10. Captivity-and-Torture Films
The best horror films combine suspense and gore. The former to keep us in the dark, build a sense of dread. The latter to shock us, make us realize whats lying beneath our seemingly secure existences. You need a good balance between the two to achieve true horror. Even films light on gore either suggest it off-camera as in Mr. Frostor combine it into one, overwhelming cataclysm, like the original Halloween. So what happens when filmslike the Hostel, Saw or The Human Centipede seriesbasically consist of ever-increasing gore? The horror fades away and we end up with torture porn. We dont see horror films to be scared anymore, we see them to be grossed out, or to take some macabre delight in the overly-complicated or graphic depictions of death onscreen. Granted, this has always been part of horror. People do cheer at some of the more ridiculous kills in the Friday the 13th films, like the corkscrew scene with Crispin Glover in IV. And attempts to justify Hostels gore as a satire of movie audiences echoes
earlier observations about classic slasher films. But there is a difference between the two. The deaths in films like Halloween, or Night of the Living Dead were the end-result of a long build-up of smaller scares, false scares, and atmospheric dread. They werent the entire reason to watch the film. And this might be my vain attempt to remain part of mainstream society, but torture porn just contributes to the social isolation of horror fans. One time, I tried to make conversation with an intern about Friday the 13th. I got a weird look, but no worse than when I tried to discuss Star Trek. Now, go to a social event with your significant others co-workers and try to fill an awkward conversation pause by discussing the plot of Hostel; thats the last company event youll be dragged to. Actually, thats kind of a brilliant idea.