Inevitably, horror film buffs will go in search of the worst of the worst. From the late 90s through the current times, a film movement has been taking the horror underground violently by storm. Known as the "New French Extremity," films under this umbrella are notable for their visceral scenes of explicit sex, gore, torture, uncomfortable topics, and a myriad of disorienting techniques designed to make the viewer uncomfortable.
However, just because a film is extreme does not guarantee it's quality, and the sheer number of films classified in the movement can make it overwhelming to the curious film nerd. Here are 10 movies from the "New French Extremity" movement that are prime for initiation into this dark side of horror.
10 Romance/Romance X (5.3)
This 1999 film explores BDSM in a way that would make fans of Fifty Shades of Grey outright blush. A candid and emotionally complex portrait of a woman's sexual exploration, Catherine Breillat's film is tame, in some regards, when compared to some of the other titles in the movement. That being said, Romance is far from mainstream.
Much of the film's success stems from a truly fearless performance from lead actress Caroline Ducey. Scenes of nudity and consensual bondage pepper the film's more contemplative moments in which Ducey's character silently tries to work out what it is she wants from her romantic life.
9 Trouble Every Day (6.0)
Claire Denis is one of France's most celebrated indie filmmakers. This film from 2001 represents her attempt at a horror film. True to her own style, as well as the traditions of the "New French Extremity," Trouble Every Day is certainly not an easy watch.
Combining a passionate love affair and a story of cannibalism, the film is bizarre and detached in a way that alienates the viewer. Underground rebel Vincent Gallo turns in a typically neurotic performance as an American man on honeymoon with ulterior motives. Twilight, this is not.
8 Frontier(s) (6.2)
Frontier(s), directed by Xavier Gens, is the story of the world's worst hotel. On their way out of a politically tumultuous Paris, a group of Arab 20-somethings decides to stop at an inn run by a family of nazis.
Released in the United States with an NC-17 rating in 2008, the film garnered mixed reviews. Its material is elevated beyond the typical formula with the addition of some fairly astute social commentary. A nightmare for the modern times, more relevant now than ever, Frontier(s) is an uncompromising polemic against xenophobia.
7 Them (6.4)
Short, brutal, and full of incredible tension, Them was released in 2006 to warm reception from horror critics. The story of the 74-minute long ride is simple -- a couple is terrorized throughout the night by a group of unseen attackers.
A brisk and lean trip through a nerve-wracking game of cat-and-mouse, the film contains a seriously cruel final scene that provides a perfect exhibition of the "New French Extremity" penchant for bleak endings. One of the best entries in the "evil kids" subgenre, Them is a great way to enter the world of these hellish films.
6 High Tension (6.8)
Perhaps one of the most widely known of the NFE films, Alexandre Aja's twisted thriller launched the director a relatively successful Hollywood film career. Combining gritty action, home intrusion, and psychological horror, the subversive film became infamous for its extreme violence, which garnered it an NC-17 rating from the MPAA.
Telling the tale of two girls visiting family members at a large manor, the night soon turns into an all-out bloodbath with a killer twist at the end. A cocktail of many defining elements of the "New French Extremity" movement, High Tension remains an excellent entry point into the genre.
5 Inside (6.8)
Featuring one of the great screen villainesses in horror, with Beatrice Dalle's "La Femme," Inside is one of the subgenre's scariest offerings. A taut home invasion thriller with a feminine twist, the film is relentlessly brutal in its depiction of a woman's quest to steal another woman's baby from her womb.
The violence in the film is truly hard to watch, particularly in the film's bloody final act. An intruder thriller unlike any you've seen before, Inside is well-worth your time and attention -- if you can stomach it, that is.
4 Martyrs (7.1)
A gorefest with big ideas and questions beneath the surface, Martyrs is on the more cerebral side of the movement's spectrum. Simultaneously a bloody revenge drama and theological discourse on martyrdom, the film manages to deftly balance its cross-genre elements into a slick and truly disturbing package.
As the narrative gets sicker and sicker as the runtime progresses, the film slowly transforms into a highly original take on the concept of life beyond death. Stylish, gross, beautiful, and horrific, Martyrs is one of the "New French Extremity's" most cohesive offerings.
3 Caché (7.3)
Notable provocateur Michael Haneke's 2007 paranoia thriller is Hitchcock by way of the "New French Extremism" style. An intense meta-thriller about surveillance, media, and society's fascination with violence, Caché is one of the director's best-realized visions.
What begins as a surreal mystery soon becomes something deeper and more malicious, as the tapes the couple are getting begin to reveal a terrible secret from the husband's childhood. Brilliantly structured and layered with bleak ideas about truth and responsibility, Caché is one of the movement's deepest entries.
2 Enter The Void (7.3)
Ask anyone who loves these types of film to name their favorite director, and chances are they might respond "Gaspar Noe." One of the most beloved and reviled filmmakers to come out of France in decades, Noe made a name for himself with his brand of freewheeling cinematography documenting some of the grimmest stories this side of Sade.
Perhaps his most experimental film is 2009's psychedelic opus, Enter The Void. Truly a film unlike any other, the film documents a soul's journey through neon Tokyo as his life swirls around him. Dark, thrilling, beautiful, and controversial, Enter The Void is one hell of a trip.
1 Irreversible (7.4)
Without a doubt one of the most infamous films of all time, Gaspar Noe's Irreversible is the film that cemented him as the bad-boy of the "New French Extremist" movement. A film that plays out in reverse, Irreversible tells the story of a night on the town from the pits of a hellish nightmare.
Noe's camera has rarely been more chaotic and the images he chooses to show us are traumatic. The film's 'centerpiece' is a one-take sexual assault, the event that jumpstarts the rest of the film's narrative, which has caused innumerable walk-outs and premature turn-offs. Unrelenting and powerful, Irreversible is the definitive film of the "New French Extreme" movement.
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