lurid - LOO-rid - horrifying, gruesome, revolting, appalling
Example: "Boris Karloff's horror films were once considered quite lurid; but they're tame by comparison to, say, the contemporary 'Saw' series, which are truly lurid."
As a starter: and as a former teacher in English, I hope to add to reader's vocabulary by presenting a word a day in simple terms that anyone can understand - from current use in publications, radio,TV, etc. Remember: use a new word three times in a day and it's yours forever!