to be sickened by the level of violence and gore in horror films these days?

[dontmeanto]

...and the sheer volume of them??

DP and I went to hire a film Saturday night as a treat and couldn't believe just how many of these films were on the New Arrivals shelves.

Various plots on abduction, torture, force, maiming, etc.

I guess I just don't get why people are entertained by these films? I find them disturbing at best and absolutely disgusting at worst.

I just don't want those types of things in my head, and I worry there's a generation out there that will in some way become desensitised to this level of violence by making these films "cool" to watch with friends.

I remember being shocked by Scream when I was a teen, but these now are a billion times worse!

AIBU?

[IRCL]

YANBU.

I worry about the individuals who can cook up such gruesome twisted thoughts.

[cornypedicure]

YABU
I've never seen the texas chain saw massacre but I gather it's really disturbing - that's not a modern film at all.

[dontmeanto]

Care to elaborate? A few of my friends love them, FWIW, so I'm aware of the fact pov is old-fashioned!

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Well..............................I suppose on one hand you are not obliged to watch them.
But then you think "Who watches this crap?"

I watched A Human Centipede (twice) because I did wonder who dreamed this up, who decided to bankroll this. (I got really fed up with one of the screamy actresses and I just wanted the Mad Doctor to kill her right now ). Then I had to watch it because I wanted the finality of how it ended.

I do worry about people becoming de-sensitised to horror, violence and pornography. I don't object to horror in a film if there's a point but not gratuitous.

[UnChartered]

gore and horror aren't new though, Bram Stoker (Dracula) wrote that story in the late 1800s, and there has always been gory folk lore of monsters and ghouls, in almost every culture

YANBU to think there are truly appalling horror films made though, some are laughable they are so ridiculously made

(RIP Ray Harryhausen also, he was a genius at special effects)

[fuzzpig]

I'm torn.

Of course nobody is making you watch them...

But I do agree they are getting more disturbing and maybe 'depraved' is the right word? Like the human centipede, I read the synopsis, and that of the sequel, fucking hell . It makes me think of people writing their own sleezy porno where they just put as much shocking stuff in as they can think of.

I used to have horror sleepovers where we would laugh at freddy kreuger etc. Then I saw The Ring and was so freaked out I did not watch another horror movie for about 8 years!

[dontmeanto]

I know its been around a long time, but I think implied horror though is far more effective artistic-wise (think shower scene in Psycho)...now it seems to be a case of out-doing each other in blatant, horrific violence and gore.

And people will always be drawn to them out of curiosity.

[Naebother]

I kind of agree with you in some respects in that its not too healthy to watch a lot of this stuff. I went though a phase in my teens when i loved horror films and saw too much. I was 13 when I saw the exorcist for example.

As contemporary films are far more visually convincing i would be concerned if my kids were seeing them. I believe you need to be educated to make an informed choice so would say over 18s only.

[dontmeanto]

I definitely choose not to watch them because I'm the kind of saddo who gets too emotionally invested in films (in fictitious ones!) and I know watching a violent death would disturb me for days.

I just worry about where humanity is headed if it takes such violent scenes to entertain us (in general).

[ArbitraryUsername]

Don't watch Hannibal on sky living, OP. It's really gruesome. Surprisingly gruesome. Usually they gloss over the blood and gore on TV, but not on Hannibal.

[UnChartered]

but that is my point, we have always used gore and violence to entertain - romans and gladiators are another example

it's just easier to get hold of now

[UnChartered]

x-post Kansas

[VerySmallSqueak]

I love a good gory zombie film - bloodthirsty,violent and horrific.

Can't say why,I just do.

I suspect that it's to do with the fact that it's all made up.
I can't bear to see people really badly beaten up by other people in films and I expect that is because it's 'reality'.

[dontmeanto]

Yes, I think maybe I meant how technology has changed to portray these things so realistically now. I do know, of course, that horror has been around a long time.

And that's also my point...I feel like we are headed backwards to Gladiator-esque entertainment when some people are entertained by watching other humans suffer horrifically for entertainment.

[Footface]

I don't mind the blood so much, it's more the level of violence directed towards women that I worry about. The cell with j lo is a prime example of that. Included in that the level of sexual violence that seems to be in every film. I worry about becoming desensitised.

Fwiw Texas chain saw massacre was banned for years in this country. I watched it after the ban was removed I watched it and regretted but films today are on a different level

[dontmeanto]

I used "entertainment" a lot in that last sentence! I blame the baby!!

[fromparistoberlin]

yanbu

last week this delightful chap was arrested

www.trutv.com/library/crime/blog/2012/07/26/professional-puppeteer-arrested-for-plans-to-abduct-rape-kill-and-eat-a-child/index.html


rightly so they have been imprisoned, yet it was all in their heads (thank god), and RIGHTLY they were imprisoned, and hope they throw away the key


so I wonder how it it that people than even have the imagination to make this films??? I just dont know how their minds think of it????

[dontmeanto]

Oh my, fromparis, that is truly awful.

Exactly, how and why do people think of these plots??? I think it boils down to money. People pay lots to be entertained/scared by horror (let's face it, these films are becoming more and more popular), and these filmmakers will have no boundaries if it brings in the cash.

[Clawdy]

Before we downloaded a film called Lovely Molly,I checked the reviews on the net. They were fairly unanimous that it was atmospheric and poignant,chilling but not gory,so we watched it. I found it so harrowing I could not watch to the end. It was a 15 rating.

[monkeyfacegrace]

Lovely Molly??
That was utter tripe?!

[digerd]

I loved the old Dracula films. They were frightening but not violent or gory. Sippose they would be tame now. But never did like blood and gore, preferred supernatural horror films.

I enjoyed the TV series "Useful things" < I think it was called>, and Mysterious Ways.