Body horror, sometimes called biological horror or venereal horror, is one of the many specialized sub-genres falling under the horror umbrella. Body horror films are described as movies including the destruction, mutilation, or mutation of the human body as a central plot idea. Destruction and mutilation may seem like an average occurrence in horror films, but body horror films tend to shy away from true antagonists, and instead pit the human body itself against the protagonist. While some of them may seem like simple gross-out films trying to get the audience to cringe, directors like David Cronenberg have used the genre to send a message or comment on society. So, here we'll take a look at some of the best body horror films out there, if your stomach can handle it.
Human Centipede series
There's no denying that when the first Human Centipede came out, it generated a huge buzz all around the country. It instantly became the gross-out film to watch with a group of friends just to see what all the hype was about. When second film came out, promising to make the first one "look like My Little Pony", everyone knew that this would be the peak of extreme horror cinema in the 2000's. Overall, the Human Centipede series is a decent display of body horror. The second film better represents the overly graphic nature of body horror films, but the idea of living human beings sewn together to form a squirming mass in the first film surely fits the genre just as well.
Eraserhead
Unsurprisingly, David Lynch's first film does not fit the average conventions of body horror, or horror, or film for that matter. However, this surrealist nightmare of a film surely has every element of a good body horror film; disgusting, mutated creatures, a troubled main character, gross-out moments that have to do with the distortion of the human body. There are tons of theories regarding what Eraserhead is really trying to say, with answers ranging from the horrors of fatherhood to alienation and loss of religion to the restrictions of married life. Whatever the film is actually about, it is surely a body horror film when it comes to visuals, which feature everything from a deformed, fetus-esque child to a singer with a disturbingly distorted face.
Hellraiser
To be honest, Clive Barker's Hellraiser isn't a true body horror film. It is more of a supernatural/slasher film, but the elements of body horror are certainly there, as the Cenobites promise a pleasure beyond pain through torture and mutilation. The famous "Jesus wept" scene is probably the best display of body horror in the film, and features a man being torn apart by chains.
The Thing
John Carpenter's The Thing is arguably the best horror film of the 80's, and features an unseen force twisting and mutilating any living creature that it finds in its path. The incredible visual effects in The Thing are what make it such a fantastic body horror film, which include the alien force creating twisted dog monsters and human head spiders.
Videodrome
Finally, we come to David Cronenberg, the king of body horror. Many credit Cronenberg with creating the genre, and his earlier films certainly display this. Videodrome stars James Woods as a sleazy television producer looking for next big ultra-violent thing for his edgy network, and coming across the insane, torture show Videodrome, which soon takes over his life. It features scenes with Woods' body fusing to inanimate objects and a massive hole in his torso opening up, which he shoves his hand into.
The Fly
Another Cronenberg classic, The Fly tells the story of a scientist experimenting with teleportation. When he attempts to go through the teleporter himself, a housefly makes its way into the machine, fusing with the man's DNA. Throughout the film, his body slowly deteriorates and mutates, until his transformation into the hideous fly hybrid is complete. The visual effects of The Fly are fantastic, and this film has been recreated and parodied so many times that you've got to check it out.
Honorable Mentions
Black Hole by Charles Burns - A graphic novel about a group of teenagers in a small town where a sexual transmitted disease runs rampant. The STD mutilates and deforms the human body over time, and can result in webbed fingers, tails, and the rotting away of human flesh.
Parasyte by Hitoshi Iwaaki - A manga about alien parasites which infect human hosts and distort their human features. The main character of the series has a parasite creature infect his hand, giving it a mind of its own and growing and deforming in strange ways.
Uzumaki by Junji Ito - Another horror manga, this series is about the lives of the inhabitants of a small Japanese town which is cursed by not spirits or spectres, but a shape: the spiral. The shape digs into the human mind, driving the townspeople insane, and resulting in a transformation into strange, spiral creatures and resulting in some gruesome deaths.
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