Hostel and "torture porn"

[constintina]

So I finally watched Hostel and I liked it pretty well. Actually watching the thing felt kind of redundant, I already knew what little plot there was, the basic perimeters of Eli Roth’s anti-US imperialist exploration (or “message”, perhaps), even the best jokes. Still, there was creative gore. I loled, it was funny. I’m not sure the tone switch

Comments

[constintina]

I know people interact with fake violence in all different ways, so there's limited utility to using myself as a test case. BUT...I don't feel at all guilty for enjoying some super-violent movies. I don't really see it as having anything to do with an enjoyment of real-world violence, so I don't see what the problem is.

I might feel guilty for paying to see a gory movie that politically offends me, but that's another matter.

Real violence upsets and traumatizes me. I'm a fucking a vegan for christ's sake, and not the kind who loves animals but hates people. Gory footage on the internet...if it's real, I don't ever want to see it.

A big componant in my enjoment of Hostel et al is less the violence than the gore. My interest in gore comes from a kind of curiosity that I don't really see as being rooted in any desire to see pain or death. For example, I used to watch this show on The Learning Channel called "The Operation". It was hard to watch, but fascinating! That was real, but it wasn't violence or destruction, it was people being helped. In that context I could deal with real world "gore".

I think this is a bigger discussion, and one I have more questions about than answers...

I have had similar thoughts about TPOTC, though I haven't seen it...

[alsoname]

You can probably get TPOTC from the library. That is how I was able to see it without feeling bad about giving money to ol' Mel. I recommend it; it is the first gory movie I saw that actually did strike me as pornographic. (Then again, I haven't seen a lot of gory movies, though I do like zombie movies so there's some overlap.)

[constintina]

Is it boring, though?

[alsoname]

I did fast-forward through some parts. That's the beauty of getting it for free at the library: I don't feel like I must sit through it to get my money's worth.

[constintina]

He's such a wanker.