10 movies that shock and awe

Shock value

The scary movie formula is so tired—loud noises, monsters leaping at the screen, possibly a freak child reciting a nursery rhyme in scary lighting—that a remake of the genuinely twisted ‘70s thriller “Last House on the Left” might seem like a, um, shock to the system.

But, as many rabid cult movie fans already know, on the outer edge of conventional cinema lies a realm of films that are truly shocking and original. As an offbeat alternative to the status quo of scary movies, we’ve compiled a primer on 10 essential movies that are challenging, unique and, yes, a little bit shocking. —Drew Tewksbury, Special to Metromix