If craving flesh, contracting a sexually transmitted infection, or having your face suddenly attached to your ass sound like things you’d rather not have happen to you… but you wouldn’t mind seeing your worst enemies subjected to, then you may want explore the body horror movie universe.
Although stories concerning body horror have been around for years — Edgar Allan Poe wrote about the failing mind and human body errors since the 1800s — modern tales of body terror have upped that fear to hyperdrive. The following body horror films are some of our favorite modern interpretations of what happens when the human body becomes corrupt.
[customfont1]Shivers (They Came From Within)[/customfont1]
Shivers is possibly the OG of sexually transmitted infection films. A slug-like virus turns its hosts, all people who live in a high-rise apartment community, into sex-crazed zombies. Once people begin to realize that all the free-love going on around them isn’t so innocent, all hell breaks loose in a race to stop the virus from spreading into the world. -Abbie Stutzer
[customfont1]The Brood[/customfont1]
Have you ever been to therapy and gone home with sucking wounds all over your body? No? Good. Because if so, you may be part of Dr. Hal Raglan’s poor, unfortunate patient roster. And sadly, the good doctor’s patients aren’t the only ones who suffer from his demented treatments… his patients’ families do, too. -AS
[customfont1]Society[/customfont1]
If you live in a high-class family where you feel like you’ve never really fit in, trust your gut (and head for the hills if your sister’s boyfriends start disappearing). -AS
[customfont1]Frankenhooker[/customfont1]
This is a story of true love — demented but true love. A basement scientist loses the love of his life in a freak lawnmower accident. Rather than mourn his loss, he puts his strange medical gifts to work and concocts a plan to make his lover a new body. -AS
[customfont1]The Thing[/customfont1]
Outside of The Fly remake, The Thing remake may very well be one of the best known body horror films, and for good reason. Few films have effectively shown the sheer terror that people feel when no one knows who — or what — aims to cause them harm. -AS
[customfont1]The Hidden ([/customfont1]
This 1980s gem is another alien body horror classic. It follows a FBI agent played by Kyle MacLachlan and a homicide detective (Michael Nouri) as they search for the various humans who have become infected with an out of this world parasite. -AS
[customfont1]Night of the Creeps[/customfont1]
Night of the Creeps begins in the 1950s when a meteor crashes, leaving Earth a hot spot for alien slugs that turn their hosts into worm-ridden zombies. The film has become a cult classic thanks to its fun, college feel and killer dialogue. -AS
[customfont1]Antiviral[/customfont1]
Bringing new meaning to the terms “going viral” and “meat market,” David Cronenberg’s first film is a timely, gross look into idol worship. The fresh sci-fi take on what the general public will do to get close to the upper echelon of celebrities forces viewers to examine how far is too far. -Maggie Iken
[customfont1]The Evil Dead (1981)[/customfont1]
Arguably one of the only classic horror flicks to get a remake that didn’t totally blow, Sam Raimi’s definitive contribution to the world of film shows that campiness can still be scary. If gory, contagious possession isn’t the epitome of body horror, I’m not sure what is. -MI
[customfont1]Rosemary’s Baby[/customfont1]
Mia Farrow a.k.a. Rosemary gets pregnant after what she thought was a nightmare. Unknowingly ending up on the wrong end of a sell-your-soul-to-the-devil deal, the proceedings of her gestation have become one of the most renowned horror movies to date. -MI
[customfont1]The Stuff[/customfont1]
A white substance is harvested from the Earth and turned into a delightful treat that people can eat. Sadly, The Stuff doesn’t quite pass all its security checks before it goes on the market. Once people start eating it, they begin to… change. -AS
[customfont1]Eraserhead[/customfont1]
David Lynch’s first feature film is undoubtedly a classic and undoubtedly unsettling. While the “baby” is truly gut-wrenching, let’s not forget about the Lady in the Radiator. -MI
[customfont1]Street Trash[/customfont1]
As close to a Troma film as you can get without in fact being a Troma film, Street Trash incorporates oozing bodies, nudity, a half-cooked plotline, and unintentionally comedic acting. While a lot of the movie doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, the death scenes are fun, disgusting, and original. -MI