Disgust, walkouts hit Lars von Trier's gruesome murder epic 'The House That Jack Built'

Andrea Mandell | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption 'The House That Jack Built' official trailer The official trailer for Lars von Triers new feature film "The House That Jack Built."

CANNES, France – Lars von Trier has never shied away from controversy, and his new film certainly delivered it: The House That Jack Built earned the highest level of ire and disgust seen at Cannes Film Festival this year.

In the gruesome film, which the Danish director has called his most violent film to date, Matt Dillon stars as Jack, a serial killer with more than 60 deaths to his name. Dillon's murderer relishes bloodshed and plots increasingly horrifying ways to inflict death. And while his character espouses equal interest in killing men and women, it's von Trier's female characters who are slaughtered with the most gusto.

"Will you sleep tonight?" the woman next to this reporter asked as credits rolled.

Neither Uma Thurman, who is murdered first in the flick, nor Riley Keough, whose stomach-churning death prompted more than a dozen walkouts from this reporter's vantage point, came to Cannes to promote the film or walk the red carpet. And unlike many other films here, von Trier won't be holding a news conference for his film.

Monday night's premiere marks von Trier's first trip back to Cannes since he debuted Melancholia in 2011. The director was banned in the following years after joking about “sympathizing with Hitler" (who is referenced in his latest work).

Here's a sample of early reactions:

Variety's Ramin Setoodeh called it "one of the most unpleasant movie-going experiences of my life." He counted more than 100 people walking out of the film.

I’ve never seen anything like this at a film festival. More than 100 people have walked out of Lars von Trier’s ‘The House That Jack Built,’ which depicts the mutilation of women and children. “It’s disgusting,” one woman said on her way out. #Cannes2018 pic.twitter.com/GsBGCoyHEG — Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) May 14, 2018

Showbiz 411's Roger Friedman was one of the walkouts, calling The House That Jack Built a "vile movie. Should not have been made. Actors culpable."

Walked out on LarsvonTrier . Vile movie. Should not have been made. Actors culpable — Showbiz 411 (@showbiz411) May 14, 2018

Al Jazeera reporter Charlie Angela also left midway, "because seeing children being shot and killed is not art or entertainment," she wrote on Twitter.

I've just walked out of #LarsVonTrier premiere at #Cannes2018 because seeing children being shot and killed is not art or entertainment — Charlie Angela (@CharlieAJ) May 14, 2018

New York magazine's Kyle Buchanan observed crowd reaction to the depths of violence depicted on screen.

Talked to someone who walked out of the Lars von Trier film at Cannes: "He mutilates Riley Keough, he mutilates children... and we are all there in formal dress expected to watch it?" — Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) May 14, 2018

"Talked to someone who walked out of the Lars von Trier film at Cannes: 'He mutilates Riley Keough, he mutilates children ... and we are all there in formal dress expected to watch it?' "

The Cannes crowd at the gala who remained, however, gave the film a rousing standing ovation.

Cannes crowd eating it up, long standing ovation for Lars Von Trier pic.twitter.com/hktW0VOSCn — Andrea Mandell (@AndreaMandell) May 14, 2018

You can watch the first trailer for The House That Jack Built here. Warning: It carries a "mature" rating.