Summary
- Recent body horror films tackle complex themes like sexuality and identity, echoing classics from the 1980s.
- New releases like “The First Omen” and “Swallowed” deliver disturbing body horror with strong industry recognition.
- Standouts like “Hatching” and “Titane” offer unique and unsettling body horror experiences, revitalizing the genre.
In recent years, body horror has seen a revival in popularity among young filmmakers. These movies explore complex subjects, such as sexuality, evolution, and identity, with gruesome effects and bodily mutations. Not since the 1980s, with body horror classics such as The Fly (1986), The Thing (1982), or From Beyond (1986), has the genre seen such a rich array of movies released.
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From returning franchises and old masters to a new generation of directors, these films have shocked audiences worldwide. They have gained industry recognition and awards for their unique and disturbing visions that ensure the continued popularity of horror in mainstream cinema.
8
The First Omen
The Long-Running Series Returns
- Directed: Arkasha Stevenson
- Released: 2024
- Runtime: 1h 59m
This prequel to the original 1976 movie, and the sixth overall installment in the Omen franchise, brings a chilling atmosphere, disturbing body horror, and strong performances from its entire cast. The film revolves around an American Nun who has been sent to Rome to work in an orphanage but uncovers a sinister plot to bring forth the antichrist.
In her feature directorial debut, Arkasha Stevenson expertly crafts a disturbing tale that tackles themes of female bodily autonomy and sexual abuse. This latest installment expands on the long-running plot with plenty of scares that will please many die-hard horror fans.
7
Swallowed
A Tense and Unsettling Body Horror
- Directed: Carter Smith
- Released: 2022
- Runtime: 1h 36m
Swallowed follows two friends, Ben and Dom, on their final night out before Ben moves to L.A. to become an actor in the gay adult industry. Roped into an illegal drug run to Canada, the two men are forced to swallow a mysterious substance.
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Swallowed delivers on the promise of body horror, with some creepy and disturbing scenes that are both shocking and gruesome. The film explores themes around queerness, drug abuse, and friendship and presents scenes that are genuinely tense and unsettling. Swallowed is a must-watch for body horror for fans looking for an original movie that will disturb as much as it engages.
6
Hatching
A Stylish Horror Fairytale
- Directed: Hanna Bergholm
- Released: 2022
- Runtime: 1h 31m
This Finnish coming-of-age body horror centers around a young gymnast, Tinja, and her controlling mother and seemingly perfect family. The film follows Tinja’s story as she discovers a strange egg that hatches into a terrifying creature. The creature eventually grows to become the girl’s doppelgänger, who acts out Tinja’s repressed emotions.
Hatching was one of the standout horror releases of 2022, with a strong emotional core set around a classic body-horror trope. With plenty of grotesque imagery and underlying themes, Hatching is a recent horror gem that genre fans are sure to love.
5
Hellraiser
A Quality Reimagining
- Directed: David Bruckner
- Released: 2022
- Runtime: 2h 1m
Based on Clive Barker’s novella, The Hellbound Heart, The Hellraiser series has been a staple of horror cinema since the original film was released in 1987. The series revolves around a mysterious puzzle box that opens a gateway to hell, releasing the demonic Cenobites.
While the original movies are horror classics, the franchise would dip in quality with subsequent releases. However, in 2022, this excellent remake would revitalize Hellraiser, reimagining the central antagonist, Pinhead, and moving back toward Clive Barker’s original vision. With typical blood and gore, Hellraiser explores ideas of sexuality, addiction, and the lines between pleasure and pain. For fans, Hellraiser is a welcome return to form in a series that grew stale and formulaic.
4
Crimes of the Future
Evolution Gone Wrong
- Directed: David Cronenberg
- Released: 2022
- Runtime: 1h 47m
Body-horror master David Cronenberg returns with Crimes of the Future. This sci-fi horror film is set in a future where humanity’s biology has changed in various ways, and physical pain and infectious diseases have largely disappeared. In this strange new world, Tenser, played by Viggo Mortensen, can spontaneously regrow organs. Taking advantage of this, he and his wife perform live surgery as performance art.
Crimes of the Future is David Cronenberg in his element, with grisly effects and philosophical questions. The film delves into the concepts of technology and the human body. While the film struggles to reach the heights of the director’s best work, Crimes of the Future is a nostalgic return of one of the genre’s greats.
3
Possessor
The Breakout of Identity
- Directed: Brandon Cronenberg
- Released: 2020
- Runtime: 1h 43m
In this disturbing psychological horror film, director Brandon Cronenberg, son of legendary body horror maestro David Cronenberg, crafts a memorable and stylish story of a woman losing control of her own body. In the film, Andrea Riseborough stars as an assassin who possesses the bodies of other people to complete her contracts.
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As the lines start to break between her body and mind, her everyday life starts to unravel. Possessor is a high-concept film grounded by expert direction and a strong central performance from Riseborough. Possessor solidifies Brandon Cronenberg as an up-and-coming director and would go on to win several awards at film festivals around the world.
2
Titane
Unexpected and Shocking
- Directed: Julia Ducournau
- Released: 2021
- Runtime: 1h 48m
Up-and-coming French director Julia Ducournau follows her fantastic debut, Raw (2016), with the Palme d’Or-winning Titane. This psychological body horror movie follows the story of showgirl Alexia. After having a titanium plate implanted in her head as a child, as an adult she has become a serial killer who is sexually aroused by automobiles.
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Titane shocks as it engages with a strong central performance from Agathe Rousselle in her feature film debut. While Titane‘s body horror and automobile fetishization are reminiscent of David Cronenberg’s Crash (1996), Ducournau stamps her own identity on the film with confidence and style.
1
The Substance
A Modern Body Horror Classic
- Directed: Coralie Fargeat
- Released: 2024
- Runtime: 2h 21m
The Substance has been one of the most successful and critically acclaimed horror movies in recent years and has even been nominated for several Academy Awards. The film follows Demi Moore’s aging celebrity, Elisabeth Sparkle, whose career is fading with her youth.
After being fired, she decides to try a mysterious underground drug, which creates a younger version of herself, played by Margaret Qualley. The Substance offers all the gore and creature effects body horror fans adore, with a sharply satirical script and fantastic performances. The film touches on themes such as aging and extreme beauty practices.
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