Here’s my own personal “worst example”: Once in the late 1990s when I was living in Japan as a student I was watching a documentary on TV about the Holocaust, and they were showing that well-known horrific footage of mountains of corpses being bulldozed into mass graves after being executed at a concentration camp. But–utterly bizarrely–the genitals of the corpses, when they became visible in the grainy black-and-white footage, were obscured by mosaics. I mean WTF is the thinking behind that? Doing that almost seems to add a perverse subtext to the footage that would never have occurred to any but the most insane.
I remember when that happened. I was livid. I’m still a bit sore about it after all these years but I did manage to play PT back then so I’ll count my blessings.
Man that game legit is one of the best horror experiences I’ve ever had. I’ve bought it on so many different platforms just to show love to the developers because of how much I love that game lol
On regular television it is. They do show butts sometimes, and seldom breasts in documentaries of indigenous tribes bc that’s normal for them. But…what’s the difference?! For theatres/DVDs/steaming platforms, an ‘R’ or ‘MA’ rating pretty much anything goes but majority of viewers are adults who know what they’re in for. I guess I’m mostly concerned of what our youth is exposed to so easily and how it shapes their perception of the world. Be ashamed of your body and killing is normal
I remember as a child, 8 or so, sleeping at a friends and waking up in middle of the night with the tv left on. Some late night movie where someone got their hands chopped off. That image haunted me for years. In no way was I referring to content of that nature when I asked about your daughter. I would never expose mine to such gore. The things she’ll learn in history class are horrific enough.
I’m not sure if enjoying High Tension is such a good thing man, this movie is so nasty
I’m very aware of Michael Haneke and I agree, Caché was really great! This guy is a master in terms of shocking but also giving a lot to think about. The original Funny Games, Benny’s video or 71 Fragments are movies you can’t forget. So much power, and lots of meaning.
The last Haneke that I saw at the theater was Amour. I “loved” it and promised myself (like martyrs) to never see it again
Haha touche my friend! Maybe not the correct term. I’ve never seen Benny’s video, so I will definitely check that one out. I thought Martyrs was just a bad movie, more concerned with suffering and torture than the story. I’d certainly never watch it again or recommend it
Yeah check out early Haneke. It’s not horror but yet…it’s pure horror!
I’m not sure about Martyrs, I hated it and in the same time was impressed by it’s power on me. There’s something in there. It’s at least interesting…one time. I’m not a fan of torture porn movies. I hated the end, that I clearly remember, but to be fair, I can’t complain because it’s in the title itself
Yeah, I’m all for appropriate age limits and ratings; what bugs me is actual censorship. One of the worst examples I saw recently was when I watched Lars Von Trier’s film Antichrist on one of the streaming services here in Japan. It was so heavily blurred out and censored that it really became impossible to follow the plot. Apparently the Japanese blu-ray is the same. And again, it’s not the violence that is problem–its peoples genitals.
I’ve seen that film before in its uncensored form and I get that it is an extreme film, but who decided that an adult who chose, of their own free will, to watch an uncompromising horror film called Antichrist had to be protected from images of naked bodies–including an innocuous shower scene. OK–I’ll stop ranting about this now.
I thought there were some really good elements to Martyrs, like for example there is a point in the film where a plot revelation causes the film to kind of “turn on its axis” and it almost becomes a completely different style of film. I also thought the performances of the two lead actresses were outstanding–especially since the roles were so physically demanding as well as, doubtless, mentally.
Where I though the film really failed, though, was the final “payoff”–when we learn the reason for everything that has transpired. I thought it was really weak, and not nearly profound enough after the grueling, traumatic ordeal of sitting through the film. I felt badly short-changed.
Of course it’s a shame.
But did you watched it entirely after being aware of that ? I mean…I would stop the movie, start my vpn and fck all the rest. And I would not even feel any guilt about it. Refuse/Resist
When Baise Moi (no need to translate the title ahah) came out in theaters in France, it was reclassified as an X rated movie after 2 days due to protests against it. Only porn cinemas had the right to show it.
One theater refused the decision for a while in the name of art and freedom, and it happened that I was living 100m from it. When we get out of the cinema there were protests in front of the cinema, it was wild.
The movie is not very good, it looks amateurish. But it’s what Virginie Despentes wanted. It’s a feminist punk movie thrown in the face of the audience. “You don’t like it?” “Well, read the damn title twice”
Despentes is my favorite french writer (along with Houellebecq), and she’s definitely a lot better in writing than making a movie
And it doesn’t have to be gore to haunt you.
My brother let me watch “Cross of iron”, one the finest Sam Peckinpah, when I was a kid (7 or 8) and it shocked me so much, like a trauma. I watched it as an adult years after and now it’s like some scenes exist in two different part of my mind. I can clearly remember them with my horrified kid’s mind and I remember them with my adult mind
@DylanL I recently watched High Tension again since I hadn’t seen it since it’s release. I really enjoy it too. Never heard of Cache, but I’m interested since we have similar tastes.
What I’ve heard of Martyrs intrigues me but I feel it might be best to skip it
@Pat_m This is true. There were other things that shocked me to the core, but for some reason it’s the gory scenes that are still burned on my retinas. I guess out of every aspect of horror, gore is the one thing that will still make me wince, but it’s gotta be pretty brutal.
Definitely. As Pat mentioned Michael Haneke has made some incredible movies. I recommend all of them. They deal with some very real things. Not necessarily horror but all they are absolutely horror/suspense. I know you would like Cache
