Hey. Here are my picks for the directors whose films make people squirm.
In No Particular Order
Takashi Miike
Michael Haneke
Todd Solondz
Harmony Korine
David Cronenberg
David Lynch
John Waters(the early films)
Peter Greenaway
Gaspar Noe
Larry Clark
Ken Russell
Lars Von Trier
There are many more and some deserve to be on this list for just one film or many films.
What are your picks?
informer
I'd have to pick the following:
Nagisa Oshima (for the last scene of Ai Noi Corrida alone)
Dario Argento
Abel Ferrera
Luis Bunuel
Jean Rollin
Pier Paolo Passolini (gotta love 120 days of sodom)
Park Chan-wook
Ruggero Deodato
Roman Polanski
Lucio Fulci
I know I've written mainly horror directors, but geez, these guys need therapy, and what about Passolini, beaten to death by a male prostitute no less!
here's a few more to look into:
Andrzej Zulawski-Isabelle Adjani said his film was "psychological pornography"
Alejandro Jodorowsky-Just read anything about him or watch one of his movies, twisted, twisted stuff
I also recently heard that Sam Peckinpah would beat actresses on the set of his films. Compared to them Lars Von Trier is a puppy dog.
In no particular order
Jan Svankmajer
David Lynch
Alejandro Jodorowsky
Shinya Tsukamoto
Lars Von Trier
Cory McAbee
Luis Bunuel
Takashi Miike
E. Elias Merhige
Jan Kounen
" Look, there's two women fuc*ing a polar bear!" - Fear And Loathing in Las Vegas 1998