In this new series, I will take you through some of the controversial & disturbing films that you can find on the free streaming service, Tubi TV.
In A Glass Cage (1986)
In A Glass Cage is as disturbing as it is beautiful. Klaus is a retired, pedophilic Nazi war criminal hiding with his wife in Spain. In his past, he enjoyed sadistically abusing young boys but now lives in an Iron Lung due to a failed suicide attempt. His wife employs a young man to act as a Nurse and look after Klaus, but the man turns out to be just as depraved as Klaus is, for reasons that are revealed at the end of the movie. With a stunning usage of color, cinematography and poetic narrative style, In A Glass Cage is hard to ignore. Thankfully most of the unsettling aspects aren’t shown explicitly on screen, but it’s still a memorable viewing experience.
2. Gozu (2003)
TAKASHI MIIKE. This is a name that will come up regularly in this series for his outrageous plots, lengthy stories, wacky imagery, and imaginative films. Gozu is no exception! While I thought the movie was too long, like a lot of Miike's work, it’s wonderfully bizarre and disturbing. A woman breast feeds adult men and also bottles her breast milk to sell! It combines yakuza, urban legends, and intense violence. Gozu is absolutely a Miike film that you need to experience first hand (like Yakuza Apocalypse) so you can shout “WTF” at the TV.
3. Last House on Dead End Street (1973)
I enjoyed this one a hell of a lot! I went into it thinking Last House on Dead End Street was going to be a slasher movie based on the description, movie poster, and the fact that it is a riff on Wes Craven’s exploitation revenge flick, The Last House on the Left (1972). But it is most definitely not that simplistic. It’s a nasty, compelling, exploitation horror that includes depictions of violence, sex, torture, and snuff. Like all of the movies discussed in Taboo Terrors, this isn’t for the sensitive viewer.
4. Revenge is her Middle Name (2011)
Released by Unearthed Films, this rape-revenge tale features the abuse/torture/assault of a former sex worker by her “pimp”. As she attempts to get her life back, she is abused once more. Although it takes some time to get where it needs to be, Revenge is her Middle Name is well worth your time. It’s a very low budget film, which at times can take you out of the experience, but the intensity of some of it’s scenes is so compelling that it makes for a fulfilling watch.
5. Threads (1984)
For a BBC TV movie, Threads is absolutely horrifying. But not in a horror movie way but in a hyper realistic, mockumentary, fear for your life sort of way. The story centers on a handful of different people -- family, couples, friends -- as they navigate through the process of nuclear war. It shows the dread as the suspense builds, the bombs drop, and then the resulting aftermath. Threads describes (and portrays) in graphic detail exactly what would happen if this were to occur. There are many dead bodies, humans and animals, radiation sickness, and more. The two hour run time might seem daunting, but it’s incredibly gripping, accurate and terrifying.