21. Imprint (Takashi Miike, 2006, Japan)
Miike presents a grotesque edition of Japanese folklore and a love story that transforms into something irrational and evil. From the beginning, with the pregnant corpse hanging above a river, to the whore house with the many deformed prostitutes (particularly the narrator), the exceedingly graphic torture scenes that leave nothing to the imagination, and, finally, the elements of incest or pedophilia, this is obviously an extreme movie addressed solely to the most hard-core fans of exploitation and splatter. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
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22. Breathless (Yang Ik-june, 2008, S. Korea)
The circle of violence started by domestic violence is the prominent focus of the film with nearly all of the characters going through such experiences. Sang-hoon's abuse during his childhood leads him to be abusive to anyone and everyone, including towards his father at the end. Han Yeon-hee's abusive household, which makes herself abusive and her brother seeking more violent measures. The domestic abuse Sang-hoon's sister has gone through in her marriage, etc, points to the evil that can be brought out from such acts. (Jithin Mohan)
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23. Tokyo Gore Police (Yoshihiro Nishimura, 2008, Japan)
The script's unquestionably simplistic; however, it could not be additionally complex, since Nishimura's obvious purpose is to depict raw violence in all its forms. Accordingly, “Tokyo Gore Police” includes sadism, truncation, deformations, sick sex scenes and impressive battle scenes at the same time. Additionally, all the above are bathed in blood, as it is supposed to be with every splatter-exploitation movie. Still, what sets this particular movie apart is its technical soundness. The character design is inspired, the set design is meticulous, and the special effects are impressive in one of the finest depictions of a sick imagination.
24. The Chaser (Na Hong-jin, 2008, S. Korea)
Na Hong-jin gave a clear sample of his quality as a filmmaker with his debut film, artfully directing and writing this utterly agonizing thriller, which is based on an actual case of a serial killer. He directs in a way, presenting just as many indications of what is about to come as is needed to keep the spectator tense in all of the title's duration. He accomplishes that by making clear from the beginning what the protagonists should do in order to solve the case, though presenting very convincing reasons why they do not.He has also done a wonderful job in the character's outline, whose antithesis is depicted on the axis of conscience. There is a total lack of it from the murderer's part and a gradual disclosure of it on the hunter's side. As usually in similar Korean productions, the film entails many violent episodes, that, at times, may even be shocking to mainstream audience, despite the elaborateness of their depiction. Lastly, the finale is probably the film's best scene and one of the most shattering ever to appear in the genre. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
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25. Grotesque (Koji Shiraishi, 2009, Japan)
A paranoid sadistic doctor drugs and kidnaps a couple during their first date. When they wake up, he begins torturing them for several days and that is actually the gist of the script of “Grotesque”, which Koji Shiraishi also pens. His sole and obvious purpose here is to depict violence through torture as graphically as possible, thus creating a movie extremely onerous to watch, even by hardcore fans of the splatter genre. Evidently, he succeeded. The British Board of Film Classification refused to release it in the UK, a decision that subsequently drove Amazon to remove the DVD from its website. Shiraishi responded that he was delighted, since his purpose was to upset the so-called moralists. “Grotesque” is the utmost torture movie and a true ode to violence. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
26. Bedevilled (Jang Cheol-soo, 2010, S. Korea)
South Korean cinema may be most known for its revenge thrillers and of that, one of the most violent and brutal undoubtedly is Jang Cheol-soo's “Bedevilled”, a story about a who woman goes to visit her friend on a remote island, only to find her being ridiculously mistreated at the hands of the other inhabitants of the island, including but not limited to her husband and mother-in-law. The feature is pretty hard to watch in th beginning thanks to the this treatment of the woman, but once the revenge tale starts, it is as gory, as brutal and as brilliant as you've come to expect from a South Korean revenge saga. (Rhythm Zaveri)
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27. Cold Fish (Sion Sono, 2010, Japan)
Sion Sono's style (at least the one that made him an international cult sensation, before he started dealing with Fukushima) finds its apogee in this film. Borderline violence, extreme gore and sick sex make “Cold Fish” one of the darkest studies on the human psyche, while elements of black comedy and the ironic, social commentary about consumerism are equally visible throughout the film's 146 minutes. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
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28. I Saw the Devil (Kim Jee-woon, 2010, S. Korea)
Kim Jee-woon presents another grotesque masterpiece, where revenge is the driving force for almost everything occurring on screen. Initially, the film looks like a battle between good and evil, but as the revenge procedure extends, the borders between the two stop being visible, thus resulting in the spectator doubting who the evil one actually is. Furthermore, as Soo-hyun initially seems justified in his actions, he manages to make acceptable a number of actions that would regularly be considered as utterly appalling. Just in the beginning, though.
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29. The Raid: Redemption (Gareth Evans, 2011, Indonesia)
Martial art films are an entertaining genre. Usually, they are simple plot wise, but pulling off a good martial art film is a big challenge; pulling off a great one, a monumental task. “The Raid” is one such great movie. Released on 23rd March 2012, and directed by Gareth Evans, this is an action packed movie, which leaves you at the edge of your seat all along the way. (Anand Singh)
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30. Pieta (Kim Ki-duk, 2012, S. Korea)
Kim's most commercial work is, however, as onerous as the rest of his filmography, a fact stressed by the usage of digital camera that makes the violent scenes seem even more realistic, virtually documentary-like. The standard message residing in the majority of Kim's works also appears here: the world we live in is ugly and evil, and people are either monsters or victims.
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