What's the appeal of ultra-realistic gore in movies?

Thirith on 5/2/2007 at 14:27

Since they've just started showing Saw 3 in cinemas here, I checked out some webpages describing the level of gore in the film. Already the stills made me queasy. Nevertheless, films like this, Hostel or Wolf Creek seem to attract large crowds.

I'm wondering: Do you like gory films? If so, what is it about them that appeals to you? Is there a type of gore that you can't stomach?

henke on 5/2/2007 at 14:44

Yeah, I liked Saw 1 & 2, they really scared the shit out of me. The gore, in and of itself, is no reason to watch the movies, but they just wouldn't work without it. And what's the appeal of ultra-realistic gore? Well, if it just looks like ketchup it's not gonna be very scary is it?

Thirith on 5/2/2007 at 14:47

The thing is, I don't find gore very scary. Disgusting, yes. Nauseating, definitely. But scary? Nope. I know it's a cliché, but I still find Alien scarier than Alien 3 or Alien Resurrection. The original Halloween freaks me out, and there's barely any blood in that one. As a matter of fact, films like Brazil scare me more than most horror films, although horror makes me jump more. (It's easy enough to make someone jump in their seats.)

Vivian on 5/2/2007 at 15:29

What.... SAW was the biggest pile of rubbish I've ever seen. Scary? It had the guy from robin hood: men in tights doing some of the worst acting in history (seriously, the bit where he goes all white and starts saying 'oh no my family' and all that crap? What the hell is going on there? It's like that rubber-faced guy from deep space nine with about half the pathos) and a plot that read like a stoned 17 yr old re-writing se7en. I've been more scared by my flatmates unwashed saucepans. Round the Twist was a veritable shock-fest compared to SAW.

Wolf Creek, on the other hand, really wasn't that gratuitous. The most hard-hitting bit of the film ('head on a stick!') didn't actually involve any blood at all, just suggestion and a really horrible facial expression.

Papy on 5/2/2007 at 15:37

I also don't find gore scary. One of the most scary movie I saw was The Blair Witch Project. This movie sent me shivers down my spine several times. Same thing, although to a lesser degree, for something like The Ring. On the other hand, gore movie are just boring.

paloalto on 5/2/2007 at 16:12

Fascination with death is how I see it.Trying to magtnify the fear of it all.

SD on 5/2/2007 at 16:36

Obviously, if you're making a film, you ought to make it realistic, and if you're making a violent film, then the violence ought to be convincing. So long as it's integral to the story, I don't see a problem with it. I mean, I saw A History Of Violence the other day. A lot of people had a problem with the explicit scenes of brutality and sex in that film, but they were absolutely crucial to the plot and characterisation. Se7en is another film where the violence was absolutely justified.

These days, however, we're seeing a lot of gratuitously gory movies catering to a minority of sickoes. Maybe it's because we're all so desensitised to violence these days and filmmakers need to serve up bigger doses of gore to satisfy thrill-seekers. Saw was just the right side of the line, but I don't know how people can actually enjoy movies like Hostel or Chaos, which are just pornographically, repulsively, sadistically horrible.

Vivian on 5/2/2007 at 16:49

The first sex-scene in A history of violence was pretty well the creepiest thing I've ever seen - you know the one, where she's dressed up as a cheerleader and they both move like robots and have these horrible, dead-eyed expressions? And that one was supposed to be the normal, romantic one. I guess cronenburg just can't do romantic.

Aerothorn on 5/2/2007 at 17:01

Gore makes me very uncomfortable. No Saw for me.

Kolya on 5/2/2007 at 18:14

Quote Posted by Strontium Dog

Obviously, if you're making a film, you ought to make it realistic

Films don't have to be realistic, neither to scare you, nor to impress you in any other way.

Quote Posted by Uncle Bacon

The first sex-scene in A history of violence

I actually liked the sex scenes in A history of violence very much. Including the staircase one. Oh yes. Both of them were integral parts of the story.
The first was to show a couple that's been together for many years with children. While he would be fine with the normal routine, she's looking for something new to explore. Therefor the cheerleader dress. He finds that a bit odd and is somewhat reluctant but after all Maria Bello looks great in a cheerleader outfit. Maybe it was the initial surprise on his side you saw as odd, robot movements.

In the staircase scene it's technically a rape at first, he fears of losing his wife and thinks sex will bond them together but she doesn't want to because she feels betrayed by him. But because of his sudden aggressiveness she starts seeing that dangerous stranger in him, the new thrill she's been looking for that turns her on and they both come hard.

So these scenes beside telling you a lot about the characters also tell you something about violence. And as practically all violence in AHOV it's acted out by the characters you identify with in a way that you are to approve it despite how extremely brutal it is.
That is why Cronenberg also shows gore, because the audience who had approved of the violence should deal with the consequences of that violence too in his opinion.