MovieChat Forums > August Underground Discussion > views on violence

views on violence

posted 18 years ago by sarahfirman
15 replies | jump to latest

Hi peeps,
Im posting this message on several of these hardcore horror boards. Im not here to cause trouble, and I don't really want to hear ranting judgement calls on how 'sick' people are or whether this movie is any good, all i want to know is:

In all honesty, do you find the graphic violence portrayed in this film a sexual turn on? If not, fine - feel free to just put "no" and move on, or ignore this thread entirely. If you do find it sexy, and care to elaborate on why, then i am truly interested in your opinion.

As i said before, if you feel like ranting on about "sick ba stards" or anything, just click onto another thread - please don't waste your time and energy being offended over an honest enquiry that was never meant to make anyone angry.

Sarah

[–] sepsism 18 years ago

Hey sarahfirman.

I do not personally gain any perverse sexual pleasure from these films, although I do find it sickly amusing\entertaining watching people being tortured and murdered (only when faked of course!).

Why the interest?

[–] sarahfirman 18 years ago

Hi Sepsism,
Thank you for the response. in answer to your question, im researching in the field at the moment. The worst things that can happen to a researcher are: a) you end up so far up your own ass you forget that other people have views, b) you lose touch with the community. Thats why im interested on a personal level. Ive posted the same message on other boards to get a variety of responses in relation to specific films (i.e. in depth), one on the "horror" discussion board to get an instant/general response. Hopefully the question will be as interesting to everyone else too. Its that angle that drew me to these films and my project in the first place.
I agree with you whole heartedly - it makes a massive difference knowing it is faked, even if it looks ultra-real.
Sarah

[–] sepsism 18 years ago

Good stuff. Hope it goes well for you :) Yeah I noticed you had posted on other boards, many of which I frequent myself funnily enough!

Where did you compile your list of these specific films? Especially some of the more obscure Japanese titles.

Also have you personally seen all of these films yourself? Or just read about them?

Cheers

[–] sarahfirman 17 years ago

Thank you Sepsism.
Yeah i've seen them all except murder-set-pieces. I compiled the list simply based on ones that i've gotten hold of - not very scientific, but hell, i've an arts student!

Sarah

[–] sepsism 17 years ago

Sweet. Which titles did you find the most "difficult" to sit through? (if any), from the boards I've seen you post on, I think MSP is probably the tamest.

Did you have any favorite titles? and most disliked? Would be interesting to hear.

Will your work be published online anywhere for us to read?

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] sarahfirman 17 years ago

Thank you again for the interest Sepism,
Im hoping the article will get published in a book (an anthology on porn); but that hasn't been confirmed, so i'll keep you posted.

As for the films, I really enjoy Ichi the Killer and Irreversible as accomplished pieces of cinema. As for the more extreme end of things, I thought 'Watashi no akai harawata (hana)' was really interesting. Not a great deal happens (there is virtually no narrative), its just someone torturing themselves. August Underground was possibly the most formally realistic of the psuedo-snuff films i've seen, and for that alone it deserves its infamy. I didn't like Mordum as much - while its more grotesque, it forces a narrative structure (an incestual love story) over the events, which detracts from the premise, and 'legitimses' its stucture (it makes it easier to sit through/follow).
Any film by Daisuke Yamanouchi is fairly difficult to sit through, as its either dull, grotesque or plain stupid! 'Shôjo jigoku ichi kyû kyû kyû' is pretty horrible. 'Slaughtered Vomit dolls' is hard going - not because it's particularly hardcore, but because it is overly stylised (if you haven't seen it, imagine the colour and sound changes of Natural Born killers happening every 3 seconds - its wears thin after about 10 minutes, and you soon grow numb to the affects).
I'd say that 'Niku daruma' is possibly the one i would point out as being the most offensive on the list.

If you have any recommendations, i'd love to hear them!
Sarah

[–] kingcarcas 17 years ago

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] sarahfirman 16 years ago

Hi people, just to say thank you to everyone who has contributed to these discussions - I have been away for a while while I have been writing, but have been monitoring responses (i kinda wanted to leave the discussion alone so I wouldn't sway the responses).
While I have now written the piece, I am still interested in people's views on the subject, so don't feel that this debate is "over".
Thank you again,
Sarah

[–] funkymse 16 years ago

Is it possible to read your piece, is it available anywhere?

Thanks.

[–] sarahfirman 15 years ago

It will be next year (the editorial process takes ages) - i'll send you a message when it is out there. thank you for the interest,
Sarahfirman

[–] funkymse 14 years ago

Thank you, i look forward to that :-)

[–] ash24m 16 years ago

Films like these aren't really my taste but I can understand the attraction to watching something that is "disturbing" and the adrenaline rush you get from that. As for sexual gratification that is a reaction that I can't really relate to. I'm really not sure if I have ever had a fellow horror fan admit to that reaction watching these kind of films. I guess it's possible though and I wouldn't necessary conclude that reaction as harmful. As it may be an honest subconscious reaction and possibly cathartic is some way. Personally my motivation for watching is more along the longs of buckling down and see if you can handle the assault on the senses. Films like these also make for an interesting discussion and analysis. I can also appreciate the realism of the acting/direction and the make up F/X that are involved.

[–] austina5716 15 years ago

I would also be interested in reading your piece once it's finished. I have seen quite a few of these types of films because I am trying to view something that hits me deep and leaves an impression. Good luck on your writing and I hope for success. :)