Top 10 Directors Who Make the Most Shocking Movies

Lars von Trier may be the biggest provocateur among great directors. He makes films that are psychologically and physically exhausting and loves playing with his audience's discomfort. His most controversial films include Antichrist (2009), with extreme violence in a film about grief and guilt; The House That Jack Built (2018), about a sadistic serial killer; and Dancer in the Dark (2000), a musical that's anything but cheerful, with Björk in one of the most heartbreaking roles ever.

Gaspar Noé's films are as much a physical as a mental assault on the senses. He uses extreme images, trippy cinematography and brutally realistic themes to immerse his audience in nihilistic worlds. His most shocking films include Irréversible (2002), told in reverse and infamous for its brutal violence; Enter the Void (2009), a psychedelic nightmare about drugs, death and reincarnation; and Climax (2018), about a dance party that descends into chaos after the sangria is spiked with LSD.

Takashi Miike is a chameleon, but when he wants to shock, he goes all in, mixing sadistic violence with black humor and over-the-top absurdity. His most shocking films include Audition (1999), which starts as a romance and turns into one of the most intense torture horrors ever; Ichi the Killer (2001), a violent yakuza film full of sadism; and Visitor Q (2001), a taboo-breaking provocation at its peak.

Pasolini was a political and artistic rebel who used cinema to expose the corrupt side of society. His films are often intellectual but also extremely brutal and confrontational. His most notorious film, Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975), may be the most reviled film of all time. Pasolini was murdered shortly before its release, and many believe his political views played a role in his death.

Cronenberg is obsessed with the body, transformation and perversion, resulting in films that are both gross and philosophically deep. His most shocking films include Videodrome (1983), where TV becomes a living, perverse organ; Crash (1996), about people aroused by car crashes; and The Fly (1986), one of the most disgusting transformation films ever, in which Jeff Goldblum turns into a horrifying insect.

Deodato made one film that made him infamous forever: Cannibal Holocaust (1980), so realistic that he faced charges over the supposed deaths of his actors, and so gruesome it was banned in dozens of countries. It contains real animal killings, gruesome cannibal scenes and a realistic found-footage style. A film you'll never forget, or want to forget.

Ferrara makes films that constantly balance between art and exploitation, with religious obsession, extreme sexuality and disturbing violence. His most shocking films include Ms. 45 (1981), about a mute woman who takes violent revenge after being assaulted, and Bad Lieutenant (1992), with Harvey Keitel as a completely rotten cop destroying himself with drugs and abuse. Grim, grimy and raw, but always deeply human.

Eli Roth took horror to a new sadistic level and became a pioneer of the 'torture porn' subgenre. His most shocking films include Hostel (2005), about backpackers trapped in a torture club for wealthy psychopaths, and The Green Inferno (2013), a modern tribute to cannibal films full of gore and cruelty. Brutal and sadistic, but ridiculously entertaining for horror fans.

This German director made one of the sickest cult films ever: Nekromantik (1987), about a couple's obsession with a corpse. His films are grim, shocking and completely taboo-breaking.

Korine's films aren't always violent, but they're psychologically deeply uncomfortable. His most bizarre films include Gummo (1997), pure small-town chaos full of absurd and disturbing scenes, and Spring Breakers (2012), partying, drugs and nihilism wrapped in an MTV-style nightmare. Korine shows the grimiest sides of America without filters.