Watching Cleo Roccos wearing a red wig and attempting to be funny on Big Brother got me thinking about the most harrowing and gruelling things I've ever seen. Excluding factual news stories, I'd say Michael Haneke's film Funny Games has to be one of the toughest watches ever. And it also has some very serious things to say about violence in films. Wolf Creek is also pretty tough going at times, especially the bit in the parking garage.

First part of 'Private Ryan' which goes some way to bringing home what factual news stories leave out about war. Mel Gibson's 'Passion' film (which I personally don't think shouldv'e even been made), some of Saw I thought was particularly nasty. Set me thinking about what WOULD BE the most harrowing/gruelling scenario (for me) IF it was ever put on film. I'll come back to that maybe!

i don't like saving private ryan, there isn't on british soldier on it and if you think about it then they made a big mistake, the movie is based on a flashback from private ryan, his flashback starts on the d-day landings, but we later learn that private ryan is a para and he dropped in so he has a flashback to a place where he wasn't ever at, plus it just bores the poo out of me.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (the original version and not the flashy, pointless MTV style remake) - the dinner table scene at the end is tough going, very effective but gruelling, nasty stuff.

I recently saw a movie called Hard Candy, in which a teenage girl tortures a paedophile. That contains some truly unpleasant scenes, including a castration scene that brought tears to my eyes.

'Carry on Columbus'. Need I really say more.

Pahahha, well said.

I agree about the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, that was gruelling, and bleakly funny when they're trying to get the incredible old bloke to kill the girl with the hammer near the end.

Schindler's List was pretty hard going at times (although not nearly as hard going as 1941, Speilberg's epic war comedy).

Haha, yeah. I can't watch that film without shouting "RUUUUUUUUUUUN!"

I might have to say the Final Destination films. I've seen the first one hundreds of times and I still can't look at some bits. I've got Final Destination 3 on my floor still in the plastic because I'm too scared to watch it.
I agree that Passion... is tough going because the whipping for example goes on for AAAGES.

I prefer black and white horror films. They are funny. I love Night of the Living Dead

I used to go to horror film festivals where they would play 10 films per night. It would start around 11PM on a Saturday and finish about 8PM on the Sunday.

I once saw a film called Necromantic 2. Turned out it was a film about Necrophilia. Deeply disturbing, though the laed actress was stunning.

I've seen Hard Candy Wheeler, eye watering stuff indeed.

Struggling to think of harrowing films, yet I've seen plenty. The end of Requiem for a Dream springs to mind. And some scenes in Sleepers.

Resevoir Dogs torture scene.

Casino had some terrible moments, and although you hate the Nick (Pesci) character, his end is utterly pitiful.

Passion was hard but was a realistic attempt to avoid the Hollywood glossing over of the barbarity of Roman justice.

The opening to Private Ryan, especially as the landing craft ramps came down, the ferocity of the gunfire hitting the men down at that moment - I cried in the cinema. As an aside: No british troops were present in the film because they were landing 30-50 miles further down the coast. Each country had its own beaches.

Schindler is a cinema weeping moment. It was also the only time I can remember an intermission where no one in the audience spoke. I was treated to 5 minutes of total silence.

I admit I find it hard to watch (non-comedy) violence generated by the imagination of a writer purely for shock or entertainment (Saw, Elm Street, etc). I'd prefer to watch recreations of actual events. Violence and death should shock us. It should make us think, repel us, inspire us to prevent it happening again. But often it's used as a device to attract bums to seats.

Funny Games was amazing.

I was all excited to finally watch Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer, but it was a bit rubbish after all the hype. Probably the hype's fault rather than the film, though.

I think The War Zone pretty much epitomises the word harrowing, a child abuse film by Tim Roth - made worse by the fact that he said it's based on his own experiences.