice
whether we really are just meat sacks being piloted by our brains.
And finally - coming in at our Number 1 spot - Tetsuo: The Iron Man, 1989
Because we just have to end with a bang - and there is no other film that could quite live
up to just exactly how batshit crazy Tetsuo: The Iron Man really is.
There are a few rules to body horror, I suppose - that keeps it in line with the narrative
intention, without just ending up like a torture porn flick akin to The Human Centipede or
others of its ilk.
But in it’s own equally unique way, Tetsuo takes a look at those rules - and throws them
off the top of a damn building.
Where do I even begin with this film?
I know I say that quite a lot - but really, it’s never been more appropriate.
Imagine in David Lynch took Eraserhead - and then made it watch The Fly, and then buzzed
it up with some German Experimental Cinema - and released the whole thing in Japan - and
then you’ll kind of get an idea just how insanely messed up this movie is.
But - in a strange way, it’s also awesome.
I mean - the reason you’re even watching this list is because body horror can gross
you out in all of the best ways - and Tetsuo: The Iron Man will gross you out with every
frame.
I almost can’t even explain the plot without fear of somehow giving you guys the wrong
impression.
Written and directed by Shinya Tsukamoto - Tetsuo is a cyberpunk horror film that tells the
tale of a man obsessed with metal - and the lengths that he’ll go to fulfill his twisted
desires.
Kind of.
Erm, yeah.
Honestly guys - as far as body horror goes - this is the tip-tip-tippity-top of the machine-man-metal
pile.
I don’t even know what else to say, just watch it.
And be prepared.
Please.
Well - there we have it horror fans - our list for the Top 5 Most Disgusting Body Horror
Movies.
What did you guys think?
Do you agree?
Or do you have any particular entries of your own?
Why don’t you let us know your thoughts down in the comment section below, as well
as any choice picks - and who knows, maybe we can roll out a Part 2.
Before we depart from today’s video though, let’s first take a quick look at some of
your more resounding remarks from over the past few days.
Frontal Lobe says --
What mythological being are you Jack?
And what is Lucy?
-- Well, do I get to pick?
I mean - if I could pick, I guess I’d be part of the Wild Hunt - cos you can just chill
for eternity, riding around all metal doing cool stuff.
If I didn’t get to pick - I’d probably be like a goblin or something like that.
And Lucy is Baba Yaga.
Wait, was I meant to say that?
On that note horror fans - unfortunatel that’s all we’ve got time for in today’s video
- cheers for sticking around all the way until the end.
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be a dear and hit that thumbs up button - as well as that subscribe bell, and I’ll be
seeing you in the next one.
As per usual, I’ll be your horror host Jack Finch - you’ve been watching Top 5 Scary
Videos - and until next time, you take it easy.