# Most harrowing scene in a movie. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 15, 2011, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-harrowing-scene-in-a-movie/574803 "2011-03-15T16:52:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Sakuma\_Drops](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sakuma\_Drops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sakuma_Drops)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-harrowing-scene-in-a-movie/574803/81 "2011-03-18T02:22:08Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Which reminds me, much as I loved the British cop comedy _Hot Fuzz_, there were two scenes which squicked me out: the reporter’s death next to the church, and the villain’s injury in the miniature village near the very end. If you’ve seen it, you know what I mean. EWW. Yeah, I do know what you mean, especially W.R.T. the injury to Timothy Dalton’s character. I thought for sure he was going to take the spike (which was the spire of the model church, IIRC) through the brain and go quickly, but nooooo, he actually survived the injury which IMO made it even _more_ gross 😛 😛 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-harrowing-scene-in-a-movie/574803/82 "2011-03-18T03:13:05Z")
The rape/murder scene in Boys Don’t Cry is pretty horrible. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-harrowing-scene-in-a-movie/574803/83 "2011-03-18T03:18:42Z")
Exactly, **Sakuma Drops**. Just thought of the whipping of the Denzel Washington character in _Glory_. His back is covered in scars and you know he’s been through it before, as a slave, but now it’s his comrades who, to uphold military justice, are going to do it to him too. ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-harrowing-scene-in-a-movie/574803/84 "2011-03-18T04:54:13Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > The chainsaw scene from _Winter’s Bone_ is a recent example. I thought that scene was done very tastefully - even though what’s happening is horrible to contemplate, the action is offscreen, and you can’t hear Ree’s crying. Merab throwing hot coffee in Ree’s face, though, was hard for me to watch. Especially because it’s so unexpected. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-harrowing-scene-in-a-movie/574803/85 "2011-03-19T18:13:01Z")
> [@Typo\_Knig](#): > > HAL sings “Daisy Bell” for the last time in 2001: A Space Odyssey. This gave me chills the first time I saw it. He’s dying, and he knows it, and is trying to hold on just … a… little… longer… ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-harrowing-scene-in-a-movie/574803/86 "2011-03-19T18:24:13Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > I think of “harrowing” scenes as drawn-out scenes of danger. I agree with this, partially. It doesn’t have to be danger exactly but a scene that makes you squirm, ties your stomach in knots and stretches your nerves until they snap. Feeling disgusted for a moment isn’t quite so harrowing, imo. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-harrowing-scene-in-a-movie/574803/87 "2011-03-19T20:33:18Z")
Gluttony, Sloth and Lust in **Se7en**. And Wrath, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-harrowing-scene-in-a-movie/574803/88 "2011-03-19T23:51:17Z")
The final scene in Audition and then the son comes in ---
**Author:** ![MsChilePepper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MsChilePepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsChilePepper)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-harrowing-scene-in-a-movie/574803/89 "2011-03-20T01:04:32Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > Gluttony, Sloth and Lust in **Se7en**. And Wrath, of course. After that movie, I can’t look at a Little Tree air freshener without cringing. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-harrowing-scene-in-a-movie/574803/90 "2011-03-20T01:49:53Z")
Don’t know if this has been mentioned yet, but the scene in _Hard Candy_ where Ellen Page’s character appears to castrate the pedophile while he is awake and watching it happen on the video monitor. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-harrowing-scene-in-a-movie/574803/91 "2011-03-20T01:59:14Z")
I just saw **The Killer Inside Me** today. And I really don’t know. Casey Affleck is an amazing actor, but fuck him for making that film. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-harrowing-scene-in-a-movie/574803/92 "2011-03-20T02:13:04Z")
This is a good listing of “movies for **Sunspace** to avoid”. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-harrowing-scene-in-a-movie/574803/93 "2011-03-20T17:23:13Z")
> [@Darth\_Nader](#): > > I just saw **The Killer Inside Me** today. And I really don’t know. Casey Affleck is an amazing actor, but fuck him for making that film. I had to fast forward the scenes that I know you’re thinking about. Had to do the same thing with _The Passion of the Christ_. ---
**Author:** ![Doody\_Pants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@Doody\_Pants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doody_Pants)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-harrowing-scene-in-a-movie/574803/94 "2011-03-20T17:47:50Z")
The plane crash scene in Alive made me vow to never fly in a small plane. EVER. ---
**Author:** ![Eugene\_of\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c37758/32.png) [@Eugene\_of\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eugene_of_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-harrowing-scene-in-a-movie/574803/95 "2011-03-20T23:54:39Z")
Speaking of rapes, I thought I’d mention the one in **DEATH WISH**. My Dad took me to the movie during it’s original release. I was a teen at the time and for back then it was a pretty harrowing. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-harrowing-scene-in-a-movie/574803/96 "2011-03-22T00:03:05Z")
I did a little more thinking about why I disliked **The Killer Inside Me** so much. I know what it is, but I’m going to have to spoiler the whole thing. [spoiler]We are only seeing him kill women in such graphic, loving detail. If we were shown what happened when Lou killed the young man in prison, maybe it would change things. How fucked up is that?[/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![Prelude\_to\_Fascination](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Prelude\_to\_Fascination](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prelude_to_Fascination)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-harrowing-scene-in-a-movie/574803/97 "2011-03-22T00:56:43Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > The teeth drilling without novocaine torture scene in _Marathon Man_ made me squirm.[snip] This is what I came in to post. Also, Regan’s head spin in _The Exorcist_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-harrowing-scene-in-a-movie/574803.md?page=4)