Here are five disturbing body horror movies genre fans can stream now on Prime Video. David Cronenberg efforts like The Fly or Videodrome are considered the earliest examples of the body horror subgenre, with these movies typically involving their main characters undergoing some disturbing mutations.
From John Carpenter’s The Thing right up to 2024’s acclaimed The Substance, body horror can veer from the darkly comic to the downright disturbing. While they can be intensely gory or uncomfortable to watch, body horrors often tackle some fascinating concepts and ask difficult questions about the human condition.
Each one of Cronenberg’s horror outings had something to say, from Videodrome’s exploration of the future of technology to Existenz’s prophetic look at video games and VR. The best examples use the genre as a metaphor for something, and luckily for fans, there are some real gems currently on Prime.
Rabid (1977)
It wouldn’t be a list of body horrors without at least one David Cronenberg movie on it. Rabid was only the second outing from the Canadian auteur, and follows Rose (Marilyn Chambers), a young woman who undergoes an experimental operation after being in a horrible accident.
Naturally, this leads to her growing a stinger underneath her armpit, as she needs fresh human blood to survive. Rabid is a little rogue around the edges due to its modest budget and Cronenberg still finding his feet as a director, but nearly 50 years on, it’s still a creepy gem.
It’s more assured than Cronenberg’s debut Shivers, and widens the scope to become a full-on zombie movie by the end. While the male lead is a dud, Chambers does a great job as the doomed Rose, and it’s hard not to feel sympathy for her even as she’s inadvertently causing an apocalypse.
Xtro (1983)
A wave of low-budget Alien rip-offs followed in the wake of Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic, but few are as unnerving as Xtro. Best described as a horror version of E.T., Xtro sees a man returning to his family years after being abducted by aliens. To say he’s undergone some extreme changes in that time would be a real understatement.
On a plot level, this 1983 chiller makes little sense. It’s just a collection of nightmarish setpieces loosely held together by a thin story, but that doesn’t take away any of the horror. There are some genuinely disturbing images in Xtro, from the creature’s eerie “crab walk” to a woman giving birth to a full-grown man.
It’s true that Xtro is lacking in great characters or subtle performances, but it’s a film that will stick in the mind. The super gross special effects also hold up surprisingly well, and the film was followed by two very skippable sequels.
From Beyond (1986)
One of the best H.P. Lovecraft adaptations going around, From Beyond is both an adaptation of and sequel to the author’s short story. The late, great Stuart Gordon directed several Lovecraft adaptations, with this 1986 outing reuniting him with Re-Animator stars Barbara Crampton and Jeffrey Combs.
The story involves scientists experimenting with a machine that opens up a whole other dimension; one filled with goopy creatures and other foul lifeforms. The main characters undergo extremem mental and physical changes the more they’re exposed to the other side.
From Beyond dials up the gore and spiciness when compared to Lovecraft’s story (or any of Lovecraft’s work, for that matter). While the film becomes a showcase for practical effects, it’s still held together by a great cast. The story is ultimately about addiction, with the protagonists becoming obsessed with the sensations the machine creates.
Even knowing the dangers it represents, they want to learn more and feel more, so they keep going back. Naturally (as is the way with nearly all of Lovecraft’s tales), this pursuit doesn’t end well.
Hellraiser (1987)
With Hellraiser, British author Clive Barker set out to make a horror movie after being let down by previous adaptations of his work, like Rawhead Rex. This 1987 outing adapts Barker’s own novella The Hellbound Heart, where a man escapes from Hell and pushes his former lover to bring him fresh bodies to feed on.
He doesn’t have much time either, as the demons who claimed him (known as the Cenobites) will eventually come looking. Like Rabid, Hellraiser is a little unpolished in certain elements, but boy, does it still have the power to shock and unsettle.
Barker’s uncompromising vision results in some astounding visuals, from the “rebirth” of Frank to the Cenobites themselves, led by Doug Bradley’s Pinhead. Hellraiser is also given a certain power by the unexpectedly lush score from composer Christopher Young.
The power of the film may have been diluted by countless sequels, but body horror devotees owe it to themselves to experience the film at least once. While Pinhead might be the one slapped all over the poster, he’s only in the movie for about 10 minutes.
Instead, Hellraiser is another tale of desire and obsession, and the lengths people will go to for both. It’s also to Barker’s credit that nearly 40 years on from its initial release, the horror still holds such visceral power.
Suspiria (2018)
Suspiria is a remake of the classic Dario Argento classic of the same name. While this 2018 version doesn’t beat the original, it wisely decides to do something very different with the premise. Yes, it still takes place in a dance academy, but the way everything plays out is totally different.
Tilda Swinton plays three characters in Suspiria 2018: Madame Blanc, Mother Markos, and Dr. Josef Klemperer.
Luca Guadagnino helmed this reimagined take, which adds a Cold War subtext by placing the dance academy right next to the Berlin Wall. While the film isn’t quite as graphic as Argento’s original, it still features some quite intense body horror scenes.
The most (in)famous involves a dancer named Olga (Elena Fokina) who, thanks to a witch’s spell, finds herself physically linked to another dancer’s movements. This violent dance then sees Olga’s bones and limbs snapping like twigs in a sequence that was one of the most disturbing of 2018.
Suspiria has other moments of body horror that are best left unspoiled – but the finale is a doozy. The remake itself had a mixed reception, but whether viewers end up loving or hating it, horror fans should give it a try to form their own opinions. If nothing else, it’s not a remake that plays things safe.
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