Shocking scenes...

[Goldie Munro]

in literature or film. What scenes or extracts shocked you or just were so vivid they have left an indelible mark on your psyche?

I have so many but one is defininately the opening to Ian McKeown's novel 'Enduring Love' - I think that is one of the most amazing, terrifying and original openings to a novel ever - the rest of the book's not bad either!

In film the only time i have ever literally screamed and jumped out my seat at the cinema was at the false ending of Ridley Scott's 'Alien' - that shocked the bejeezus out of me!

The helicopters of the Thought Police in '1984' and the wooop wooop wooop sound of the helicopters from 'Apocalypse Now' are interconnected for me - both give me the creeps and my skin crawls every time I hear a helicopter!

 

[MagicaPractica]

I imagine this didn't bother most people but, for me, the scene in I, Robot (the movie) when the robots were jumping on Will Smith's car as he drove down the tunnel was horrifying. I didn't have to hide my eyes but it really scared me quite a bit on some level.

 

[txnrude]

theres a whole slew of scenes that left a mark on my psyche from Boys Dont Cry.

 

[Goldie Munro]

I imagine this didn't bother most people but, for me, the scene in I, Robot (the movie) when the robots were jumping on Will Smith's car as he drove down the tunnel was horrifying. I didn't have to hide my eyes but it really scared me quite a bit on some level.

I haven't seen the whole film - just extracts - but from the bits I have seen I can understand your consternation - those robots were evil!

 

[Goldie Munro]

theres a whole slew of scenes that left a mark on my psyche from Boys Dont Cry.

Excellent film - and yes very disturbing.

 

[cloudy]

The helicopters of the Thought Police in '1984' and the wooop wooop wooop sound of the helicopters from 'Apocalypse Now' are interconnected for me - both give me the creeps and my skin crawls every time I hear a helicopter!

You just brought to mind that scene from Apocalypse Now where that weird sergeant (?) says, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning."

Great movie - disturbing as hell, but a great movie.

For me, that scene in The Godfather where he has a heart attack and dies while playing in the garden with his grandson breaks my heart every time, reducing me to sobs. I suppose because he and my father shared a resemblence (older Brando), and my father also suffered a bad heart attack, although he survived for quite some time afterward.

 

[Goldie Munro]

You just brought to mind that scene from Apocalypse Now where that weird sergeant (?) says, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning."

Great movie - disturbing as hell, but a great movie.

For me, that scene in The Godfather where he has a heart attack and dies while playing in the garden with his grandson breaks my heart every time, reducing me to sobs. I suppose because he and my father shared a resemblence (older Brando), and my father also suffered a bad heart attack, although he survived for quite some time afterward.

That is a very heart breaking scene and extremey ironic given the violent and cruel nature the character had!

 

[rgraham666]

The scene that stick with me the most is from Kubrik's Paths of Glory.

A scene right near the end. A bunch of French soldiers have this young German girl for 'entertainment'. They make her sing. She starts to sing in German, you can't understand the words. But you know what she's singing about.

Damn, I'm getting teary even now.

 

[Grushenka]

As a child I was traumatized by the scene in Disney's "Snow White" when the woodsman, on orders from the Evil Queen, goes after the girl to kill her and bring her heart back as proof. The scene in the woods, as Snow ran away, was pretty terrifying too.

As a teenager I was very disturbed by the rape scene in De Sica's "Two Women". I knew nothing about sex so it was terrifying. Also in my teens I was scared witless by the shower scene in "Psycho".

I can't say there have been any scenes in literature that have been anywhere near as disturbing to me.

 

[Goldie Munro]

I was looking at Hitchcock's 'Psycho' today for a course i have to teach soon and i was shocked on a couple of levels. I havent seen the film for years and the opening sequence of the Janet Leigh character and her lover in the hotel room is wonderful - for 1960 this must have been outrageous!

Also the shower scene is really amazing - it still turns my stomach even though it's in black and white and you don't actually see the knife cut - the images and the sounds are enough to make me ill!

 

[Trombonus]

Any scenes that involves injections and needles, especially large needles like in Hollow Man. The worst was the movie Requiem for a Dream

 

[Goldie Munro]

Any scenes that involves injections and needles, especially large needles like in Hollow Man. The worst was the movie Requiem for a Dream

I have never see 'Hollow Man' but I so remember the dentist scene from 'Marathon Man'!

 

[Grushenka]

I havent seen the film for years and the opening sequence of the Janet Leigh character and her lover in the hotel room is wonderful - for 1960 this must have been outrageous!

Yes, it was very shocking. Janet Leigh in a bra and half-slip was as scandalous as full frontal would be later on, also the fact that she was so scantily dressed in the same room with her lover. Note the use made of her two bras, one white, one black.

 

[TE999]

The dental torture scene in 'The Marathon Man'...ugh!

I hate dentist's anyway, and that didn't help.

The shower stabbing in 'Psycho', of course.

And Jack Nicholson's "heere's Johnny" line in 'The Shining'.

The book had some creepy scenes in it too.

 

[Goldie Munro]

As a child I was traumatized by the scene in Disney's "Snow White" when the woodsman, on orders from the Evil Queen, goes after the girl to kill her and bring her heart back as proof. The scene in the woods, as Snow ran away, was pretty terrifying too.

As a teenager I was very disturbed by the rape scene in De Sica's "Two Women". I knew nothing about sex so it was terrifying. Also in my teens I was scared witless by the shower scene in "Psycho".

I can't say there have been any scenes in literature that have been anywhere near as disturbing to me.

It was the deception of the Queen with the apple that got me in 'Snow White'!

Oh there are so many scenes from books that have given me the heebie jeebies - almost all of 'Perfume' and as I said before the opening to 'Enduring Love' is possible the only jaw dropping piece of prose I have ever read!

 

[maggot420]

Trainspotting had a couple disturbing scenes. The one with the baby especially.
There is a scene from a movie called Brassed Off that always gets me for some reason.
A little boy about 8 or so is talking to his mother in the park and he says "Dad bought it so that grandpa could die happy. How the hell do you die happy?"
And the mother says "We'll find a way."

 

[buxxxom]

Most of 'Saving Private Ryan.' The fact that it is based on things that probably did happen in real life makes it all the more disturbing, especially the scene in the building where one kid begs for his life as another one slides a knife into his heart. And the scene where the boats land on the beach and one soldier gets stuck underwater and we see him drowning in slow motion.

I'll never, never watch that movie again. I may have nightmares now from remembering it.

Not that 'Amityville Horror' could be considered literature, but that book scared the daylights out of me. The movie was second rate, but the book, well, that's another story.

 

[fieryjen]

I forgot what the movie was, but one scene in it that made me feel physically ill was a girl waking up at a party to someone very drunk fucking her. It was just so horribly disturbing to me.

I'll try to think of what movie this was.

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

The last scene in the orignal verson of The Wicker Man

The scene of the soldiers landing in Stalingrad in Enemy at the Gates. Actually most of that movie.

 

[Goldie Munro]

Trainspotting had a couple disturbing scenes. The one with the baby especially.
There is a scene from a movie called Brassed Off that always gets me for some reason.
A little boy about 8 or so is talking to his mother in the park and he says "Dad bought it so that grandpa could die happy. How the hell do you die happy?"
And the mother says "We'll find a way."

I love both those films! I know the scene from 'Brassed Off' you mean. The scenes from 'Trainspotting' in the film and the book which has always stayed with me are the toilet scene and Spud's interview.

 

[maggot420]

I love both those films! I know the scene from 'Brassed Off' you mean. The scenes from 'Trainspotting' in the film and the book which has always stayed with me are the toilet scene and Spud's interview.

Spuds interview was great.
I think I found that very same toilet last time i was in Glasgow.

 

[Goldie Munro]

Most of 'Saving Private Ryan.' The fact that it is based on things that probably did happen in real life makes it all the more disturbing, especially the scene in the building where one kid begs for his life as another one slides a knife into his heart. And the scene where the boats land on the beach and one soldier gets stuck underwater and we see him drowning in slow motion.

I'll never, never watch that movie again. I may have nightmares now from remembering it.

Not that 'Amityville Horror' could be considered literature, but that book scared the daylights out of me. The movie was second rate, but the book, well, that's another story.

I have never watched Saving Private Ryan - I think for the very reasons you give here!

 

[Goldie Munro]

Spuds interview was great.
I think I found that very same toilet last time i was in Glasgow.

LOL be there!

 

[Goldie Munro]

The last scene in the orignal verson of The Wicker Man

The scene of the soldiers landing in Stalingrad in Enemy at the Gates. Actually most of that movie.

The Wicker Man is one of those films that if you see it at a young age scares the crap out of you! It did me!

 

[slyc_willie]

For pure 'cringe' effect, the scene in Robocop (the original) in which Peter Wheller is killed (well, almost). The sight of his exploding hand, then the way he staggers before being gunned down by the other three or four men . . . and the final shot to the head. Graphic, brutal . . . I still shudder a little when I think of it.

As for more abstract scenes, There's a scene in Plunkett & MacLeane (excellent movie, BTW), after the two main characters speak with a man on his way to the gallows, in which they see him swaying above the prison grounds. Talk about the ultimate expression of the mortality and cruelty of human existence . . . .