It is the season of good cheer, so why am I posting a list of 31 of the creepiest, most unsettling movies ever made? Well as we tucked into our turkey this Thanksgiving, my mom mentions that she’s been reading my posts here at Shelf Talk. Aw, thanks Mom. “Do you really like all those dark, disturbing books? Don’t you read anything light?”
To be honest I hadn’t been aware of the trend, but looking back over my recent posts I guess there is kind of a dark undercurrent. So Mom, if you’re reading this, no: I don’t just like creepy books about zombies, hillbillies, hitmen and archvillains. I like those kinds of movies too.
In fact right after Thanksgiving I watched a pair of deeply unsettling Australian crime thrillers – Noise and Animal Kingdom – which had me thinking about all those other wonderfully disturbing films that have had me shivering, wincing, convulsing or gaping in 
astonishment over the years. I’m not a big fan of slasher movies or anything so predictably shocking. Whether the shocks are psychological or physical, I love it when I have no clear idea of what is coming, or just how bad it will get. It might be a sudden turn, like the unforgettable moment in The Celebration when the Christian rises to offer a birthday toast, or when the tables first turn in Audition. It might be the mounting menace of The Machinist, the pervasive paranoia of The Tenant, or the darkening quirkiness of Dogtooth.
Here are some of my favorite movies that mess with your mind, get into your guts, and set up shop in your dreams. What great disturbing films have I missed?
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