Hellraiser
When you think of British cinema, your mind usually gets flooded with images of Keira Knightley using the word ‘frightfully’ while dressed in a bonnet or flashbacks of Hugh Grant stuttering over his sentences while trying to impress a vivacious Yank.
But keep thinking and soon you’ll recall the many bone-crunching, hand-snapping, head-crushing moments of wince-inducing violence that have pervaded throughout the years.
To celebrate the release of the new special editions of Shallow Grave and Trainspotting on DVD and Blu-ray, we’re taking a look at the five most painful scenes ever to have offended UK audiences.
Eden Lake
Last year’s scarily topical ‘hoodie horror’ took the terror away from the skies and the afterlife and positioned it right into our backyard. The gang of youths who terrorised a young couple on holiday proved to be the most fearsome villains of any British film in recent memory.
A series of escalating sequences resulted in the film’s most shocking act of violence. After our hero gets kidnapped and tied up, with some rather grim barbed wire, the kids take it in turn to stab him. What makes it even harder to watch is that it’s all being filmed on a mobile phone. Brutal viewing.
Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Back in 1998, before he married Madonna and generally outstayed his welcome, Guy Ritchie burst onto the scene with one of the freshest and most important British films of the decade. The gangster movie was well and truly re-energised with Ritchie’s funny and thrilling take on East End crime.
In-between the laughter, there were numerous moments of wince-inducing violence. The most memorable of which involved Vinnie Jones, someone else’s head and a car door. Oh and plenty of slamming. Not nice.
Scum
Not only one of the most violent films ever to have hit the UK, but also one of the most controversial, Scum infuriated many when initially shown back in the 70s. It was a gritty look at a British borstal and the lack of rehabilitation for the many violent offenders within it.
The scene which shocked most was a brutal rape scene carried out on a minor which eventually leads to his suicide. The harsh reality of it all was what chilled many and to this day, it still stands up as one of the most violent British films ever made.
28 Days Later
Danny Boyle’s heart-racing re-invigoration of the zombie movie proved to be one of the most impressive and successful British films of the 21st century. The breakneck pace and chilling realism made every single punch, stab and wound feel scarily close.
From the beginning, blood flowed freely but it wasn’t until the finale when Cillian Murphy, filled with a different kind of rage, gouges out the eyes of a soldier with his thumbs. Most disturbingly, Naomie Harris runs in for a kiss straight after. Before he even gets to wash his hands...
Hellraiser
One of the most disturbing UK movies ever made, Hellraiser has ensured that many, many kids have lost a worrying amount of sleep since the late 80s/early 90s. It was a rare film that competed with the big boys and placed Pinhead in the horror movie hall of fame, battling for space between Leatherface and Michael Myers.
The scene which probably caused the most nightmares involved a man being pierced by numerous chains and then being slowly ripped apart. Take that Saw.
Trainspotting and Shallow Grave are out now.
Tagged in Trainspotting