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 Banner by Wes Vance |
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MUSINGS OF A MADMAN: Torture Porn. We have all heard the term being thrown around with disdain towards films like SAW and HOSTEL, and at more obscure flicks like AUGUST UNDERGROUND and THE GREAT AMERICAN SNUFF FILM. The outrage at how films are now little more than simulated snuff films where the viewer is simply getting off on watching innocents suffer. No different than hardcore S&M porn where the only difference is the victim is met with a wicked demise for viewing entertainment. Being a fan of horror in general for so long, and having traversed some of the darker realms of the internet and independent flicks that revel in bloodlust, I don’t find this to be a new development at all. The seeds have been there for a long time, and perhaps only now getting called out due to the times we live in. We all remember the controversy that was the GUINEA PIG series, and some might even remember it was Charlie Sheen who rushed a copy of it to an FBI friend completely convinced he had found an actual snuff film. What he found, instead, was simply a movie that showcased the torture and murder of a woman using some good special effects and trick photography. The fact that we are still talking about these flicks says enough about the audience for them. I’ve heard the rumors of actual snuff films, and stand by the common belief that they simply don’t exist. Not as we’d like to think they exist, at least. Are there videos featuring innocents (preferably young women) being tortured and murdered on camera for profit? No. Only a fool would attempt to get into that practice, even if it were in some third world country not unlike the setting for HOSTEL. However, there are countless videos out there where you can see actual murders take place. Crazed Muslim fanatics have grown to just love videotaping the murder of innocents in the name of Allah. Think about it…how many beheadings have you seen in the past 5-6 years? Then there is the greatest snuff film of all time. You know it. Think hard. A United States President. There ya go…even ol’ Ollie Stone used that footage in his movie. John F. Kennedy getting his head blown apart (back and to the left….back and to the left….back and to the left). You want murder on camera, does it get better than that. Of course, there have been rumors of murderers documenting their kills. And there are some disturbing sights and sounds to be found on your local “real life” CSI shows…but the market for snuff films, if there is one, has to settle on those wondrous little instructional videos from the Middle East. (A is for Allah, B is for beheading, C is for cutting the throat of the infidel, D is for damn you people are stupid. Okay, I’m getting off on a bit of a rant there. I apologize. Then again, I’m a New Yorker…so I take it back. Now, back to the subject. Are movies like HOSTEL and SAW nothing more than Torture Porn? Are they really so different from plunking down a few bucks a month to catch the latest torture fest on some hardcore S&M website (we all have our faves)? Have we devolved so far as a society that the only thing left for us to enjoy is the suffering of others for our own amusement? I’m of the opinion that, yes, it is. And as far as horror films go….it was the only way to go. Horror films, since their inception, had two jobs to do: Scare the audience is number one. Number two is to take their minds off of whatever crap is going on in the real world. I have always been fascinated with the history of the horror film, and a look at the high points of horror cinema coincide with some truly awful times in world history. With each step, however, horror has gone through these cycles: Something comes along that terrifies everyone, countless movies are made to mimic it, and it eventually loses it’s power to shock. In 1931, FRANKENSTEIN and DRACULA scared the whole country. By the late 1940’s, they were doing flicks with Abbott & Costello. See my point? Horror films of the 1950’s and early 60’s are better left unsaid. With only a few examples, it was mostly escapist flicks that didn’t really scare, but gave people a reason to go to the drive-in theater. The Golden Age of America was born, and horror films more or less went soft. Then came the Vietnam War. And everybody on every street knew of someone who would die in a war that dragged on for over a decade. At the height of this, with assassinations of two Kennedys and Martin Luther King fresh on people’s minds, a movie came around to scare people even more than reality was. George Romero terrified everyone with NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, and a new era of horror films began. LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE…movies that were brutal and unforgiving. Movies that were cold and mean…coming from a country that was mired in war, inflation and a general feeling of dread for the future. The monsters of old were gone…replaced with cannibals, cross-dressers, and families of psychopaths. The decade of the 1970’s ended with HALLOWEEN…and the creation of a new movie monster: Michael Meyers. In time he would be followed by Jason, Freddy…and a new horror boon would explode. The slasher films of the 80’s…delivering wondrous kill scenes and plenty of young ladies to fall by the sword, gun, harpoon, ax, knife, etc…etc….etc. Of course, the 80’s were the Reagan decade. The misery that was the 70’s was over…and everything seemed all right again. So, instead of being scared by Freddy, Jason, Pinhead, Michael Myers, et al…we embraced them! They were now our heroes. Sequel after sequel ordered up and while a lone female might survive at the end of these movies, the body count was plenty. Nobody seemed to have a problem with seeing “innocents being slaughtered” if the FX was cool and the killer had either a great one-liner or a cool weapon to use. Victim after victim after victim met their bloody demise and the audience loved it. And underneath all of this was a subgenre that never quite went away. Remember going to the video stores in the mid 1980’s and seeing THAT video cover. You know the one…Black with a skull and the words “BANNED IN 46 COUNTRIES!” screaming across the top. FACES OF DEATH was the one videotape every horror film nut had to see…if you could convince the dude behind the counter to let you rent it. (A moment here to remember a girl named Virginia who worked at my local video store…a fetching beauty who seemed amused at my video choices…) When the make-believe gore seemed too tame, it was only natural to be curious about these videos. Of course we now know the videos were 90% fake footage…but to a 14 year old horror film nut/gorehound, it sure seemed real enough. In time though, even these flicks got tedious. The shock value was gone. Of course, nothing lasts forever. The 90’s gave way to SCREAM, and a decade that saw nothing but self interest and whining pretty much slammed the door shut on the horror film industry for a few years. Yes, there were some good movies to be found…but the genre was dying out. What was there left to do? Create a new horror film villain? Try and re-create what happened before? That never works, and the only thing that seemed to help the genre was either independent flicks that didn’t have to worry about finding an audience or an onslaught of horror from Asian cinemas that, for a time, would engulf the horror genre before becoming a parody of itself (another young, pale ghost? Really? Another cursed videotape, or cell phone, or computer…wow.) SAW took a novel idea that would have been a great TALES FROM THE CRYPT episode and expanded it to the size of a movie. Death traps on “innocent” victims. The monster no longer the murderer. The movie monster was dead, although two would return in the comical FREDDY vs. JASON. The HELLRAISER series continued on into oblivion (although I will admit to liking HELLRAISER: Hellseeker probably just because it was great to see Ashley Laurence again), the HALLOWEEN series devolved into such depths of ridiculousness that Jamie Lee Curtis returned to chop off Michael’s head (but, psst…it wasn’t his head. See what I mean?) The endless straight-to-video sequels of movies that were hardly good the first time out. Then things really started to get interesting. There were new takes on old monsters like the superb GINGER SNAPS, the delirious hyper-violent HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES, the maniacal killer yuppie of AMERICAN PSYCHO, the pseudo-zombies of 28 DAYS LATER. Everything was hyped up, was more violent, more visceral...and no punches were pulled. And, really, if a horror movie is going to scare people…it’s got to give you something you don’t see in your normal life. But in today’s age, we see EVERYTHING. The internet can feed the darkest desires, and report the worst atrocities. Beheadings, car bombings, tortures…all at the click of a button. So, really, what else is left to scare us? HOSTEL and SAW are supposed to have started this, but I don’t lean too heavily on them. SAW had some great set pieces and a nice twist but has already long overstayed its welcome. A recent trip to the movie theater saw a preview for “SAW IV” and the crowd couldn’t be more bored. HOSTEL, with its murder corporation, seemed to upset so many people based more on the idea than anything else. No more movie monsters…so the ones we have to fear are those with the cash who can pay to have any of us tortured and murdered. Somehow, by eliminating the movie monster, people became upset. Men and women snatched up to be sold to those who can torture them however they like…how sick! How horrifying! But, really, why is it so? Freddy Krueger was a child murderer and was cheered as he murdered countless teens through his movies. Jason Voorhees was a retarded boy with mommy issues who slaughtered God knows how many people. Leatherface was a cannibal. Michael Meyers a black hearted soul seeking only to kill. But nobody cared if it was them doing the killing. Make the killer the everyman who does it for fun, and suddenly people are upset. Don’t get me wrong, I am not here to champion HOSTEL. And I’m not here to champion the countless rip-offs that have been made in its mold over the past few years. It’s a tired genre that’s just about played out, but I feel it is a simple progression. Horror movies are for the young, for certain generations. I don’t belong of this generation, my time is passed. The movies that scared me will likely make younger ones laugh today. That’s how it is. They won’t be scared by what came before. They need something more…they want something more. And, for the time being, buckets of blood and gore did the trick. But it’s already wearing thin, and the next horror craze will follow. I don’t know what will come next. But I won’t condemn the younger generation for enjoying a movie that delivers nothing but blood and little on plot. I spent many hours watching the worst horror flicks of the 1970’s and 1980’s because I wanted to get that fix. Today’s horror audience is no different. So, until the Next Big Thing happens in horror cinema I will continue to enjoy what new filmmakers bring to the table. Their own unique visions formed through their own experiences. In a time of digital video and editing software, more and more people can try their hand at it. Most have little or no talent (U-we….U-we….U-we) but we can always hope they’ll at least give us some entertainment for our time. And I’ll hold out hope that a horror film will come around that will really scare the shit out of everyone and make us remember why this genre is so special to us. And, really, is Torture Porn really as offensive as Paris Hilton? Or Britney Spears? See? Horror is in the eye of the beholder.
MUSINGS OF A MADMAN:
Let’s face it…everybody is doing movie reviews these days. And why not? Why should it be left to a few stuffed shirts who can’t stop gushing over the latest Euro-garbage that’s 256 minutes long with zero plot but “beautiful scenery”? Personally…I think every review should be put in context. Let us know what kind of movies the reviewer enjoys…and we might get to understand why they like one movie or hate another. There is also the annoyance of personal politics…as reviewers just love to explain to people the “hidden messages” of films. From their point of view…WEEKEND AT BERNIES was a metaphor for Imperialist America’s attempt to prop up the puppet regime of South Vietnam in order to continue to produce cheaper plastic vomit. You get my point. Folks…sometimes a movie is just a movie. In fact, MOST of the time that’s all it is. It’s entertainment. It’s a way to AVOID reality. To ignore it for a little while. And that, in a nutshell, is the appeal of the horror film. Going back to the 1930’s and continuing today…it’s about scaring the shit out of us in the safety of a movie theater (or at home in front of the tv). And if it’s not going to scare us…at least give us a fun ride. Myself, your humble reviewer, will spill out for you now just what it is I like and don’t like about movies. And, by reading this, you will hopefully come to appreciate my take on films…as perhaps you understand why it is I enjoy some movies and hate others. I am in my mid-thirties…a born and bred New Yorker who has never left…and probably won’t ever leave. I come from a small immediate family…but a large extended one. And one thing we all love…is movies. In particular…horror movies. My formative years…if you want to call it that, were spent having the shit scared out of me when I was 6 or 7 and made to watch SALEM’S LOT on tv late at night. As the little vampire boy floated at the window…scratching to be let in…I freaked out. When the daddy vampire showed his true face…I may have pissed myself. And so it went on… My parents, well more to the point my mother, saw no problem with making me watch the scariest movies. Because she enjoyed them. So my childhood is filled with memories of seeing AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON and THE FUNHOUSE at a Drive-In double feature. Of watching FRIDAY THE 13TH and having a coronary when Jason leaped out of the water. Of watching the original A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET and having a real hard time falling asleep. There was also CHILLER THEATRE on WPIX Channel 11. And, as many of you know, that dreaded claymation six fingered hand that rose out of a swamp while threatening in a low voice “Chhhiiiiillllllerrrrrr”. The old black and white films rarely horrified me…but there were some things way too weird for my young brain to comprehend. Movies where people spoke with strange accents and things made no sense…only to end in bloodshed and leave me with an affinity for young women with British accents. I distinctly remember seeing EVIL DEAD when I was just too young to realize the hilarity going on. For me, at the time, it looked like a glimpse into hell. EVIL DEAD 2 was a family favorite. ARMY OF DARKNESS became my father’s favorite. I recoiled in horror at THE THING… shrieked with glee at CREEPSHOW. Watershed moment for a young kid? Being taken to see SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT for a birthday viewing with my friends. Were we too young to see it? Maybe. But I henceforth became the kid with the “cool mom” who cursed out the movie theater manager when he tried to refuse us entry. THE SHINING scared the crap out of me…as it did to anyone at the time. JAWS might have scared me…but my father wouldn’t let me see it. It scared HIM! Along with my love of horror flicks, I also grew up a STAR WARS nut. I had to…it was my generation. EVERY kid was into it. And I had all the toys…of course. So Sci-fi was my thing for a while. You know…the real cheesy Sci-Fi that brought about the original BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, BUCK ROGERS, and numerous other forgettable flicks and shows. And, of course, my love for movies continued to grow. I enjoy a movie that gives me something for my money. Be it entertainment or a need to live vicariously through another character. I don’t dwell on a need to find some unknown flick and champion it just so I might appear to be smarter than my friends. I enjoy Academy Award winning flicks just as much I enjoy HELL COMES TO FROGTOWN. But I can’t take it when some reviewer decides he/she needs to prove how much more they know than you…and then brings up some movie that nobody has ever heard of and keeps explaining to you…in large words…how you need to be intelligent to get it. I loved CLERKS and loved CLERKS 2… I think EVIL DEAD 2 is an American masterpiece…I think DAWN OF THE DEAD is a classic, and believe DAY OF THE DEAD is among the most underrated movies of all time. I believe Dario Argento was a genius (yes, was…but hopefully might find that gift once again). However…I also believe ARMY OF DARKNESS fell apart in the third act. Ash is just so much more fun when he’s screwing things up. I think LAND OF THE DEAD was a stale movie made by a man who has missed the boat a bit. Things that are still fascinating to him no longer hold water with me. Dario Argento hasn’t made a decent flick since THE STENDHAL SYNDROME and I think that only held my interest because of Asia (hey…she made me sit through XXX). What I’m saying is…I love the movies of my youth, love those who brought them to life…but don’t blindly follow them as they continue to make crap (John Carpenter…I’m still waiting for that apology regarding ESCAPE FROM L.A.) I’m as much a typical guy as anyone else, I suppose. I’m an American male. A New Yorker. Educated? Yes. However, one of my favorite quotes is “I admire intellect…therefore I despise intellectuals.” And you know who you are. My musical tastes came about when I was a long-haired freak in the summer ’88. For me…it’s based in Metallica, Van Halen, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Queensryche, Ozzy Osbourne, etc. Have my musical tastes changed over the years? Of course, you can’t help but enjoy different musical tastes as you get older. You’ll still put on the album that got your dick hard when you were 17…but might also find something more current that better reflects your mood. My taste in movies, however, has not changed much. Still love horror…and love all of the movies I used to watch until the VHS tape got caught and chewed. I miss the days of trolling the video aisles…searching for that one obscure horror flick that I could bring to my friends and say “WATCH THIS!” The days of watching FACES OF DEATH…hunting down a copy of NEKROMANTIK 2… debating whether or not THE EXORCIST “spider walk” was real or not (the re-release ended an argument I had been having for years)…watching horror movie marathons late at night in the hopes I might recapture that feeling of terror…remembering how certain images stuck in my head long before I ever saw the movie (Argento’s OPERA…with it’s iconic visual of the Christina Marsillach gagged with needles under her eyes)…remembering when I first fell for Asia Argento…Ahhhhhh So, this is who I am. And if you find any of this similar to your own past…then you might understand that we just might like the same movies. And if so…you might trust my opinions. And maybe…you might give a movie a try because of it. On to the reviews…. C J Burton
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