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This list includes descriptions of violent and graphic movie scenes that may be disturbing to some readers.

In horror movies, the gore isn't just blood and guts designed to repulse — on the contrary, it's an effective storytelling device to convey the consequences and brutality of a scene. It's also a beautifully disgusting art form with superstars as important as scream queens and slashers in horror films. Makeup artists like Rick Baker and Tom Savini have taken the genre from cheesy to realistically gory with a chef's kiss.

To a true gore aficionado, the decapitations and disembowelments are just as key to the movie as the plot or casting. CGI can create everything from the fantastic to the mundane, but it still can't generate believable gore. The best, goriest movies ever made have terrifying, compelling stories and buckets of practical effects, blood, and innards.

Updated on March 6, 2025, by Robert Vaux: The...

Exploitation films are the extreme end of horror, making audiences sick to their stomachs, question their morality, and even experience hints of trauma from the mutilations and murders they see on screen. In 1977, an exploitation film was released that made audiences and critics speculate whether the murders happening on screen were real due to their violent and gruesome nature. Last House on Dead End Street was an anomaly of an exploitation film because everyone involved used a pseudonym, which perpetuated more thoughts that maybe, just maybe, this horrific film was actually real. Last House on Dead End Street hasn't been widely seen, and it's likely for good reason. The film's contents are pretty gruesome and not for the faint of heart, and that even goes for the edited version that got a theatrical release. The film's director, Roger Watkins, didn't come forward as the director, producer, and writer until the 2000s,...

Movies about snuff films have sparked the morbid curiosity of viewers for decades, and some of the best capture the gruesome spectacle of society itself. A supposed snuff film is a clandestinely produced movie that is purported to depict actual scenes of violence and even murder. Though largely a myth, the concept of a snuff film rose to prominence in the 1970s and was popularized during the rise of the pornographic film industry that had its roots in earlier stag films. Despite being one of the most macabre concepts to ever kick off an urban legend, the idea of snuff films has allowed storytellers to explore deeper themes about society.

While mostly reserved for the horror genre, the idea of the snuff film has found its way into mainstream Hollywood movies, and what was once a whispered-about topic was almost common knowledge by the 21st century. Naturally, because of the...

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Leave it to Shaquille O’Neal to host one of the best Super Bowl parties in town — and open it up to the public.

On Feb. 11, the NBA icon is putting on his annual Super Bowl event, “Shaq’s Fun House Presented by Ftx,” in anticipation of the Super Bowl on Feb. 13. “Part carnival, part music festival,” the party brings A-list musical performances, a Ferris wheel, carnival attractions, and...

Perhaps before my time, and definitely out of my purview, a trip to the grindhouse sounded fascinating; sometimes a haven for transgression, other times merely an easy in for exploitation. There’s also a good chance that the film showing was an independent - the little fish flailing in the big pond - as the grindhouse was their lighthouse. The Last House on Dead End Street (1977) seems to be aiming for a “why not both?” scenario, and coupled with an early reputation as a possible snuff film, spent some quality time on the seedier screens. That it turns out to be effective in its own way is the real 42nd Street miracle.

Talk about a sticky wicket: The Last House on Dead End Street didn’t start out with that title (shocking); nor was it made in ‘77 (double shock please). Originally conceived by Suny graduate Roger Watkins as a Manson Family biopic,...

As the social climate shifts and streaming services pull and edit movies to prevent any further backlash, it's an excellent time to look at banned films of the past. More specifically, the "Video Nasties," a slew of 72 films once deemed legitimately dangerous to young viewers by British Conservative activist Mary Whitehouse.

In 1983 during the emergence of VHS rentals, The UK's Director of Public Prosecution released a list of those films, under pressure from Whitehouse, as they were labeled to be in violation of the Obscene Publications Act of 1959.

Whitehouse, who essentially made it her job to instill paranoia about media's detriment to vulnerable viewers, coined the term "Video Nasty." Despite admitting she had never seen a single frame of the films she considered to be "nasty," Whitehouse was convinced the presence of these 72 titles on U.K. video store shelves was destined to turn children into sadists.

Of the 72 films listed,...

Shout! Factory officially announced The Funhouse as part of their Scream Factor lineup in early July, but we have now the full list of bonus features:

“Just in time for Halloween, dare you to hop on board for a gruesome good time and rediscover two enduring thrillers filled with edge-of-your seat suspense and terror when Scream Factory™ presents Terror Train Collector’s Edition Blu-ray + DVD combo pack and The Fun House Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and DVD on October 16, 2012. Both collector’s editions of Terror Train and The Fun House feature anamorphic widescreen presentation of the movie and a spectacular array of bonus content, including new interviews and commentaries, archival material, a collectible cover featuring newly rendered retro-style artwork, a reversible wrap with original theatrical key art and more! Terror Train Collector’s Edition Blu-ray + DVD combo pack is priced to own $29.93; The Fun House Collector’s Edition Blu-ray has...

We’re excited about the upcoming slate of horror releases from Scream Factory. They have already announced Halloween II and III Blu-ray releases, and we now have details on Terror Train and The Funhouse:

“Just in time for Halloween, dare you to hop on board for a gruesome good time and rediscover two enduring thrillers filled with edge-of-your seat suspense and terror when Scream Factory™ presents Terror Train Collector’s Edition Blu-ray + DVD combo pack and The Fun House Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and DVD on October 16, 2012. Both collector’s editions of Terror Train and The Fun House feature anamorphic widescreen presentation of the movie and a spectacular array of bonus content, including new interviews and commentaries, archival material, a collectible cover featuring newly rendered retro-style artwork, a reversible wrap with original theatrical key art and more! Terror Train Collector’s Edition Blu-ray + DVD combo pack is priced to...

Director Ron Atkins releases his latest and most ambitious film, “The Cuckoo Clocks Of Hell” on DVD, August 31, 2011. “The Cuckoo Clocks Of Hell” follows the character of Harry Russo (“Schizophreniac” and “Necromaniac”), returning to a plauge-infested Las Vegas for a supernaturally-ordained meeting with Terry Hawkins (“The Last House On Dead-End Street” aka “The Funhouse”). Set in the near future, “The Cuckoo Clocks Of Hell” tells a twisted story of discovery and destiny, of madness and mayhem, of cultures and corruption. The film was conceived in 2003 between Ron Atkins and the late Roger Watkins. Upon Watkin’s untimely death,… More...