Collider ranks six films released since 2020 for their sustained intensity, arguing that the strongest examples use disturbing situations and emotional weight rather than simply loud spectacle. The article highlights films that offer little relief, including stories rooted in real events and depictions of violence, exploitation and bodily horror.

– 'The Substance' (2024), ranked sixth, is described as a graphic body-horror satire of Hollywood’s treatment of ageing women, led by Demi Moore as Elisabeth Sparkle.
– 'Civil War' (2024), ranked fifth, follows journalists crossing a war-torn United States; its deliberately vague politics make its violence feel broadly unsettling.
– 'Killers of the Flower Moon' (2023), ranked fourth, portrays the Osage murders and focuses on Mollie Burkhart’s betrayal by her husband and his uncle.