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Recent trends in horror films can be cruel and unusual punishments for theater goers
By Dan Kaplan and Matt Levin
Posted: 4/3/08, 10:31 PM EST Section: Splice
Blood, guts and whatever rusty instruments you can find in a toolbox are the staples to the recent crop of grisly - and pathetically plotted - horror films. Affectionately dubbed "torture porn" or "gorno," these movies showcase lingering torture scenes of suffering (and often salacious) co-ed victims. Plots exist on the backburner in these movies that emphasize shock factor and little else. The latest of the bunch, "The Ruins" (about a group of sexy archeologists attacked on a dig in Mexico…or something to that effect), opens in theaters today. Here's a list of five other films in the genre that also are painful to watch:
"The Hills Have Eyes II" (2007)
Plot: The prelude to this sequel was simply a terrible remake. The sequel itself, however, is in a league of its own when it comes to stupid plots. In an abandoned part of the New Mexico desert, trainees of the National Guard are maimed by cannibalistic mutants living in the sand dunes.
Bad guys: Mutants - deformed as a result of living on nuclear testing ground.
Most Gratuitous Scene: After one of the female trainees bites off the tongue of one of the enemies, the lead mutant Papa Hades comes along, and a macabre rape scene ensues.
Rated R for prolonged sequences of strong gruesome horror violence and gore.
"Turistas" (2006)
Plot: Brazil winds up being not such a sultry place to vacation for a group of (mainly Americans) tourists. The backpackers are kidnapped and tortured by natives of the country. The entire country of Brazil took offense to this movie, and actor Josh Duhamel even apologized to the Brazilian government for the way the country is represented in the film.
Bad guy: A foreigner-hating madman/doctor who's a fan of organ harvesting.
Most Gratuitous Scene: Probably all of the blatant racism.
Rated R for strong graphic violence and disturbing content.
"Hostel" (2005)
Plot: Three backpacking friends set out on an excursion across Europe. A mysterious encounter in Amsterdam leads them to a hostel in Bratislava (which you might remember as the impoverished town in "EuroTrip"). One by one, group members disappear, as what initially seemed a promising vacation quickly becomes a nightmare.
Rated R for prolonged sequences of strong gruesome horror violence and gore.
Rated R for strong graphic violence and disturbing content.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Miranda
posted 4/04/08 @ 12:20 PM EST
I'm not sure if this was intended as an anti or promo piece for 'The Ruins,' but in either direction, I don't see the point.
Lumping together movies such as 'The Hills Have Eyes 2' and 'The Devil's Rejects' which are more shock-factor and gore-centric with genre-redefining works such as 'Saw' and 'Hostel' is, in my opinion, misleading. (Continued…)
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