Green Room's Unexpected Terror

There's this one movie scene that disturbed me so much on my initial watch that I had to take a minute to regain my composure before resuming. That scene was from Jeremy Saulnier's 2015 work, Green Room. If you know, you know.
But why? Why is it so disturbing? Violent? Shocking? Is it the gore? the acting? Or is it something else? Green Room is a film about expectations - well, not thematically, but it plays with your expectation a lot more than you may think. And the way it does so is very clever. So let's talk about it.
Watch other great films like 'Green Room' on Mubi for FREE for 30 days, using my link at mubi.com/spikimamovies
///
Music download: spikima.wixsite.com/spikima
Patreon: / spikima
Paypal: www.paypal.com/paypalme/spikima
Instagram: @ spikima
Merch: www.teepublic.com/stores/spik...
Merch 2: www.bonfire.com/store/spikima/
Your support helps with keeping the channel running.
Love.
///
Timestamp
0:00 Explicit Violence
1:15 Implied Violence
1:53 THE SCENE
4:27 Plain and Abruptive
5:11 Tension
6:03 Red Herrings
7:26 Game Plan Example
8:47 Two Sides of a Coin
10:15 No Not Her

[@SpikimaMovies]

It was either this or the stomach scene. What's YOUR favourite unexpected disturbing scene from a film?

[@KanyeLoverBoy]

Idk

[@f0xyLuv]

Probably the basement ghost scene from Parasite Edit: Or the diner scene in Mulholland Drive

[@KanyeLoverBoy]

@@f0xyLuv Dang, I didn’t even think of that

[@liamsheahan9210]

It's not a movie that I have revisited much, I think I've seen it twice maybe, but as a kid I remember finding the sudden unexpected fate of Ron Perlman's character in Enemy At the Gates shocking and stomach churning in a way I couldn't define. Brilliantly executed and unexpected though. Maybe I should rewatch that movie...

[@mavillejones5908]

The shotgun scene in this movie. So sudden and unexpected. And also the dog attacks

[@Vujo357]

It is fair to mention brilliant acting by Antoan Yelcin, especially in the door scene

[@jaywhangmakes]

RIP Anton my man

[@iangeorge7913]

Yelcin's screams and cries make that scene so much more harrowing

[@kunaikai]

*Anton Yelchin

[@v.xien.]

Rip he was so amazing :( fuck that jeep that crushed him

[@suezcontours6653]

@@v.xien. He was the Tom Holland before Tom Holland rose to fame

[@nerd26373]

Green Room still feels a lot more frightening considering deep down we all experience existential dread and paranoia. It feels as though this film is capable of exploring heavy-handed themes that not all horror films have all the capacity to showcase in a more or less subtle manner.

[@devstuff2576]

we don't all experience that mate.

[@officialmasqq_594]

​@@devstuff2576 Cheers Dev, great input you're on a roll today

[@walkinwalker9768]

I do not agree, this film is super over the top and i find this scene cool because it is the most realistic in the movie, and it is a shocking contrast. Like, i dont see how being hunted by a neonazi-run drug operation can be a day to day stressor.

[@furiousapplesack]

@@walkinwalker9768 Anarchists, which the band was, definitely do deal with them regularly and are no stranger to fighting them. Especially in the Northwest, where the film takes place. And especially in the 90's, which it appears to take place in.

[@rickc2102]

existential dread is for nonexistentialists

[@bigpoppa6059]

That door scene is one of the hardest movie scenes to get through. Have friends who wont watch it at all because of it. Great movie though

[@pristinedecision1877]

The most gut wrenching scene I have ever seen on film is from Snowtown (2011).

[@Fennywap59]

This scene is not even that bad a guy got his arm hacked a couple times it’s a horror movie what do u expect butterflies and rainbows?

[@theclockman775]

@@Fennywap59I think he means the reactions of the people around and the fact his hand is hanging by a thread by the time it’s over

[@FrostytheWicked]

@@Fennywap59 Wow I am so glad that everyone reacts the same way to things. You are so right and not wrong at all.

[@TTVBunnyDougie]

Brother... Amen. That movie is fucking brutal.

[@CamDominusRex]

It’s nice when the writers don’t assume the audience is dumb and spell out scenes and plots

[@TheSCPStudio]

It’s also funny that people think they’re smarter than average for understanding things like this lol.

[@Lady_Vengeance]

Great breakdown, but I think you can go even farther. What makes "that scene" special to me isn't only the technique you described-implication and suggestion, abrupt violence, a masterclass in building tension-but also the one-two punch of unexpected violence that manages to catch even hardened viewers off-guard. As you noted, the scene builds and builds to the horrific reveal of Pat's butchered arm. The protagonists manage to close and secure the door, and render the bouncer, who is stuck inside the room with them, helpless. This ostensible climax results in an enormous release of tension for the audience. Which Saulnier immediately follows with an abrupt shot of Amber slicing open the bouncer's stomach with a box cutter. Saulnier weaponizes your relief. It is this second act of unexpected violence that truly subverts the viewer's expectation and makes for an unforgettable, albeit unsettling, memory lingering long after the film has ended.

[@lo.lo_marie]

Sooooo do you do video essays or what?? (Aka time to start😭)

[@honeyzoid7805]

Green Room was a total random pick for movie night, and I LOVED IT. huge horror fan

[@tobypark2045]

Watched it in a similar fashion, mind totally blown😂

[@grantpowell4135]

Caught it on a random day and boy wasn't ready for that

[@jakbec3588]

Green room is great. Real horror of being in the wrong place at the worst time. One tiny decision can change you’re entire life. Terrifying.

[@lenorebunny]

I would LOVE to see you cover The Eyes Of My Mother (2016). One of the most simultaneously beautiful and terrifying films I've ever seen, using explicit and implied violence. Incredible story telling that left me thinking and made it among my favorite contemporary films to this day.

[@dommyboysmith]

I'm so glad people are finally finding that movie. Thought I was the only person that had ever seen it for so long. Noone ever talks about it. Now all of a sudden it's popping up everywhere.

[@moeezS]

Oh god, that was a horrifying film. Just the whole aspect of being a victim not being able to talk, that chilled me to my bone. I saw this film with the director at a Q&A in Prince Charles Cinema. Was a hoot with the audience.

[@Em-uy9wj]

One of the most upsetting and well done films I’ve ever seen, it’ll never leave my mind

[@SuperMiIk]

This movie stayed with me for a very long time

[@TheWeekIReview]

Man, I will never forget the first time I saw those Red Laces. Also walking out of the press screening in like February knowing for sure that that was the best movie I'd see that year and not even being sad about it.

[@williamwright4678]

When she screams “they’re killing us!” Gives me chills… that would be a horrifying situation to be in.

[@SpikimaMovies]

Dang never got to watch it in theaters so i envy you! Tho i dono how i'd have handled that scene in theaters oof

[@kylebridgett3941]

Green Room and Bone Tomahawk are two of my all time favorite movies. RIP Anton

[@orangepeelqueen2787]

The curb stomp... that in particular has always haunted me.

[@bighugestinker]

when i first watched this movie, it absolutely traumatized me. it was so good but i physically could not watch it again for years after. i came back to it about a year or so ago, and it was still so difficult to watch that i had to split it into two sessions. this is a beautiful dive into the chaos and terror that is green room.

[@Movie_Monsters]

This is one of my favorite thrillers of all time! It deserves so much more recognition. Thanks for covering it and making such incredible videos. Cheers!

[@negligent_omnicide]

Jeremy Saulnier, man. Goddamn. I would highly suggest Blue Ruin to anyone who liked Green Room. And if feeling slightly more adventurous, his first feature length film, Murder Party, isn’t terrible.

[@viljamtheninja]

Blue Ruin is wonderful, and Murder Party is downright hilarious. Laughed my ass off at many moments. And while the meta-discussion in the movie about art and pretentiousness might, ironically, end up a little too pretentious for some, I think it worked pretty well.

[@negligent_omnicide]

@@viljamtheninja Honestly, it has been a number of years since I sat down and watched Murder Party. I remember it being strange with some dark humor. I had forgotten about the “art project” plot line. Considering it’s been more than a decade since I saw it (*and* it was long before I was comfortable referring to myself as an artist), I should give it another go with a new perspective. Thank you for your comment.

[@IchiEyes]

Hold the Dark is fantastic, too. I know it's his more divisive movie, but something about it just sticks so much with me. Well-acted, especially from Wright and Skarsgard, gorgeously shot with this thick air of dread, and the violence is so dry and matter-of-fact. The plot being more obtuse than BR and GR hinders it to a lot of people, I know, but I love it.

[@negligent_omnicide]

@@IchiEyes I’ll have to check that one out. I haven’t been movie-ing the way I used to, for a handful of years now. I didn’t even know Hold the Dark existed. Thank you!

[@IchiEyes]

@@negligent_omnicide It's on Netflix. Wish they'd release it physically

[@ren0v8ed78]

You add so much rich context to so many films that I adore. Keep doing what you’re doing. It’s great!

[@nerd26373]

Green Room is highly underappreciated. You know how some films just captivate you the moment you start watching them, this just happens to be one of them. The eerie cinematography, the writing, and the careful and precise thought being incorporated into the majority of the scenes just astounds you.

[@gagegallicchio5557]

This is the first movie in a while that actually had me yelling at my tv rooting for the main characters to win. I showed it to my friends and they had the same reaction lol.

[@aneffortlesssmile]

Reason I like your channel and content is it gets me to watch movies I didn't know about or have been holding off on for too long. Thank you very much!

[@Leexcii]

Can you cover "When Evil Lurks"?

[@HentaiJesus420]

I was so happy when i saw that you uploaded! I loved this movie, great video!

[@backabeyond]

Great content as usual. Always making the movies I love, more interesting and enjoyable.

[@crazydave..]

one of my favorite movies. it’s so good, gory, and intense, the only movie to truly scare me

[@amberwoodward7184]

ugh thank you! I love this movie so much - I think it's one of the smartest and most effective, and yet understated, horror movies out there. Love your last line - I always that was a brilliant cut.

[@Saintletha]

Love this movie. It doesn't get enough attention. I read somewhere that the scene where Werm drags Emily by the knife in her head was something the director had seen in a [prison-maybe] documentary and it horrified with him. So much so that he had to include it into this movie. Saulnier's movies are so atmospheric. They start off dreamy and then you realize its a nightmare.

[@Cugelclever]

again, you make the best film essays online. Thanks.

[@alaandies_]

So great and amazingly well done content. You're a genius 👏

[@Alexander_Mandradjiev]

Great work man!

[@leetogo3333]

Amazing, that's one of the scenes I didn't even remember. When I think of the movie, so many scenes come to mind that make me shudder. I think the stomach scene is much more disturbing.

[@MsMetastatic]

I love how old this movie is, yet still brings chills to people that have seen it years later.

[@strawberrybaz]

Yeah, no wonder Green Room stuck to me when I think about horror movies Instantly fell in love with it and can't forget it now

[@beanie1089]

Dude, you nailed this one! Great description of why this film ‘worked.’ Green Room is friggin awesome!👍❤️

[@kyliejennerismymom]

fav channel fr

[@matthewkalapuch]

And Jeremy Saulnier's secret weapon, Macon Blair. Anybody reading this who hasn't seen Blue Ruin yet, please watch it.

[@justin___]

I watched this movie, foolishly, on a plane. I went in it completely blind and hoooo boy. I felt like I was trying to crawl inside myself inside-out in how much I was cringing at everything. It was so, so, so awful and so, so, so engaging. As my 9-year-old niece said when she first rode the Matterhorn sled at Disneyland: I loved it and I hated it, but I loved, but I hated it!

[@vincentshadetree]

2:37 Maaaannnn, 😁 you made me Wooooo, just remembering this scene! If I wasn't already locked in on the movie, this scene did the trick. That had me imagining how horrible that would of been trapped in that tug of war while you're being hacked at.

[@DamoBWare]

The cast really put on a clinic in this movie! Amazing! Sir Patrick Stewart as a villain? Wild! Loved it!

[@jo_ozus]

Fantastic movie! Incredibly tense all the way through

[@Lancaster51]

I remember when I watched this when it came out I watched it blind with no trailer or anything and I was so on edge. I watch so many movies that I usually don’t get uneasy or anxious like I did with green room. This specific scene made my stomach turn and i felt nauseous for the rest of the film. I put Green Room in high regard specifically for my initial experience with it

[@strawberry-cz8ye]

every single violent scene in green room is unexpected.. that's why its so good lol - it makes my stomach hurt every time

[@Ez.bake_evan]

I saw this movie years ago and it really surprised me. I was in a very similar band growing up and this felt like something that could actually happen.

[@canislupus4655]

When I was in college my friends and I would have a movie night on the weekends, and the first time I volunteered to pick a movie I picked Green Room. I was not allowed to pick the movies after that. I did warn them, though. I don’t think they quite realized how bad it was going to be.

[@breathoffreshair7795]

i hate watching movies like green room, similar to clockwork orange in my head, pretty much all of what happens is both realistic and likely to have happened to real humans. youre watching a snuff essentially and i just cant bring myself to ever be "entertained" beyond admiring the artistic creation of it. That being said green room took me for an absolute ride, i went in blind and was thoroughly satisfied by how the pacing was, so akin to a normal day . the director did a stunning job. they wrapped the movie up in a pretty bow which i wasnt expecting as well so thats a plus to me . also color design was amazing and something i FELT when watching the film

[@TaalpatarShepai]

This movie took me by surprise ..I was just looking for a film to watch while having my dinner...And boom..

[@Bruuuull]

This movie is so stressful 😭 I have only been able to watch it once, every time that I tried to rewatch it, I just can’t.

[@danwilliams2551]

The arm is awful and will stay with me, don't get me wrong, but what Amber does with the box cutter right after this scene is one of the few things in cinema where I literally can't look at the screen.

[@jessiegashler427]

Same. So brutal

[@alfredodiaz3575]

I always laugh with the way you end your videos. You make the best video essays out there Bro!

[@NoMoreCrumbs]

Rest in peace Anton Yelchin, gone too soon. What a film to have as your last ever, though

[@mocuishle1028]

ODD THOMAS is another great film that Anton starred in. Not too many people have seen it but it’s good.

[@jonahsalk2549]

The curb stomp scene in American History X is definitely not off screen.

[@tyrontheconqueror6625]

I think about this scene often

[@angie73568]

yeah its my favourite movie, nice to see it get some love. awesome video

[@alexmartin3143]

I had to split watching Bone Tomahawk. It really divided the room straight down the middle as well. One day i hope i have the guts to sit down collect my two halves and finish that scene.

[@justinholtman]

Such an underrated film.

[@rosenrot234]

God that Pans Labyrinth scene still haunts me. Del Toro seriously had that scene in the perfect spot pace wise

[@ryanvandoren1519]

Without a doubt, in my top ten movies of all time.

[@JakeSandersonMusic]

I remember seeing this movie in the theater. Including me, it was like 12 people. After the arm scene happened, went from 12 to like 4. I knew at that point I was watching a, dare I say, masterpiece.

[@horror_hound7019]

This is one of my favorite movies

[@LiamDePaux]

That one kill from Bone Tomahawk, literally affected me for a month

[@tacioob2337]

That one scene in Bone Tomahawk still haunts me to this day. It's so unexpected and brutal 😢

[@desertfox738]

This was one that I was really glad I saw in theaters, has some of the most shocking gore I’ve seen in a movie. And it really felt like any character could die at any moment.

[@anacaeiro1049]

I never forgot this scene either :o

[@Heartless_Henryyyy]

grew up in the local eugene scene w a lot of friends in bands n when i saw this movie it scared the shit outta me, something bout the violence is so shocking and abrupt that it feels realistic in that way n just seemed like some shit that could fr happen

[@cheesybirdmess7349]

Great review! Please next Speak No Evil (2022) it's a very tough watch psychological horror I think you might like it (in a way you never want to watch it again)

[@Nistin2776]

I think what freaked me out a lot was apart from the obvious, the shots of the red laces

[@Ghostgamer84]

I took my friend to see Green Room because I loved it. During the very “scene” discussed in this video is when the waitstaff brought the checks out to everyone and it totally killed the tension. It was such a bummer.

[@bunkbeds3001]

I don't understand. Wtf are "checks"? You said waitstaff so...Were you watching it at a restaurant? I genuinely, for the life of me, cannot understand what this comment is trying to say.

[@Ghostgamer84]

@@bunkbeds3001 in the Midwest there are certain theaters that serve food and drinks. This was one of those. Hope this helps.

[@buckyhurdle4776]

@@bunkbeds3001 I think this commenter is from another dimension

[@Sarah-qx4vz]

The kids in this movie pissed me off so much. It’s like, no shit you got yourselves in this predicament 😂

[@Joecozer]

omg i forgot how crushing the lust murder scene from se7en is to watch, truly horrifying with almost zero on screen violence

[@kelletucker7396]

the scene in Bone Tommyhawk messed with my head 😳

[@guyatridaskerr4676]

the girl saying " they're killing us_ when she sees the rad laces. Amazing acting

[@getsmart3701]

An exceptional horror, all the more so by being very believable. Great acting, great atomsphere and great directing.

[@hapikohw]

Thank you for this! People don't talk about Green Room enough

[@josephslife23]

green room a great movie, I love your videos!!

[@SpacePlan10]

Green Room is a film, like Liam Gavin’s A Dark Song, that I’ve only watched once despite absolutely loving it. I don’t want to risk losing that sense of awe I got from watching it.

[@TheStealthyPyro]

The whole color trilogy is a masterpiece! Murder party, green room, and blue ruin are insanely good films

[@MrMcArb]

still think about this film regularly though haven't seen it in over six years

[@brk1988]

I love that movie so much

[@thehorrorarchive]

Now we need a video on Meatball Machine (2005)

[@splinter01100]

I remember watching this for the first time, holy cow this scene was brutal and I totally unexpected

[@thunderhead1969]

Green Room and Blue Ruin are both brilliant

[@maggymae8151]

Loved this movie so much!

[@leftieluci2292]

i swear i saw a cut of green room where they show his arm get butchered. i just watched the movie again a couple weeks ago fully expecting to see it happen again and was surprised that it didn't

[@shabladooo]

agree on ‘Bone Tomahawk,’ one of the few scenes where it still has some space in my head… yikes

[@JonnyProsser]

Such an awesome film!

[@chaoticfirearm]

I really hope Jeremy Saulnier and Macon Blair do another horror thriller like this and Blue Ruin. The atmospheres they created in those two films are suffocating and terrifying.

[@viljamtheninja]

Absolutely, I love both movies. I also loved Saulnier's Hold the Dark but apparently a lot of people didn't, and I suppose I can understand that.

[@CTEagleCeltic]

Joe blo just dropped a Red State video… these two movies are inextricably linked in my mind as super thrilling, horror adjacent IMO, movies… the pacing and tension in both are amazing.

[@shelseamonet4718]

This movie was so visceral, the acting was beautiful. I still can't watch it

[@auroralee3934]

Rest in peace Anton Yelchin❤️ my first ever crush after seeing him in Steven Spielberg's Taken.

[@401RISaint]

Green room excels because it is 100% plausible and realistic.

[@nkanyisoinnocentkhwane3752]

It's definitely a film I need to rewatch. Underrated cult classic

[@demontheory]

I Love Saulnier's work, Blue Ruin is one of my favorite movies of all time. If you can please do one of these for that film.

[@negligent_omnicide]

Yes! I just left a comment highly recommending Blue Ruin. Great film. And too unknown.

[@armandoemanuelle7815]

I would love your take on Snowtown.

[@RR0N35H0T]

Have you ever seen «Spalovač mrtvol»? It's czech and old but I think fits your taste. Also after this film, Come and See and Cargo 200 both feel like a comfy movies. Saw it in theater recently and it felt like a group trauma, shared with everyone present there.

[@Wallnuts]

Why did I only just now notice the Nothing logo on their tour van 😭

[@Imbuecinema]

This notification made my day

[@giancarloleon9983]

Anyone see the movie “the humans” I’ve only seen it once but I can’t tell you how uneasy and unsettled I was by the music and shots the director chose to include in the movie lol. The movie has nothing to do with horror and yet I felt more scared watching that than most horror movies

[@Kascaded]

I would love if you go through Blue Ruin the unexpected violence I think it's similar to Green Room

[@vinsonnn]

What was the plot hole?

[@Higesgirl]

I watched this movie with my ex and I clung onto him with the door scene. There were 2 other scenes in this excellent movie that are stuck in my brain: the window escape scene and the shotgun scene, to which I audibly yelled.

[@Ludzky]

I'm hardly ever squeamish but that scene, his screams, really gets under my skin.