The Darkest Movies Of The Past Decade Nobody Is Talking About

The 2010s were full of brutal, gruesome movies. But not all of them got the attention they deserved. From psychologically disturbing dramas to gory horror flicks, these are the darkest movies of the past decade that nobody is talking about.

Right off the bat, we're giving props to Philip Seymour Hoffman for creating a genuinely creepy L. Ron Hubbard-inspired character… and for having an amazing mustache. Make no mistake, The Master isn't about Scientology. Except that it's totally about Scientology. The movie was released three years before Going Clear came out in 2015, and it definitely plays as a fictionalized version of Scientology's founding. It also stars the phenomenal Joaquin Phoenix, who may have brought his real-life experience growing up in the Children of God cult to the role of Freddie.

Freddie is a young soldier who's suffering trauma after World War II, and he's spiraling out of control. We're almost thankful when he accidentally comes across a group known as the Cause by sneaking onto their boat. He's taken under the wing of a writer, who leads the group through intimidation and sheer charismatic will. 

Despite warnings that this guy is making everything up, Freddie sticks with the group and comes to depend on it for his emotional fulfillment. He struggles with doubt, but he never seems fully able to leave. What makes the film so disturbing is Phoenix's brutal performance as a raging, confused alcoholic who's trapped in a web of lies and manipulation, and The Master serves as a powerful reminder of how much damage cults can do.

With most horror films, there's usually a clear villain and a clear victim. Excision, however, messes with its viewers until it's no longer clear who the audience should root for, or who's to blame for the slaughter. 

AnnaLynne McCord went way against type to play Pauline, a misfit high schooler who dreams of being a surgeon. But Pauline's more than a little obsessed with body parts and blood, and speaking of the red, gooey stuff, there is a lot of it. We're talking buckets of blood and graphic dreams that leave Pauline hot and bothered. And the blood in the "real life" scenes is so realistic that even horror fans with an iron stomach might gag. 

Needless to say, Pauline's life is a little bit weird. The people at school think she's insane. Her mother knows she needs help, but instead of getting her psychiatric care, she turns to religion and classes designed to make Pauline a proper lady. Even worse, her sister suffers from cystic fibrosis, and there's nothing Pauline can do to help her. As she grows more desperate and isolated, Pauline tries to find a way to improve her life, even if it means going after people with a scalpel.

#DarkMovies #Horror

The Master | 0:13
Excision | 1:35
Shrew's Nest | 2:40
The Handmaiden | 3:49
Nurse 3D | 4:49
Evolution | 5:56
We Are What We Are | 6:56
American Mary | 8:09
I Spit On Your Grave | 9:10
The Eyes of My Mother | 10:10
November | 11:11