Content Warning: The following article contains discussions/depictions of sexual violence, racism, genocide, gore, death of children, and suicide.
Blonde is an upcoming 2022 drama film that is already creating polemic due to its NC-17 rating, which means this reimagination of Marilyn Monroe's life will count with one or more horrific scenes amid the supposedly down-to-earth story. The choice of adding shock to drama is often linked to controversy and unnecessary hints of horror, but in many cases, such scenes provide an important tonal shift in a movie's narrative.
From lighthearted stories to films that transmit the constant feeling of something bad about to happen, these movies share in common one vital scene where everything changes, usually due to its violent appeal or nail-biting tension.
Paranoid Park (2007)
Paranoid Park is one of the most intimate coming-of-age movies out there, dealing with themes that are often overlooked in movies of the genre such as guilt and loneliness. The movie follows a teenager skateboarder coping with his parents' divorce and his delusions about love, while also getting involved in the mysterious death of a security guard.
The delicate approach of the movie changes in tone when the security guard's death is detailed onscreen. As Alex reminisces about it while jumping on moving trains with other skateboarders, they are spotted by the guard. As Alex tries to let go of the man's grasp, he causes the guard to trip over and be sliced in half by a train. The scene gets even more horrific as he crawls with entrails exposed toward Alex, who watches the scene in silent shock.
Jojo Rabbit (2019)
One of Taika Waititi's best movies, Jojo Rabbit commits to discussing controversial themes such as the influence of Hitler on a whole generation, especially children. The protagonist is the little boy Jojo, who sees Hitler as his hero, troubled by his mother's decision to hide a Jewish girl in their home. Addressing the oppressive Nazi influence over Germany during World War II, Jojo Rabbit changes the tone completely when Jojo stumbles upon his mother hanged at a gallows for the public, something both the viewers and the boy can tell just by looking at her distinguishable shoes.
It's a subtle scene yet still deeply emotional and heartbreaking, as Jojo rushes to tie his mother's shoes to show he's grown up now, referencing their close relationship that abruptly came to an end.
Waves (2019)
Waves is a family drama divided into two parts. The first follows the eldest son Tyler coping with a distressing injury threatening to end his sporting career, and the second part focuses on his little sister Emily, a teenager whose reality forces her to mature. The two parts are divided by a terrifying tragedy that happens right in between In an intense argument with his pregnant girlfriend, she slaps Tyler and he hits her back, consequently killing her and the baby she carried.
The movie was leading up to Tyler's breakdown, but no one expected it to be so devastating. After Tyler's arrest, the depressing first half of the movie gives space to Emily's story, as she carries on out of sight due to the shadow of her brother's horrific act. In a new delicate narrative that feels like the calm after the storm, Emily experiences her first love and reconnects with her detached family.
The Fallout (2022)
Anyone who starts watching The Fallout without prior knowledge about its plot is caught off guard right in the first 10 minutes of the movie. On a typical day of school, a shooter rampages across the hallways and starts shooting at everyone; three characters that happened to be in the bathroom at the time lock themselves there, while listening to the horrific sounds of the tragedy happening next door.
The three characters develop a strong bond created due to the traumatic experience they shared, and the movie proceeds to address coming-of-age themes haunted by a tragedy that shouldn't be part of any teenager's life. The Fallout takes its time to recover from the shocking initial moments, gradually giving space to a delicate story about self-discovery.
First Reformed (2017)
First Reformed is one of the best movies starring Ethan Hawke, who delivers an Oscar-worthy performance in the role of Pastor Ernst Toller, a man witnessing his faith dissipate after a life-changing encounter with the unpredictable environmental activist Michael and his pregnant wife Mary.
The movie presents viewers with the world as hell, a helpless scenario where faith means everything and nothing at all simultaneously. First Reformed transmits an apathetic, cold atmosphere from the get-go, but things get really dark when Pastor Toller gets closer to Michael, who is soon found dead due to a self-inflicted shotgun wound. The horrific scene marks the beginning of Pastor Toller's downfall, as he starts to see the frail world decaying around him.
The Nightingale (2018)
The Nightingale is the kind of drama movie that verges on becoming a horror film, especially because of the upsetting events that take place in the first hour. Set in 1825 Tasmania, a young Irish convict Clare leads a quiet life with her family until she clashes with a ruthless British officer. Visited by his men at night, she is raped and witnesses the brutal assassination of her husband and newborn baby.
In the aftermath, the sweet, innocent Clare is swayed by anger and sets out after the officers who assaulted her and her family in a desperate plan of revenge. Accompanied by an Aboriginal tracker, Clare is dragged to a brutal reality she never knew, as the movie deals with Australia's violence-filled past in a crude, impactful way.
Bacurau (2019)
Bacurau is a Brazilian movie that created a lot of hype back in Cannes 2019, mixing a bunch of different genres to encapsulate a clever social commentary on imperialism and the value of cultural roots. It starts off as an intriguing drama set in the small town of Bacurau. After noticing their community has vanished from most maps, the inhabitants begin to witness a series of bizarre events that mobilize all of its residents.
Before turning into a carnage, Bacurau builds up the imminent danger that surrounds the town in a horrific scene, as children gather at night to play a game to see who goes the furthest in the dark. As a brave child crosses the pitch-black field with his flashlight, the shimmering light reveals a man hidden in the field, who murders the child with a silent shot.
Trainspotting (1996)
Trainspotting commits to exploring the downfall of the young generation back in the '90s in a series of wretched, chaotic events. Following a group immersed in the Edinburgh drug scene, small isolated incidents spiral out of control as Mark Renton, the protagonist, tries to get out clean and lead a better life.
While the scene of Mark in "the worst toilet in Scotland" is quite disgusting, it doesn't have the horrific impact of the scene where the group finds the baby of one of them dead. The sound of the mother screaming in anguished despair only makes things worse.
American Story X (1998)
American Story X presents hatred at its extremes, introducing Edward Norton as the terrifying Derek, a neo-nazi with anti-Semitic tattoos spread all over his body. Fresh out of prison, he tries to disentangle from his gang and prevent his brother from going down the same path of hatred that he did.
The scene which reveals what led Derek to prison is ghastly and marks a turning point in the film's narrative. When a group of Black men from a street gang tries to steal Derek's truck, he shoots them and curb-stomps one of them. While the scene isn't necessarily graphic, the build-up is extremely uncomfortable, as a close-up of the man's teeth screeching on the curb forces every viewer to look away with horror.
127 Hours (2010)
127 Hours's horrific scene was something bound to happen, but not a single person was ready for the graphic appeal of it, which led a lot of people to walk out of cinemas back in 2010. The movie tells the real-life story of mountain climber Aron Ralston as he becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone in a desert, resorting to desperate measures in order to survive.
After six days trapped with scarce supplies and his arm under the boulder, Aron realizes the only possible way to survive. In one of the most hard-to-watch scenes ever, he snaps the bones in his arms and desperately amputates his arm by sawing it off with a small blunt knife. It's intense, graphic, and will forever be stuck in the viewers' minds.