3. Torture Porn
Violence, and the threat of it, is an essential gear in the horror machine. And though the amount of violence depicted in horror films had steadily been rising over the years, it reached extreme heights over last decade, creating a new sub-genre which many critics dubbed torture porn". These films, including the Saw and Hostel franchises, take violence to a new level not only in its extremity, but also in the fact that the films are structured around the scenes of torture or self-mutilation. There isnt as much focus on suspense, or escaping a villain; rather, the violence and torture itself is the payoff. While some argued that this was a mere glorification of violence (hence the name torture porn), others felt that some of the films (specifically the first Hostel film) had real merit, and were commenting on the world around them. In his book Post 9/11 Horror in American Cinema, author Kevin Wetmore notes that torture porn films began emerging as torture entered the national consciousness. Not only the fact that members of the US army and civilians (journalists, contractors) were being tortured by the enemy during the War on Terror, but that the United States was doing its fair share of torturing as well. The idea of torture was a black cloud floating over Americas collective cultural consciousness, so perhaps it is no surprise that these anxieties and fears found their way into our horror films. Torture Porn films reveal not only our fear of being tortured and subjected to intense pain, but also our guilt over committing the same crimes to others. It should be noted, though, that the number (and success) of torture porn films has declined over the last few years. Whether that is due to changes in US policy that restrict torture easing our fears, or a collective acceptance and numbing toward the subject over time, perhaps only time will tell.