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April 10, 2009

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IL

Ms Harker, you bring up a good point; fright mixed with intrigue and that unsettling presence of the "other." It's much harder to create that atmosphere, and so much more rewarding when it is done well; look at The Haunting, or the Uninvited, two older movies which captured that presence and the fright generating from it and the atmosphere built up around it. "Deft touch" is not a staple of today's horror bag of tricks.

Ms Harker

Personally I have no time for films like Hostel and Saw. I feel they are the above mentioned visual effect catering to the lowest common denominator. The description of them as torture porn is quite apt. As a horror fan I do take offense to us all being lobbed into a category of voyeuristic snuff chasers. For me horror is about intrigue of the paranormal, the ghost child hiding under the sink, and ok maybe the ceiling covered in thick black hair that will string up the next person that walks in! But its about the fright and the presence of 'the other', not chaining someone to a chair with barbed wire whilst you pluck out their bowel one sausage at a time.

Ms Harker
www.musingcontinuum.wordpress.com

ILozZoc

Mike, during Hostel I kept imagining myself in the same predicament. It was excruciating for me and boy did my heart race along. I found myself torn between liking the film for the terror-filled experience on one hand, and feeling guilty for it on the other. But it certainly achieved the important goal of making you feel the horror (at least for me) instead of just watching it.

Mike

Of course, we're desensitized. The same way a porn addict is desensitized by nakedness (I would only assume:)).

However, it is too broad to say that we want to see people killed in unique ways. That's what you expect in a slasher.

But, I think many Horrorbuffs (I know I can only speak for myself) believe fear is inspired through suspense versus overt violence. Think of Hostel (the first). Sure it was violent, but the fear of torture and the unknown was really what created suspense and made the movie scary. The actual violence itself (I'd suggest) was less brutal than many other movies.

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