The 25 Best Body Horror Movies Of All Time Ranked (2024)

The body horror genre can be a bit too gruesome for even the most staunch horror fans, but what it can offer in scares, philosophy, storytelling, and filmmaking makes it a critical part of the beloved genre. Often making the lists of the best horror movies ever made, body horror has been a fixture of the genre for nearly as long as the genre has existed. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis, and H. G. Wells' The Island of Doctor Moreau are classics, all with elements of body horror.

There is something beautiful, fascinating, and grotesque about the human body. It's both completely personal and at times completely alien. Many horror directors have taken this paradoxical relationship and used it to craft some of the best-known horror stories ever put to film. David Cronenberg and his movies are synonymous with the genre, and he's arguably the modern father of it. Still there are plenty of other filmmakers in the space creating incredible and horrifying movies. The best of these body horror movies terrify, intrigue, and keep the audience coming back for more.

25 The Autopsy Of Jane Doe (2016)

A Standard Autopsy Goes Awry

The Autopsy of Jane Doe

R

Horror

Mystery

Thriller

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The Autopsy of Jane Doe is a chilling horror film that follows father-and-son coroners who encounter a highly unusual and disturbing autopsy. As they delve deeper into the examination of an unidentified woman's body found at a crime scene, they uncover increasingly bizarre clues that reveal a dark and terrifying secret. The film masterfully combines supernatural elements with a claustrophobic setting to create a tense and gripping mystery.

Release Date

December 21, 2016

Cast

Emile Hirsch , Brian Cox , Ophelia Lovibond , Michael McElhatton , Olwen Kelly , Jane Perry , Parker Sawyers , Mary Duddy , Mark Phoenix

Runtime

86 Minutes

In The Autopsy of Jane Doe, father-and-son Coroners, Austin Tilden (Emile Hirsch) and Tommy Tilden (Brian Cox) receive a late-night job. A young woman has been found and her death needs to be determined ASAP. As the autopsy gets underway, the Tildens find physically impossible and unnerving damage to the body before things begin to get really frightening.

The autopsy portions of The Autopsy of Jane Doe are visceral and clinically detailed. Each time Tommy explains a new horrifying realization about the body, it's too easy to imagine what exactly happened to the young woman thanks to the time spent showing the Tildens' process.

24 Teeth (2007)

A Coming-Of-Age Body Horror

Teeth

R

Horror

Fantasy

Comedy

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Teeth is a horror-comedy film directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein. It tells the story of Dawn (Jess Weixler), a teenage girl who discovers a unique anatomical trait with dangerous implications during a time of personal crisis. As she navigates complex social interactions and traumatic experiences, Dawn grapples with her emerging identity and newfound power. The film combines elements of dark humor and body horror to explore themes of female empowerment and sexuality.

Director

Mitchell Lichtenstein

Release Date

January 18, 2008

Cast

Jess Weixler , John Hensley , Josh Pais , Hale Appleman , Lenny von Dohlen , Vivienne Benesch , Ashley Springer , Laila Liliana Garro

Runtime

94 Minutes

Teeth is a body horror comedy that follows Dawn O'Keefe (Jess Weixler), a young member of a Christian abstinence group who realizes during a sexual assault that the more intimate region of her body has the capability to violently defend itself. As she finds out more about her condition, Dawn begins to get revenge on those who would hurt her.

The tagline and plot of Teeth are purposefully ridiculous, but the tone of the film works perfectly as a coming-of-age story and a parable about feminity and puberty. The scenes of Dawn using her newfound power to take violent men down a peg are as satisfying as they are hilariously gruesome.

23 In My Skin (2002)

A New French Extremity Horror

The 2002 French film, In My Skin, was written, directed by, and stars Marina de Van as Esther, a marketing professional in Paris. After cutting herself one night on a jagged piece of metal, Esther becomes obsessed with the idea of cutting and soon begins chopping off pieces of herself in larger and larger quantities.

In My Skin is an unrelenting and shocking look into self-mutilation and bodily autonomy. It may be a slower story with a somewhat flat plot, but Esther's treatment of herself even while her friends and family look on in horror makes it hard to look away from.

22 Prometheus (2012)

Ridley Scott's Gruesome Alien Prequel

Prometheus

R

Sci-Fi

Horror

Action

Adventure

Drama

Mystery

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2012's Prometheus is the fifth installment in the Alien franchise and was directed by Ridley Scott. Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, and Guy Pearce, the film acts as a direct prequel to 1979's Alien.

Director

Ridley Scott

Release Date

June 8, 2012

Cast

Charlize Theron , Noomi Rapace , Idris Elba , Guy Pearce , Michael Fassbender

Runtime

124 Minutes

Budget

130 million

Thanks in part to H. R. Giger's designs in the Alien franchise, body horror has always been a key element of the sci-fi horror and action films. Of them, Prometheus has the most in common with the classic body horror movies. In this prequel to the 1980 Ridley Scott film, a team of scientists investigates a mysterious planet and discover the progenitors of the human race.

As the progenitors, there is body horror galore with creatures breaking down to their DNA, black sludge transforming scientists, and an alien c-section scene that is one of the most shocking and intimate horror moments in recent memory. It's all the mystery and terror of Alien, with a modern and gruesome instinct for body horror.

21 Society (1989)

A Body Horror Satire

Society

R

Comedy

Horror

Director

Brian Yuzna

Release Date

June 11, 1992

Cast

Billy Warlock , Concetta D'Agnese , Ben Slack , Evan Richards , Patrice Jennings

Runtime

99 Minutes

Society is a satirical body horror that follows Bill Whitney (Billy Warlock), the scion of a wealthy family who has sneaking suspicions about his family and their upper-crust friends. Bill discovers that his family and their pal are actually a horrific alien species that meld their bodies together to absorb energy.

It's an incredibly gross movie that has scenes of bodies melting together and faces coming out of every inadvisable body part imaginable. Society is more than just its over-the-top and expertly crafted ending. Its pulpy, b-movie plot in the first two-thirds makes the ending even more delightful.

20 Malignant (2021)

James Wan's Bizarrely Effective Horror Film

Malignant

R

Crime

Horror

Drama

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In this horror thriller from the creator of the Conjuring universe, a woman named Madison is tormented by visions of grisly murders. When she discovers that these waking dreams are in fact terrifying realities, she attempts to unlock her repressed memories to find the killer and stop him.

Director

James Wan

Release Date

September 10, 2021

Cast

Maddie Hasson , Annabelle Wallis , Jacqueline McKenzie , Ingrid Bisu , Michole Briana White , Jake Abel , Mckenna Grace , George Young

Runtime

111 minutes

Budget

$2.4 million

James Wan is a modern master of horror thanks to his many acclaimed and influential movies, including Saw, The Conjuring, and Insidious. Malignant is a response to all those films, flipping the tropes on their head in this delightful near-farce aimed squarely at the fans of his work. In the film, Madison Mitchell (Annabelle Wallis) begins experiencing blackouts and supernatural occurrences that terrorize her.

The body horror comes in the twisted reveal, which really should not be spoiled to enjoy the film. It's disgusting, horrifying, and so bizarrely fun it's hard not to cackle in joy when it happens. Every strange and convoluted event that happens before suddenly falls clearly into place and Malignant is a brilliant thrill ride after.

19 Rabid (1977)

A Gruesome Injury Leads To An Epidemic

David Cronenberg's Rabid follows Rose (Marilyn Chambers), a woman who is injured in a motorcycle accident. After undergoing a mysterious surgery, she learns there is now an orifice under her arm that hides a stinger that drains blood from those who get too close to her.

Rabid is a violent and horrific film, with the disturbing stinger-like apparatus being a nausea-inducing bit of puppetry and makeup. The odd dialogue and strange plot only add to the disorientation of the film, making the gore feel even more disturbing.

18 From Beyond (1986)

A Terrifying H. P. Lovecraft Adaptation

From Beyond

R

Horror

Sci-Fi

From Beyond, directed by Stuart Gordon, is a 1986 horror film based on the story by H.P. Lovecraft. The plot centers on Dr. Crawford Tillinghast and his invention, the Resonator, which allows humans to perceive alternate dimensions. As the machine operates, it unlocks monstrous entities from a parallel universe, leading to terrifying consequences. Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton star in this atmospheric exploration of scientific ambition and the unknown.

Director

Stuart Gordon

Release Date

October 24, 1986

Cast

Jeffrey Combs , Barbara Crampton , Ted Sorel , Ken Foree , Carolyn Purdy-Gordon , Bunny Summers , Bruce McGuire , Del Russel

Runtime

85 Minutes

In From Beyond, a cosmic body horror movie based on the short story of the same name by H. P. Lovecraft, a scientist's experiment accidentally sends him to another dimension with sinister creatures. The creatures send him back to earth, now transformed into a grotesque shapeshifting monster that preys upon everyone else in the laboratory.

From Beyond mixes satire, horror, and some real artistry for an underrated tale about what happens to the mind when it observes something it can't comprehend. The makeup, monsters, and body contortions are top-notch and disgusting to look at, perfectly capturing what makes Lovecraft's stories so terrifying.

17 Slither (2006)

James Gunn's Parasitic Comedy-Horror

Slither

R

Sci-Fi

Comedy

Horror

Written and directed by James Gunn, Slither tells the story of a small town that gets invaded by an alien mind-controlling parasite. Starring Nathan Fillion as Police Chief Bill Pardy, Elizabeth Banks as Starla Grant, and Michael Rooker as Grant Grant, the 2006 horror comedy marks James Gunn's directorial debut.

Director

James Gunn

Release Date

March 31, 2006

Cast

Nathan Fillion , Elizabeth Banks , Brenda James , Jenna Fischer , Michael Rooker

Runtime

95 minutes

Budget

$15 million

If MCU fans wondered why Guardians of the Galaxy felt a little more zany, violent, and maybe even cosmically terrifying than the films before it, they would only need to look at director James Gunn's earlier movies to understand why. Slither is a ridiculous and hilarious film about a small South Carolina town that's invaded by a parasite.

The parasite transforms its victims into horrific, bloated tentacle monsters who are either used to breed more parasites or kill humans. Michael Rooker's portrayal of Grant Grant, who gradually turns into a monstrous, tentacled monster that absorbs those he infects, is both tragic and disgusting.

16 Tusk (2014)

Justin Long Gets Up Close And Personal With A Walrus

Tusk

R

Horror

Comedy

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When Wallace Bryton interviews an eccentric old sailor, Howard Howe, for his podcast, the old man tells him of a walrus named "Mr. Tusk" who once saved his life. Unfortunately, the story doesn't end there, as Howard's obsession with Mr. Tusk means he has some disturbing plans for Wallace.

Director

Kevin Smith

Release Date

September 6, 2014

Cast

Michael Parks , Justin Long , Genesis Rodriguez , Haley Joel Osment , Johnny Depp

Runtime

101minutes

Budget

$3 million

Kevin Smith added one of the strangest movies to his already odd list of directed films with Tusk. In the film, Justin Long plays Wallace Bryton, an unscrupulous podcaster who interviews eccentric people to mock them online. When he finds a potential new interviewee in Canada, he is captured by the man and slowly transformed into a walrus using skin grafts and body modifications.

The transformation of Wallace into the walrus is painful and disturbing, and just looking at still images of the result is enough to be shocking. There are some truly sickening moments of Wallace desperately staring out of the skin suit he's forced to wear, and the film lingers long after it's over.

15 Possessor (2020)

A Body Snatching Thriller From Brandon Cronenberg

Possessor

Not Rated

Thriller

Horror

Sci-Fi

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Possessor, directed by Brandon Cronenberg, is a 2020 science fiction horror film that follows Tasya Vos, a corporate agent who uses brain-implant technology to inhabit other people's bodies and perform assassinations. As Vos struggles with her identity and loses control over her host, the boundaries between her own mind and her host's begin to blur, leading to catastrophic consequences. Starring Andrea Riseborough and Christopher Abbott, the film explores themes of control and identity.

Director

Brandon Cronenberg

Release Date

October 2, 2020

Cast

Andrea Riseborough , Christopher Abbott , Jennifer Jason Leigh , Sean Bean , Rossif Sutherland , Tuppence Middleton

Runtime

103 minutes

Brandon Cronenberg has followed in his father's footsteps, creating a truly horrific and incredible body horror movie. Possessor is only his second movie and his first in almost 10 years. It's set in an alternate future where people can possess others' bodies. Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough) is an assassin whose possessions have slowly been going wrong as she loses control of her human puppets.

The possession technology in Possessor is not an elegant science fiction device and the bloody and violent way it must be utilized plants Cronenberg's movie in the same hallowed circles as some of his father's. There are painful and terribly beautiful moments of minds being melded together that are as thrilling as they are frightening.

14 Crimes Of The Future (2022)

A Futuristic Biotechnology Drama

Crimes of the Future

R

Drama

Horror

Sci-Fi

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Crimes of the Future is a horror-thriller film by director David Cronenberg that follows Saul Tenser and his partner Caprice, performers who live in a future where surgeries are performative due to the advanced evolution of the human race. Together, they have a show where Saul puts the metamorphosis of his organs on public display. This draws the attention of a group that wants to use this metamorphosis to investigate an evolutionary disease.

Director

David Cronenberg

Release Date

June 3, 2022

Cast

Don McKellar , Viggo Mortensen , Tanaya Beatty , Nadia Litz , Scott Speedman , Lihi Kornowski , Lea Seydoux , Yorgos Pirpassopoulos , Kristen Stewart , Welket Bungué , Yorgos Karamihos

Runtime

107 minutes

Budget

$27million

In Crimes of the Future, biotechnology advancements, and strange human genetic developments have resulted in most people no longer feeling pain or suffering from infectious diseases. Tenser (Viggo Mortensen) is a stage performer who undergoes public surgery for leering crowds. He is eventually roped into a government conspiracy that sees him infiltrating a sect that believes in human evolution above all else.

Crimes of the Future has some mesmerizing and disturbing moments of body horror, with Tenser being the victim, or beneficiary, of dozens of procedures that slowly warp his body into something different. It's a grim and strange film that's as provocative as any of Cronenberg's earlier works.

13 The Brood (1979)

A Man And His Wife Undergo A Novel Therapeutic Treatment

The Brood (1979)

R

Horror

Sci-Fi

Created by David Cronenberg, the Brood is a horror film that follows a man and his mentally ill ex-wife who become targets of an eccentric therapist looking to provide his brand of help. However, his unorthodox methods and secretive style raise concerns that something sinister is afoot.

Director

David Cronenberg

Release Date

May 25, 1979

Cast

Oliver Reed , Samantha Eggar , Art Hindle , Nuala Fitzgerald , Henry Beckman , Susan Hogan , Cindy Hinds

Runtime

92 Minutes

Budget

$1.4 Million

The Brood is a psychological body horror film from David Cronenberg that follows Nola Carveth (Samantha Eggar), a woman experiencing mental health problems. She goes to an experimental therapist who helps her birth a brood of psychically linked, monstrous children who feed off their mother's instability.

The creatures alone in The Brood are disquieting enough with their anatomically incorrect features, but it's the way Nora gives birth that truly ups the body horror. Through lesions all over her body, Nora gives birth to her brood in some of the most visceral and disturbing moments in the film.

12 Under The Skin (2013)

A Mysterious Creature Preys On Men In Scotland

Under the Skin

R

Sci-Fi

Thriller

Drama

Horror

Under the Skin is a sci-fi thriller directed by Jonathan Glazer and starring Scarlett Johansson. Johansson plays "The Female," an alien from another world that hunts men in Scotland. Despite receiving high praise upon release, Under the Skin was a box office bomb, only making a little over half of its budget.

Director

Jonathan Glazer

Release Date

April 4, 2014

Cast

Dougie McConnell , Lynsey Taylor Mackay , Jeremy McWilliams , Scarlett Johansson , Kevin McAlinden

Runtime

108 minutes

Budget

$13.3 million

Scarlett Johansson stars as an unnamed "woman" in Jonathan Glazer's Under the Skin. This "woman" is actually some kind of extraterrestrial creature that seduces men and then feeds off them, stealing their skin in the process so she can continue her life as a human.

It's a deeply philosophical film and one of the more trippy modern science fiction movies. Under the Skin features some shocking moments of bodies collapsing and black, featureless creatures emerging out of the ether. It's not as disturbing a film as some other body horrors, but its fascination with the body, particularly the main character's interest in her own, ranks it high in the genre.

11 Videodrome (1983)

A Cryptic, Techno-Surrealist Conspiracy Film

Videodrome

R

Horror

Sci-Fi

Thriller

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Videodrome (1983) is a science fiction horror film directed by David Cronenberg. The movie stars James Woods as Max Renn, a television executive who stumbles upon a broadcast signal featuring extreme violence and torture. His obsession with uncovering the source leads him into a disturbing and hallucinatory journey, highlighting the destructive potential of media and technology. Debbie Harry also stars as Nicki Brand, a radio personality entangled in the narrative.

Director

David Cronenberg

Release Date

February 4, 1983

Cast

James Woods , Debbie Harry , Leslie Carlson , Peter Dvorsky , Sonja Smits

Runtime

87 minutes

Budget

$5.9 million

In Videodrome, a small TV station CEO, Max Renn (James Woods), discovers a gonzo, violent TV channel called "Videodrome" and immediately decides he must have it as part of his station's programming. Max begins to experience increasingly bizarre and disturbing hallucinations as he investigates "Videodrome" deeper.

From a gun made of flesh extending through a television screen to a TV exec splitting apart to reveal pulsating orbs and tumors, Videodrome is the quintessential David Cronenberg movie when it comes to body horror. It's also a philosophical look at technology and how the constant pursuit of the next big thing can be disastrous.

10 Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)

A Japanese Salaryman Becomes One With A Machine

Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)

Not Rated

Sci-Fi

Horror

Tetsuo: The Iron Man is a Japanese cyberpunk horror film directed by Shinya Tsukamoto. The film follows a man who, after a freak accident, begins to transform into a grotesque amalgamation of flesh and metal. Combining surreal and shocking imagery, the movie explores themes of transformation and body horror through a dystopian lens, making it a distinctive entry in the genre.

Director

Shin'ya Tsukamoto

Release Date

July 1, 1989

Cast

Tomorô Taguchi , Kei Fujiwara , Nobu Kanaoka , Shin'ya Tsukamoto , Naomasa Musaka , Renji Ishibashi

Runtime

67 Minutes

In Tetsuo: The Iron Man, a man (Tomorowo Taguchi) wakes up to find metal sprouting from different parts of his body. As his body becomes further engulfed by metal, he meets another person undergoing a similar transformation and the two agree to join together and transform the entire world into metal.

A low-budget Japanese science fiction body horror film, Tetsuo: The Iron Man is an impressive display of practical artistry, stop-motion, and visual storytelling. The scenes of metal sprouting from the man's body are genuinely disturbing, and the stop-motion effects add an element of unnaturalness that elevates the movie.

9 Titane (2021)

A Woman Has An Intimate Encounter With A Car

Titane

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Sci-Fi

Thriller

Drama

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Titane is a French horror drama directed by Julia Ducournau. Agathe Rousselle stars as Alexia, a woman with a titanium plate in her head who leads a violent and unconventional life.

Director

Julia Ducournau

Release Date

October 1, 2021

Cast

Garance Marillier , Agathe Rousselle , Vincent Lindon , Laïs Salameh

Runtime

108 minutes

Titane stars Agathe Rousselle as Alexia, a girl who received a metal plate in her head after a car crash. As she has grown up, she's shown to have developed sexual desires for automobiles and become a serial killer, moving from town to town killing men and women she pretends to start relationships with.

The ending of Titane is a bizarre endcap to an already bonkers movie that changes direction and tone multiple times, but never forgets to reference its body horror elements. However, the body horror in Julia Ducournau's second film is more on the beautiful side, with titanium and human flesh bonding in a way that feels like art.

8 Annihilation (2018)

A Mysterious Zone Transforms Those Who Enter It

Annihilation

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Sci-Fi

Mystery

Horror

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Alex Garland's Annihilation is based on the novel of the same name by Jeff VanderMeer. It follows a group of explorers - comprised of biology professor Lena (Natalie Portman), psychologist Dr. Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh),physicist Josie Radek (Tessa Thompson), geomorphologist Cassie Sheppard (Tuva Nvotny), and paramedic Anya Thorensen (Gina Rodriguez) - as they enter "the Shimmer", a quarantined zone of mutated plants and animals caused by an unknown extra-terrestrial phenomenon. Lena agrees to enter the Shimmer in search of her husband, Kane (Oscar Isaac), who was sent in as part of a special forces operation.

Director

Alex Garland

Release Date

February 23, 2018

Cast

Sonoya Mizuno , Kola Bokinni , Jennifer Jason Leigh , Gina Rodriguez , Cosmo Jarvis , Oscar Isaac , Tessa Thompson , Tuva Novotny , Natalie Portman , David Gyasi

Runtime

115 Minutes

Budget

40–55 million

An adaptation of the 2014 novel of the same name by Jeff VanderMeer, Annihilation follows a team of female scientists and soldiers who venture into a quarantine zone, known as the "Shimmer" that mutates the biological life in it. The Shimmer begins to mutate the team's minds, and they have to withstand the abominations living in the Shimmer as well as one another as they slowly lose their grip on reality.

Annihilation is one of the few body horror movies to use beings beyond humans to explore horrific mutations. Bears with human skulls embedded in their faces, crocodiles with shark teeth, and deer with mirrored copies all inhabit the Shimmer and are equal parts enchanting and horrifying.

7 Altered States (1980)

Isolation Tanks Are Used For Sensory Deprivation Experiments

Altered States stars William Hurt as Eddie Jessup, a Columbia University professor studying schizophrenia who decides he can learn more by entering a sensory deprivation tank. He begins experimenting with hallucinogenic drugs while in the tank and, as he gets closer to solving his research, he risks losing himself in an altered reality.

What makes Altered States such an effective body horror movie is the moments of calm in between the bizarre and explosive moments of horror. Eddie's transformations are all the more uncomfortable and disturbing because they come right after moments of relative calm and humanity that give way to psychological horror.

6 Color Out Of Space (2019)

A Meteor Brings Some Strange Phenomena To A Small Town

Color Out of Space

r

Horror

Sci-Fi

Mystery

Thriller

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Directed by Richard Stanley, Color Out of Space is a 2019 Horror film starring Nicolas Cage. The film follows a meteorite that strikes the Earth, leading to strange occurrences on a farm. The release features Lovecraftian elements.

Director

Richard Stanley

Release Date

January 24, 2020

Cast

Nicolas Cage , Joely Richardson , Madeleine Arthur , Elliot Knight , Tommy Chong , Brendan Meyer , Julian Hilliard , Josh C. Waller

Budget

$6–12 million

Based on the H. P. Lovecraft novel, The Colour Out of Space, this Nicolas Cage film sees a family move to a small farm where a brightly colored meteorite lands. The meteorite begins to cause changes in the animals and people on the farm, and in space and time itself.

Nicolas Cage is the perfect actor for a body horror movie and his gonzo and over-the-top acting emerges perfectly with the violence and horror, particularly the cosmic nightmares that Lovecraft created. The unpredictable mutations and disturbing imagery on display in Color Out of Space is emblematic of the best body horror and the best Lovecraft adaptations.