Let's Talk Torture. BRAIN STORM TIME!!!!
So. many of you probably know I am working on a short documentary about this concept of "torture porn." I am looking at the way horror films have changed in american culture post 9/11.
I want to start a discussion with other horror fans on this subject just to hear what you all think. Do you believe that torture porn is even a real thing?
It seems to me that horror is all about creating fear that relates to our current cultural landscape. It provides a safe place for us to delve into our dark sides. I am still working out all my thoughts and developing my "thesis" but I am uncomfortable with calling current horror films TORTURE PORN. it seems false & over dramatic. Sure, there is a surge of torture and some films are so vapid (i.e. Captivity) that they don't even have a real plot. Its just the captive girl and her torturer. (even though the definition of torture is for the purpose of seeking information and who knows what information the men of Hostel want? They don't want anything. They want to experience being a "real man" and become filled with the essence of power and control).
IF you think about it back in the 70s Texas Chainsaw was considered a form of torture porn as well. It just seems that our fears are exploited in current horror of the times. Its just the way it has always been. It also bothers me that there are 10000000 of videos online of "Gonzo porn" that REALLY is TRUE torture porn. Girls who are drugged or convinced to be in real porno videos doing horrendous things with looks of true horror and pain on there face. Having there heads dumped in toilet bowls or being chocked with massive cocks till they puke. Oh the sexyness! SOmehow so many fucking women are raped & violated in our country and nobody does shit or cares. And yet a hollywood genre film that is always bloody and dark shows some horror images that reflect our times and people get offended. It seems backward. Attention should be at the source of the problem, not the art depicting it as a means of dealing with how we feel about it. Plus,if you want FUCKING REAL TORTURE PORN get the photos from Abu Graib and see the thumbs up the soldiers are giving while having naked detainees stacked in piles and being forced to do sexual acts with each other. Its like when the nazis recorded all there horrendous acts.
You know its like, Horror used to always have this element of fantasy. Freddy would "torture" in a sense but he was in our dreams. Michael Myers would stab with a knife but he also was fake in that you could blow him up a million times and he would always come back. That gave it this fairy tale aspect. Horror films today depict situations we could all really find ourselves in. So I guess all my jumble thoughts are just a mess of different opinions. I just feel like calling Hostel, Saw, etc "TORTURE PORN" is a little bit bizzare. Instead of taking about what those films are actually saying about our culture today. Our real world is TORTURE PORN. not the movies of make believe where the actors walk home with a nice check afterwards and magazine fame.
These are just random thoughts. Please please chim in with whatever comes to your mind! !!! i might not make any sense in my thoughts yet which is fine. Please feel free to disagree. i wanna hear from you all!
I want to start a discussion with other horror fans on this subject just to hear what you all think. Do you believe that torture porn is even a real thing?
It seems to me that horror is all about creating fear that relates to our current cultural landscape. It provides a safe place for us to delve into our dark sides. I am still working out all my thoughts and developing my "thesis" but I am uncomfortable with calling current horror films TORTURE PORN. it seems false & over dramatic. Sure, there is a surge of torture and some films are so vapid (i.e. Captivity) that they don't even have a real plot. Its just the captive girl and her torturer. (even though the definition of torture is for the purpose of seeking information and who knows what information the men of Hostel want? They don't want anything. They want to experience being a "real man" and become filled with the essence of power and control).
IF you think about it back in the 70s Texas Chainsaw was considered a form of torture porn as well. It just seems that our fears are exploited in current horror of the times. Its just the way it has always been. It also bothers me that there are 10000000 of videos online of "Gonzo porn" that REALLY is TRUE torture porn. Girls who are drugged or convinced to be in real porno videos doing horrendous things with looks of true horror and pain on there face. Having there heads dumped in toilet bowls or being chocked with massive cocks till they puke. Oh the sexyness! SOmehow so many fucking women are raped & violated in our country and nobody does shit or cares. And yet a hollywood genre film that is always bloody and dark shows some horror images that reflect our times and people get offended. It seems backward. Attention should be at the source of the problem, not the art depicting it as a means of dealing with how we feel about it. Plus,if you want FUCKING REAL TORTURE PORN get the photos from Abu Graib and see the thumbs up the soldiers are giving while having naked detainees stacked in piles and being forced to do sexual acts with each other. Its like when the nazis recorded all there horrendous acts.
You know its like, Horror used to always have this element of fantasy. Freddy would "torture" in a sense but he was in our dreams. Michael Myers would stab with a knife but he also was fake in that you could blow him up a million times and he would always come back. That gave it this fairy tale aspect. Horror films today depict situations we could all really find ourselves in. So I guess all my jumble thoughts are just a mess of different opinions. I just feel like calling Hostel, Saw, etc "TORTURE PORN" is a little bit bizzare. Instead of taking about what those films are actually saying about our culture today. Our real world is TORTURE PORN. not the movies of make believe where the actors walk home with a nice check afterwards and magazine fame.
These are just random thoughts. Please please chim in with whatever comes to your mind! !!! i might not make any sense in my thoughts yet which is fine. Please feel free to disagree. i wanna hear from you all!