The Big Picture

• Splatter horror is a controversial subgenre that showcases extreme violence, gore, and dismemberment. It doesn't shy away from showing every gruesome detail, often pushing the boundaries of how much blood and guts can be displayed on-screen.
• Beginner-friendly splatter horror movies include Final Destination, Cabin Fever, and Blood Feast. These films offer a taste of the genre with their unique premises and creative kill scenes. They may be gross and unbelievable at times, but they leave a lasting impression.
• Intermediate-level splatter movies like The Thing, Hostel, and Saw turn up the intensity with more graphic and stomach-churning gore. These films blend elements of survival, torture, and psychological horror, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats with their imaginative and brutal killings.
• Expert-level splatter films are only for the most hardcore fans, and they include Martyrs, Ichi the Killer, and Salò, or 120 Days of Sodom.

Well, well, well, you've started your journey on the horror subgenre trail and found your path to the dark side. Here you are, nestled in a dingy, sinister-looking corner of the horror universe, and you have found the splatter subgenre. Splatter, also known as gore, is one of the more controversial subgenres of horror. These movies aren't for the faint of heart and going further down the rabbit hole, some are even a little too much for the most hardcore horror fans. And if your interest goes beyond splatter because you feel this subgenre isn't one you want to visit, check out our guides on found footage horror and Lovecraftian horror!

What Is Splatter Horror?

Splatter horror is entirely built around the most vile and grotesque aspects of horror. Many horror films rely on our imagination to create the kill scenes by not showing much and just giving us the sound of a kill, but splatter films don't turn the camera away from any dismemberment, blood, or guts. Not only do they showcase the kills and blood, they turn it up a notch. Half the time you're watching, you'll be asking yourself how one person can have that much blood in their body spilling out everywhere. It's not uncommon for you to watch minute-long torture scenes or see a limb be entirely chopped off when you're dabbling in a splatter film. Herschell Gordon Lewis is credited with being the Godfather of Gore with his films. Lewis is known for films like Blood Feast and Two Thousand Maniacs!, and those helped pave the way for video nasties, Troma Entertainment, Sam Raimi, and Clive Barker.

Since splatter horror isn't for the faint of heart, it can be challenging to know where to start or even just what titles are worth your time. Have no fear, I have a guide for you! Starting at beginner levels of blood and guts, we will traverse from there to intermediate-level dismemberment, and end up at the final boss of expert-level splatter. You may want to skip grabbing a snack if you are nervous your stomach can't handle it, so dim the lights, grab your emotional support blanket, and press play.

Beginner-Friendly Splatter Horror Movies

Starting off a little on the lighter end, Final Destination is a popular splatter choice directed by James Wong. Final Destination is a horror franchise that currently has five installments with a sixth on the way. The premise of the franchise is that death itself is stalking groups of teenagers or 20-something-year-olds who have in some way cheated death, picking them off one by one. The first Final Destination film follows a group of high school students after they survive a plane crash, but survival is even more important after the crash. Students are killed in the order they should've died on the plane, and they are killed in some gnarly ways. Some of those include being strangled with a clothesline, hit by a bus, and decapitated by metal shrapnel. Final Destination is fun to watch because it can be truly unbelievable at times, but it packs a punch and leaves a lasting impression. Those who have seen Final Destination 2 never want to drive behind a truck hauling large logs anymore, and for good reason.

Another beginner pick is Eli Roth's Cabin Fever (2002). Here we have a group of five college friends (basically, I'm learning to stop going on trips with groups of friends) who want to go on a getaway into a cabin in the woods. Seriously, after watching so many horror films, you would think everyone would realize a group of friends going to a cabin in the woods is a terrible idea, but I digress. What they don't know is that the water is contaminated with a flesh-eating virus. Starting off with a skin rash and progressing toward oozing open wounds and necrosis, the virus is also highly contagious. Cabin Fever doesn't let up on the gas and shows the rotting flesh and bloody skin in all its glory any chance it can. This is one of those films that is just downright gross.

As mentioned previously, 1963's Blood Feast is considered the first splatter horror movie to be released. The movie centers around a man who is a food caterer by day and a serial killer also by day as he murders women and amputates their limbs to offer a blood sacrifice to an Egyptian goddess. In addition to this, the madman also feeds human meat and blood to some of his clients. Since the film is older, the kills are a little more campy and less realistic but feature gallons and gallons of fake blood. The marketing for the movie told moviegoers that if they had a heart condition, they shouldn't see this film. Since it marks the beginning of the splatter genre, I'd definitely recommend at least considering watching this film. Humble roots propelled the subgenre to what it is today, and this film deserves respect.

Movies Like 'Hostel' and 'Saw' Are Bloody But Not Too Disturbing

Now that you've gotten through the beginner level, you can turn it up just a notch, if you're ready. Surprisingly, the intermediate level contains some more popular films in the splatter community. The Thing, a classic by John Carpenter, would be a good place to start for intermediacy. The Thing is about a group of American scientists on the remote continent of Antarctica who take in a stray dog that was being shot at by a helicopter. Seems odd, but it's a horror movie, so we don't ask questions! After taking in the dog, they realize it is actually a shape-shifter that assumes the shape of the victims it claims. There's never any way to know who it is at any given time. In addition to the film serving up heavy doses of paranoia and nihilism, the kill scenes are gruesome and bloody and just downright gross. Another older film on the list, this classic is a necessity to watch for any horror fan.

Hostel is probably one of the more well-known splatter films and for good reason. Hostel is about three backpackers who arrive in Slovakia in order to stay at a hostel that is known for having hot ladies stay there. Score! Instead of being able to live out their wildest fantasies, they are thrust into a disgusting underground game full of torture. Hostel is where we start to get a little more into the stomach-churning gore, getting glimpses of sliced Achilles tendons, facial disfiguration by blow torch, and using a chainsaw to remove fingers. While this film isn't everyone's cup of tea, it blends gore and survival niches together so well it will have you on the edge of your seat with your eyes almost fully covered. This is the second Eli Roth installment on this list, so it's safe to assume that he is a good resource for exploring splatter horror.

Another one that, even if you haven't seen it, I'm sure you've heard of is Saw, directed by modern-day horror legend James Wan. The first Saw film follows two men trapped in a grimy bathroom, chained to pipes, and unaware of how they got there. Soon, they learn that they are being held hostage by Jigsaw and his perverse games. Many of these games are traps that are meant to kill them and if they can't figure out how to get free in time, it's game over. There are currently ten Saw films, with Saw XI set for a September 2024 release date. The most interesting thing about Saw is all the contraptions being used to torture the victims. One victim is thrust into a pit of dirty and used syringes, another is a reverse bear trap around the head of the victim that will split her head into two at the jaw, and another victim is forced to saw their foot off at the ankle to escape. With no shortage of imagination for the kills, Saw certainly delivers on the gore.

Splatter Movies Like 'Martyrs' and 'Ichi the Killer' Are More Hardcore

At last, you have reached the final level, but at what cost? There is no reward for making it here and you must proceed at your own risk! These last three are some of the most gruesome splatter and gore films, and they have been banned in some countries because of their graphic nature. One of the first films on this list is Salò, or 120 Days Of Sodom, directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini. Inspired by the book The 120 Of Sodom by Marquis de Sade, Salò is about the real-life horrors in fascist Italy during World War II. de Sade's work is where the word "sadism" comes from. This film explores the ends of human degradation and showcases extreme scenes of mutilation, torture, unspeakable acts, and kills that seem entirely unthinkable. There is very little humanity in this film, and you will be appalled at what you see.

The 2008 French horror movie, Martyrs, directed by Pascal Laugier, combines splatter and gore with revenge. It's about two young women who both survived childhood abuse and are hellbent on exacting their revenge on their oppressors. However, one of the girls slips into madness and delusion, and their killing spree becomes incredibly unhinged. Martyrs is highly rated among fans and critics and even though there is so much intense violence, the movie is also transcendent and bobs and weaves through feelings of catharsis and hopelessness. Martyrs doesn't shy away from the blood and gore, featuring scenes of being skinned alive, throat slashing, and pushing the boundaries of how much pain the human body can go through before giving up altogether.

Lastly, let's talk about Ichi The Killer, directed by Takashi Miike. This film is about a sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer who is searching high and low for his missing boss. In his pursuit, he comes across Ichi, a psychotic killer who has capabilities that seem endless to the yakuza. There is so much blood and pain in this movie, and it is incredibly messy. The extreme violence in this film is shown through intricate torture scenes like a body being suspended by hooks and skewered through the mouth. When Ichi premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2001, viewers were given barf bags before entering to watch this film. If you didn't think about using one at any point during this movie, I'd be shocked.

Now that you have been given the blueprint to splatter horror, proceed with extreme caution and possibly on an empty stomach. All jokes aside, while splatter and gore horror films have a bad reputation, there are some deeper thematic undertones to a lot of these films if you dig below the scarred-flesh surface. Showcasing so much human depravity on screen somehow reminds us of all the humanity that we possess, which can feel oddly cleansing. If you're a horror fan new to the genre, looking for something stomach-churning, and you haven't just eaten a big lunch, now is the time to explore some of the splatter films from this guide.

Blood Feast is available to stream on Tubi in the U.S.

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