When Hannibal first premiered midseason in early 2013, expectations were understandably low. Despite the pedigree attached to the project, including showrunner/mad genius Bryan Fuller, visionary director David Slade and the inspired casting of Mads Mikkelsen as Lecter, the show’s delayed production as well as perceived audience fatigue with the Hannibal brand (and with remakes/reimaginings in general) didn’t seem to bode well for the program’s chances. When it eventually did make it to airwaves, however, the result was nothing short of jaw dropping. Eschewing the quirkier sensibilities he established with Pushing Daisies and Wonderfalls, Fuller—with no shortage of help from the brooding Slade—dove headfirst into the darkness, presenting audiences with a world both horrifying in content and beautiful in execution. Featuring career highlights from Hugh Dancy as Will Graham, Laurence Fishburne as Jack Crawford and, of course, Mikkelsen as Lecter, Hannibal is a miracle of a show. As in, it’s a miracle that a broadcast network actually airs it.
One of the linchpins of the series has been its predilection towards provocative, baroque visuals. Hannibal doesn’t just shock in the way that lesser-quality shows like The Following and Criminal Minds do; rather, it gets under your skin and worms its way into your nightmares. In honor of the flawlessly-executed second season finale, here’s a collection of some of the show’s most brutal, disturbing and, overall, deliciously gory moments. In other words, all the moments that make you go like this, or this, or this.
Warning: This list contains disturbing images and slight spoilers through season two. You’ve been warned.
15. ‘Stag-Man’ Sex
Episode 2.10: “Naka-Choko”
As someone who frequently loves subverting traditional depictions of sexuality, it’s not at all surprising that Bryan Fuller would write a sex scene that’s almost as disturbing and unsettling as any of show’s murder tableaus. The scene starts by paralleling Hannibal and fellow psychiatrist Alana Bloom’s sex scene with a similar love scene involving Will and Margot Verger. Eventually, things get straight up David Lynch when the two scenes suddenly begin to fuse, as if the couples are transcending time and space itself. The visual foursome suddenly takes a turn for the worst when Hannibal transforms into the pitch-black ‘stag-man’ of Will’s vision. Weirdest. Sex. Ever.
14. Judgment-Hannibal Style
Episode 2.03: “Hassun”
As an audience member, you can act horrified by the show’s killers all you want, but—at a certain point—you’ve got to admit, they’ve got style. Case in point, this particular execution of a court judge, which takes heavy-handed symbolism to the next level.
13. Nurse Shish Kabob
Episode 1.06: “Entrée”
Murder scenes are nothing special in the Hannibal universe, but this tableaux is all the more difficult to watch because the previous scene had shown escaped mental patient Abel Gideon (Eddie Izzard) brutally beating down the poor nurse who tried to treat him. Hannibal’s pilot episode included a scene where a body was impaled on deer antlers. Here, the creative team was clearly looking to raise the bar. Success.
12. Horse Birth
Episode 2.08: “Su-zakana” 
Hannibal often straddles the line between the grotesque and the absurd. Never was that more apparent than with this scene. In this great post-episode video essay by /Film’s David Chen, episode director Vincenzo Natali himself states that a body emerging from a horse could come off too Ace Ventura-like if not done properly. While still unquestionably over-the-top, this sequence nevertheless hits the appropriate horror beats. In his commentary, Natali also points to the inherent strangeness of network Standards & Practices—despite the gruesomeness of the scene, his team had to be careful to cover the actress’ breasts. “This being a network show, the worst thing you could show is a nipple,” he jokes.
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