TABOO BUSTERS

Debut director Emiliano Rocha Minter’s WE ARE THE FLESH is an extraordinary and unsettling film experience about a young brother and sister roaming an apocalyptic city, who take refuge in the dilapidated lair of a strange hermit, who takes them on a sexually-charged, nightmarish journey into an other-worldy dimension. The film, soon to be released by Arrow Video, is certainly not for the prudish or faint-hearted, featuring explicit sex and grotesque set pieces, building to a finale of demonically depraved proportions, making WE ARE THE FLESH extreme art cinema at its boldest and most taboo-bustingly bizarre. Here are six more films, also released by Arrow Video, that pushed the boundaries of cinema as never before. Click on the images to view the trailers...if you dare!

THE BEAST

1975

Walerian Borowczyk’s film is that rarest of, erm, beasts – an erotic arthouse, fantasy horror film, and it’s irresistible. The story of a young woman being terrorised by a strange assailant in the French countryside, this dreamy and hypnotic oddity befuddled UK censors, meaning truncated versions abounded, until Arrow stepped up to the plate with their pristine Blu-ray in 2015.

Shock value: The Beast’s most infamous scene features the heroine, half nude and halfway up a tree, pleasuring the titular creature with her feet. That might not sound all that shocking, but trust me, it is. It’s outrageous, extraordinary, and never seen before or since.

CALIGULA

1979

No one quite knew what to make of this lavish historical epic, about the depraved Roman emperor, when it first hit cinemas – it featured an all star cast, including Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren, Sir John Gielgud and Peter O’Toole, sumptuous costumes, a rousing score, and stunning production values, as well as savage violence and near-hardcore sex sequences. As a result, the X-rated film was scissored by the British Board of Film Censors down to a paltry hour and a half for video. Only recently, on the Arrow Video release, has the film been restored to it’s uncut 156 minute glory.

Shock value: Orgies with Penthouse Pets, heads being cut off for entertainment, incest, animals. This is depravity in a toga!