Gallery: Pure Anguish: 10 Torturous Horror Films You Should Suffer Through
01scars-of-dracula
Being a horror fan is tough work — especially these days, when watching gore films can be such a pain. Thanks to the relative popularity the *Saw* and *Hostel* series, torture porn seems to be everywhere these days. But that doesn't mean the best splatter movies are the ones now screening in multiplexes. Movie history is filled with cinematic nastygrams — some surprisingly smart, others just plain not-for-the-squeamish — that didn't get enough love. To find out which of them brings the most pain, Wired got picks from *Fangoria* editor in chief [Chris Alexander](http://www.chris-alexander.ca/) and marketing director [Rebekah McKendry](https://twitter.com/rebekahmckendry). "People are always doing terrible things to other people on and off screen in these 10 classic – and in some cases overlooked – movies," the pair said in an e-mail with their list. "\[They\] reflect mankind’s darkest side, lit well and with lots of actors pretending to be in agony." Check out *[Fangoria](http://fangoria.com/)'*s picks for the best torture flicks in the gallery above, which includes trailers (and, in one case, an entire film) for you to watch. __Above:__ *Scars of Dracula* (1970) ------------------------- __Rebekah McKendry:__ "[This Hammer \[Collection\] flick](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067713/) features a torture-loving Dracula wielding a whip. Played by Hammer staple Christopher Lee, this Dracula loves pain just as much as blood." __Chris Alexander:__ "While not the best Hammer Drac, this was indeed the one that announced the 'new' Hammer of the 1970s – cold, bloody and full of cruelty. Sadistic fun for the whole family."
02the-loved-ones
*The Loved Ones* (2009) ----------------------- __Rebekah McKendry:__ "This [Australian flick](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1316536/) is about a girl who literally kidnaps a prom date and proceeds to torture him all night. It’s brutal and surprisingly also very smart and hilarious." __Chris Alexander:__ "Part *Carrie*, part *People Under the Stairs*, part 'What the fuck did I just watch?' A demented masterpiece with tons of leering, over the top – and distinctly Aussie – violent behavior."
03man-bites-dog
*Man Bites Dog* (1992) ---------------------- __Rebekah McKendry:__ "Another comedic torture film! This one comes from Belgium and is a mockumentary about a group of filmmakers following a rather charming serial killer on his murder spree. As the murders become more brutal, the camera crew becomes more and more involved in them. A disturbing and darkly comedic look at the human psyche." __Chris Alexander:__ "[This film](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103905/) is a real landmark, the first of the '90s-and-beyond, postmodern horror films, and certainly the best."
04guinea-pig
*Guinea Pig* (1985) ------------------- __Rebekah McKendry:__ "The film is about a group of 'scientists' who kidnap and torture a woman to experiment with different forms of pain. The plot is ridiculously basic, but who needs complexity when you have needles, knives and worms?" __Chris Alexander:__ "Skinny Puppy used parts of this revolting 'film' in one of their shows, and its power to shock remains undiminished. Slow, horrible torture porn at its basest and most dangerous. Once thought to be a snuff picture by some, or so the legend goes. More [*Guinea Pig*](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0161634/) films followed but this one is the grossest."
05bloodsucking-freaks
*Bloodsucking Freaks* (1976) ---------------------------- __Rebekah McKendry:__ "A midget and his assistant torture kidnapped women for theater-goers who don’t realize the show is real. This notorious [Grand Guignol-like pic](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077247/) features endless torture atrocities splayed on an artfully lit stage and bathed in hypercolor blood that looks quite a bit like poster paint." __Chris Alexander:__ "Ugh. Cheap as all get out, Joel M. Reed’s notorious nasty is sickening and skuzzy. And we love it, especially the vulgar bit where a girl's brains are slurped through a straw. Yuck!"
06tattoo
*Tattoo* (1981) --------------- __Rebekah McKendry:__ "Tattooist Bruce Dern is [holding model Maude Adams captive](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083178/), and his torture devices are far worse than just a bad tramp stamp." __Chris Alexander:__ "Dern is a woefully underrated actor and I love him in this bizarre movie, a kind of post-*Taxi Driver* art-house horror film. Weirdest sex scene ever and much ink-based torment on the delicious Adams’ parts."
07the-devils
*The Devils* (1971) ------------------- __Rebekah McKendry:__ "Directed by the hallucinatory Ken Russell, [*The Devils*](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066993/) is a fantastic mix of religion, naughty nuns and torture. This movie has been endlessly banned. Depending on which version you acquire, you may be privy to the often 'edited out for taste' femur masturbation scene. Wait.... Can I say 'femur masturbation' on Wired?" *\[Eds. Note: Guess so!\]* __Chris Alexander:__ "Forget femur frigging – a scene that may or may not exist, actually – it’s the [Rape of Christ sequence](http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2002/nov/20/filmnews.film1) that makes this one so reviled by some. Shame that. Besides all the agony inflicted on poor Oliver Reed, and the arch psychosexual mania, this masterpiece is actually pro-spirituality. A gorgeous film about bad people."
08tombs-of-the-blind-dead
*Tombs of the Blind Dead* (1972) -------------------------------- __Rebekah McKendry:__ "The blind Knights Templar torture and even rape their way through the Spanish countryside. [This one](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067500/) still packs a hell of a gooey decaying punch!" __Chris Alexander:__ "A chilling and ridiculous bit of Spanish sleaze, Amando de Ossorio packed mucho nastiness into this, the first of four *Blind Dead* pictures. The scene where the still-living Templars torture a bare-breasted maiden while on horseback wielding swords is hard to watch."
09blood-of-draculas-castle
*Blood of Dracula's Castle* (1969) ---------------------------------- __Rebekah McKendry:__ "Arizona vampires have their butler drain girls of blood and then serve it to them as iced cocktails. I’m still floored that [this movie](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061412/) is only rated PG." __Chris Alexander:__ "Director Al Adamson met his end [murdered and buried](http://articles.latimes.com/1995-08-08/local/me-32791_1_director-al-adamson) in his floorboards, which is where many critics wish this D movie ended up. But man is it a grease-ball, cheesy treat, with John Carradine collecting a paycheck and Mr. and Mrs. Dracula draining screaming starlets of their red stuff while gently torturing them." *Watch the whole film above.*
10ichi-the-killer
*Ichi the Killer* (2001) ------------------------ __Rebekah McKendry:__ "From the demented mind of Takashi Miike (the same sick dude who brought us *Audition*), comes Ichi, a mentally confused psycho who is now hell-bent on revenge. This is [one brutal flick](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0296042/) … and at times, it’s kind of a comedy too." __Chris Alexander:__ "Any film that spells its title card out in splattered semen is OK by me."
