Plot: Beauty Water looks like a common skin cosmetic. But unlike other cosmetics, people can sculpt their skin with it like molding clay and change their appearance. An ordinary girl, Yaeji, comes across the Beauty Water by chance, and her endless desire to be the most beautiful woman brings her unimaginable disaster.

KBZ’s Take: The desire for physical beauty is a theme of Body Horror that isn’t explored enough in the subgenre. While this Korean anime film at first seems like it would be better served as a Twilight Zone episode, as the film progresses so too does the Body Horror. The film also plays with some Psychological Body Horror themes that come together in a rather disturbing finale.

The film isn’t yet available on streaming services, and we’ll update this article once it’s available.

Where to Stream / Buy: N/A

Plot: A woman with a metal plate in her head from a childhood car accident embarks on a bizarre journey, bringing her into contact with a firefighter who’s reunited with his missing son after 10 years.

KBZ’s Take: The French have given the Japanese a run for their money when it comes to extreme and WTF type Body Horror films. Titane is the latest example of this. Words can’t describe this film but it’s best known as the ‘film where a woman has sex with a car’ that won the Palme d’Or at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.

The film is one of the weirdest we have ever seen and has very unique sequences of Body Horror. However, nothing will prepare you for the Body Horror at the end of the film that has to be seen to be believed.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3GdjQCL

Plot: A park ranger takes shelter with two survivalists after an attack by mysterious creatures in a primordial forest.

KBZ’s Take: This South African film is a mashup of different horror subgenres – Folk Horror, Survival Horror, Body Horror and Eco-Horror*. Though the film has a suspenseful buildup based on the mythology of the forest (and its creatures), the film’s explanation of this mythology gets a bit muddled as the film progresses.

With that said, the film does have some amazing visuals, great creature designs and a unique and dark atmostphere that makes the film worth watching. The Body Horror elements are tied to the Folk Horror elements so fans of both subgenres should enjoy this film.

*Note: Eco-Horror is a Horror subgenre that deals with horror-based ecological or environmental issues. The Stuff (1985) and The Bay (2012) are examples of Eco-Horror films and we’ll have an entire collection of Eco-Horror films on KBZ soon.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3K4vh0H

Plot: As the world faces a deadly plague, humanity’s hope for a cure lies with a scientist who awakens imprisoned in a metal chamber. She desperately works to escape her confined cell to save the last of humanity.

KBZ’s Take: This is one of those films that when it ends, you’ll ask yourself “What did I just watch?”. Though the film is low budget, it makes great use of this budget through a unique story, acting and practical effects.

The story is basically in two parts. The first part of the film follows Fret trapped in a container after a world-ending pandemic and trying to figure out how she got there and what’s outside her capsule. This is where Anna Hopkins (Fret) shines by giving a compelling performance that draws you in to her evolving mystery and desperation.

The second part of the film offers some answers to the first part of the film but opens up quite a few new questions that unfortunately go unanswered. However, the second part of the film is visually amazing with some great practical effects. The use of practical effects and atmosphere in the second half of the film reminded us of John Carpenter’s films and how they also used limited budgets for maximum effect.

While this film isn’t on the level of some of Carpenter’s classic Horror films, it’s still a great subgenre film that all fans should check out.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3m0BLFV

Plot: What starts out as girls weekend away in the Mojave desert becomes a tale of horror, death and alien invasion.

KBZ’s Take: We had put off watching this film for a while due to somewhat negative reviews and that it seemed to be more comedy than horror. Wow were we wrong not only about putting the film off but also for listening to some of the negative reviews of the film. This film is definitely one of the better Body Horror and Alien Invasion films that has come out from the last few years.

The film takes awhile to get to the Body Horror and you might be tempted to turn it off after the first 20 minutes. Definitely do not. Once the alien ‘invasion’ begins, the film goes into full on Horror mode. Some of the Body Horror sequences are reminiscent of Brandon Cronenberg’s Possessor (2020) and Panos Cosmatos’ Mandy (2018).

The Seed was director Sam Walker’s first film and if his debut is any indication, he’ll be one of the premiere Body Horror directors for decades to come. Highly recommended film of the subgenre.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3Mc1q9i

Plot: A 12-year-old Tinja desperate to please her obsessive mother, finds a strange egg.

KBZ’s Take: We’re recommending this Finnish film with a few caveats. First, this film falls on the very dark spectrum of Dark Fantasy films. Though it starts off lighthearted and feels like a satire of suburban perfection and obsession, it gets very, very dark.

Second, this film would also fall into the Body Horror subgenre and features some very disturbing horror sequences. With all of that said, it’s a great subgenre film that explores the excessive expectations put upon a 12-year-old girl by her demanding mother.

Additional Lists: Top Dark Fantasy Films You Haven’t Seen 2010 – 2022 #5

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3wDsXHH

Plot: As the human species adapts to a synthetic environment, the body undergoes new transformations and mutations. Accompanied by his partner Caprice, celebrity performance artist Saul Tenser showcases the metamorphosis of his organs. Meanwhile, a mysterious group tries to use Saul’s notoriety to shed light on the next phase of human evolution.

KBZ’s Take: We had mixed feelings on this film. While it was great to see David Cronenberg return to Body Horror, we had hopes from the trailers that Crimes of the Future would be one of his best films.

While the film is still good and worth a watch, the plot gets a bit confusing in parts (especially for a Cronenberg film). With that said, once you know how the film ends and the threads tie together, it’s worth watching a second time to see how everything that culminates at the end has been setup.

Additional Lists: Best Cronenberg Body Horror Films #8

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3m9hxJW

Plot: Woman is terrorized by shocking visions of murders and begins to realize she might be the murderer.

KBZ’s Take: This one of the best and most bonkers Slasher Films you will ever see. We put this as #1 on our Top Slasher Films You Haven’t Seen list as it’s a film that we were blown away by. Most of the first two acts follow typical Slasher film and Giallo film tropes as the mystery of who is killing people is slowly revealed. By the time you get to the third act and the big reveal, we guarantee you will be like “WTF!”. This film has one of the biggest WTF Body Horror moments we have ever seen…in any film.

If you enjoyed James Wan’s previous efforts (that also had surprising reveals and shock scares) like Saw (2004) and Insidious (2010), then you will definitely enjoy this film. It’s a testament to Wan’s ability as a director to keep evolving and reinventing Horror tropes that he does with this film in spades.

Additional Lists: Top Slasher Films You Haven’t Seen #1, Top Scariest Halloween Films for Adults You Haven’t Seen #2

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3Vrdw03

Plot: A young woman struggling with addiction comes into possession of an ancient puzzle box, unaware that its purpose is to summon the Cenobites, a group of sadistic supernatural beings from another dimension.

KBZ’s Take: The Hellraiser franchise has been a Body Horror constant for over three decades. While the original Hellraiser (1987) is a classic film of the subgenre, this latest reboot has brought the Cenobite mojo back.

Following the debut of the first Hellraiser film, Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) and Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992) were released and considered above average sequels that helped continue the Hellraiser bloodline. But after the subpar Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996), the franchise suffered from six increasingly bad direct-to-video sequels which seemed to finally kill off the franchise.

The latest Hellraiser reboot took quite a few risks to re-establish the franchise. And we can definitively say it has helped bring Hellraiser and the Cenobites back to the forefront of the subgenre. From the new female ‘Pinhead’ Cenobite to new (and refreshingly bizarre) Cenobite creature designs to even more demented Cenobite ‘kills’, everything that made the original Hellraiser great can be found in the reboot. And unlike other Horror reboots such as Friday the 13^th (2009), this film feels like it has re-established the franchise for some even better Cenobite pleasure ahead.

Additional Lists: Top Films About The Devil, Demons & Hell You Haven’t Seen 2010 – 2022 #1

Where to Stream / Buy: https://www.hulu.com/movie/hellraiser

Plot: A corporate assassin uses brain implant technology to take control of other people’s bodies to kill other targets.

KBZ’s Take: The definition of a powerful film is one that stays with you months or even years after you’ve seen it. Possessor is one of those films we still can’t get out of our head three years later. This film is not for the faint of heart as it’s brutal, gory and will have you questioning the ethics and morals of the lead character (played by the great Andrea Riseborough).

Directed by Brandon Cronenberg, Possessor is his signature film where the Cronenberg style of Body Horror is on full display. A disturbing yet powerful film and highly recommended.

Additional Lists: Top Assassins & Hitmen Films You Haven’t Seen #2, Best Cronenberg Body Horror Films #4

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3B2BIh6