Out of the myriad sub-genres in cinema, body horror may be one of the most hardcore. While its origins can be traced all the way back to early 19th-century gothic fiction like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the form has mutated and evolved over the years. Exploiting our deepest fears of being violated by an unknown presence, monster, or sickness, when it’s done right, biological horror can really get under burst out of your skin. But what are the best body horror films out there? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Here are the top ten best body horror movies, ranked. Let’s go!
10.) Teeth
2007’s Teeth is ostensibly a feminist horror movie about a woman who develops – *checks notes* – dentata. ‘What the heck is dentata?’ I hear you asking. Well, it’s basically a very rare, real-world condition that results in a lady developing teeth in her… southern regions.
Of course, as expected for a body horror film, Teeth takes this idea and runs with it to the blood-drenched hills and beyond. Not only is almost every male character a complete pervert who wants to get in the protagonist’s knickers (portrayed excellently by Jess Weixler), but it’s a clever inversion of the frail and feeble damsel in distress trope.
If you’re a guy, prepare to cross your legs for around, say, one hour and thirty-eight minutes.
9.) The Void
I’ll be honest: If a movie has good practical effects, it automatically wins a few points for me. Case in point: 2016’s otherworldly Lovecraftian horror flick, The Void, might be the least well-known pic on this list, but what it lacks in prestige, it more than makes up for with some intensely grisly, unadulterated gore and shlock.
While ’80s-style body horror shockers like The Thing are super rare these days, newish Canadian writer-directors Steven Kostanski and Jeremy Gillespie channel their inner John Carpenter in one the most criminally underrated biological horror movies out there. Nefarious cults, hellish abominations, batshit crazy doctors, and mysterious gumshoes take center stage in this unsettling Lovecraftian tale of otherworldly terror and skin-crawling dread. And it comes highly recommended!
8.) Eraserhead
While Eraserhead may be a little too surreal for some, it’s hard to not at least appreciate its uber-weird tone, fascinating cinematography, oddball characters, industrial soundscapes, and otherworldly fairytale-like story. I mean, it’s from visionary filmmaker David Lynch, who created Twin Peaks, The Elephant Man, and Blue Velvet, amongst many other cult classics, so it’s bound to be pretty trippy, right?
Well, really, there’s weird. And then there’s Eraserhead weird, which is basically on another level entirely. Dancing woman living in a radiator? Check. Baby getting cut open? Yep. A deeply disturbing family dinner involving a twitching turkey? You betcha. Sure, it may not be a film for everyone, but it’s still a hugely influential pic that went on to influence horror classics like Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.
7.) Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
There are few horror movies that have been remade as many times as Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Based on a 1954 sci-fi novel by Jack Finney titled the Body Snatchers, we’d opt for Philip Kaufman’s 1978 remake of Don Siegel’s 1956 black-and-white classic as the best of the bunch.
Focusing upon a slow, encroaching usurpation of the human race by a hostile alien species that spawn from extraterrestrial flowers, Invasion of the Body Snatchers sees a group of survivors unraveling the mystery of alien world domination while trying to escape the clutches of the evil critters.
Thing is, it’s not like The Day of the Triffids where the plants attack society directly. Nope. Instead, said flowers create copies of emotionless human beings culminating in an ending that will stay with you forever.