Gore and the "Dark Side of Humanity"

Hello again! Now that you've got some information on why people do or don't like scary movies, along with some scientific information, let's move on to something more fun: the gore. We all are aware of the blood and guts that have become necessities in scary movies today. The gore is a major component of these films that causes people to hate them or be disgusted by them. However, I personally LOVE the gory stuff; the more the better! BUT it has to be done right or else it comes off as corny or totally ridiculous. An article from npr.org explains how movies started increasing the amount of gore and uses two of my favorite horror directors as examples. Extreme gore is why many parents don't want children seeing these films as well. People are afraid that seeing torture and death and violence will scar their minds forever. Personally, I don't think that young kids should be exposed to extremely violent and gory content, but they shouldn't be completely sheltered from violent content either because when they get older, they're going to be shocked. However, people have the option to watch the content or not, so those who don't want to watch it or have their kids watch it should simply ignore it. Why take it away from people who do enjoy it? But even though we enjoy these movies, we have to be considerate of those who don't. David Poland, editor of Movie City News, states "I don't think there's any question that it leads to a certain coarsening of culture...The question is where that ultimately leads in the spiritual lives...of people watching it. And that's something we do have to keep our eyes on as adults." Poland makes an excellent point in that we need to be careful of how desensitized we become to violent media and ensure that we know our limitations in order to keep some standard of morality. I think that many true horror fans can understand this idea and are mature in their thinking and behaviors after seeing the films. I have seen countless slasher, torture, gore-filled horror films, and I am no more likely to commit murder or turn insane than before I watched the movies. I think most of us have the common sense to have a moral understanding of the films and our behaviors. However, it is those who don't have this understanding that can be a concern, and I will address this in the next post. But for those who love horror, the violence and gore is essential. Director, and musician, Rob Zombie explained that "it's like taking the sex out of a porno movie...it deals on such a gut level that when you remove those gut elements, it becomes a hollow experience." For us horror fans, this is so true. Removing the gore and violence from the movies eliminates the excitement and elements we love. Otherwise, we would have went to see an action or drama to begin with. All in all, it comes down to this: if you don't like horror movies and gore, don't try to take it away from those who do. If you love horror and gore, don't impose it on those who don't.

Another reason why many of us may enjoy violent films so much is the idea that we lean toward a negative-craving society. It seems that often times we look for the bad rather than the good. How often when watching the news do we hear something good? Not very often. We constantly are fueled by terrible things happening in the world or in our own personal lives. Yet, there is never enough violence or negativity to satisfy people. We constantly hear about bad things, but never get to see them. Mikita Brottman, a horror scholar educated at Oxford, explains that "there's this massive disconnect between what we're told is going on and what we're seeing, which is nothing...so maybe these vignettes are compensations for what you don't see in real life." Brottman makes an excellent point; the violent films may be some sort of compensation for the real life violence missing in our lives. This seems like a strange idea, but it also seems very reasonable. It seems that as a society we feed off of violence and negativity, so it shouldn't be surprising as to why so many people love films that indulge in both elements. Violence has become an inescapable part of our culture, and "humanity's dark side is a fascinating place to explore" (Brottman). Admittedly, I agree. It is very interesting to look at and explore the dark side of humanity, and although we should certainly more often look at the bright side of humanity, we all know that isn't what happens. So as a society fueled by violence, and seemingly increasingly so, horror films may be satisfying the craving. Personally I like to look at the bright side of things as much as possible, but the films are sort of a contrast to the positive, so it creates a kind of balance. If horror films become increasingly violent enough to a point where they can fully compensate for real-world violence, then everyone would be watching the films and the world would be a much better place. However, that isn't the case, so we explore the effects of the films and questions surrounding them just as I am now, and just as millions of people do with anything of interest to them. So in my next post, I will be looking into predisposition to violent behavior and how this can be affected by watching horror films. So stay tuned!

"Horror Movies Crank Up the Gore." npr.org. 29 Oct. 2007. Web. 26 March 2016.