Interesting that the "Faces Of Death" movies still hold up after so long. I guess the things people were telling me were true.
Yeah, I also worked on Dressed to Kill. In fact, as far as I know, this was the very first time a home video version was released unrated: Brian DePalma asked the studio if they'd release the unexpergated version, which was much more violent and had more nudity than the R-rated version. I transferred all the camera negative, which was really disturbing: it showed the straight razor going right into Angie Dickenson's face, which was really gruesome. The theatrical version did not have these shots. I think we did this around early 1981, whenever it came out on home video. Terror in the Aisles was interesting because that was the first time I found out that every time a movie is submitted for an MPAA rating, the producer has to pay them a non-refundable fee of $5000. If the producer doesn't like the rating, they can either lodge an appeal or re-edit the movie to try to get the rating down. The MPAA would not give them a written list of "concerns"; they'd only call the producer and relay the problem scenes by voice. And they would never guarantee "if you cut out A, B, and C, you can avoid the X Rating." Instead, they'd say, "well, we had concerns about the excessive violence in the scene with the nipple at 56 minutes in, and the shot where the guy's eyes are gouged out around 1 hour and 17 minutes in." That sort of thing. It cost the poor producer $50,000 to get the film re-rated 10 times, for a total of about $50,000 (from my memory). But they eventually got it down to an R and it did very well in theaters and in home video.
I remember in High School they showed a documentary in class about concentration camps. Haven't seen it since then but there are some scenes I still remember. Can't think of the name but it's a well known film.
Stan Brakhage's 1971 film The Act of Seeing With One's Own Eyes. What I had forgotten until now was the significance of the title.
Lots of usual suspects already named, let me add one I watched recently "Kill List" from the UK - a bit like the original Wicker Man, but even more uncomfortable .... not really a gore fest, but ......
Not a movie per se, but I watched the real decapitation of Nick Berg on YouTube all those years ago ....... I shouldn't have ! Never gonna make that mistake again.
I am very glad to be able to report that I have not seen any of the films mentioned in this thread... I can't handle extremely violent images. Yikes... I think I would be permanently damaged if I had to watch something real like that. My imagination of what the event must have been like is enough to disturb me.
I'm not a fan of lowest common denominator entertainment of any form, really, so lots of stuff listed (yeah, I'm talking about you, "Human Centipede"!) ain't in my wheelhouse. I have a strong suspension of disbelief, so the only thing horrifying to me when I have stumbled on bits of these things is that there is an audience that enjoys it. Film-wise I enjoy challenging or thought-provoking stuff. Still, something like "Irreversible" or "Salò, or the 120 Nights of Sodom" (which I think hasn't been mentioned) somehow stay perpetually low on the "acclaimed movies to see" list. Something like "Funny Games," disturbing as both versions are, worked for me despite some of the heavy-handedness because it was as repulsed by its horror as I was. From my limited vantage point, torture porn seems to revel hedonistically even if it pays lip service to being, say, cautionary tales.
Thanks for this post. It reminds me of two things. The first is another DePalma movie, Blow Out, with its slasher opening sequence and how it is used as a bookend to the final scene with John Travolta's sound man during post-production (I assume). I found these two parts of the film a great commentary on how filmmakers, audiences and the industry point fingers at each other in justifying extreme material. The other thing I'm reminded of is not only how significant $50k was in 1981 compared to now (yay economics!) but that I really want to re-watch "This Film Is Not Yet Rated" (currently streaming on ye olde Netflix). Talk about a disturbing movie film buffs should all see....
Whoa! Pretty cool. Thank you for the information on that. I didn't know the studio could charge the producer directly for re-rating a film. Thanks for the great work on these films as well!
My threshold is lower than many of you guys. Crumb really disturbed me, there was so much dark dysfunctional crap just below the surface of that movie that it really unnerved me. Outside of that, Last House on the Left is probably high on my list. The sauna sequence in Eastern Promises almost made me sick, but the movie was so good, I couldn't abandon it. Luckily for my wife, I had heard about the sequence and told her to go to another room.
"Last House" is such an incompetent movie that I think its nastiness gets undercut - I found it hard to get too upset by its graphic scenes when the next minute featured goofy cops and silly music: http://www.dvdmg.com/lasthouseontheleftce.shtml
I watched "Human Centipede" on Comcast On Demand a couple of years ago. I had heard about how gruesome and disgusting it was, so I was apprehensive at first about watching it. What I saw was a badly put together film with bad acting and effects. It was just so....stupid. The one film I couldnt stomach was "I Spit on Your Grave". The rape scene at the beginning was enough for me. A friend of mine had rented it and during that scene I had to get up and leave the room. I literally got sick to my stomach...
Disclaimer: I don't watch torture porn. I'm familiar with or have seen clips of most of the movies mentioned here, but that's just so I know what's going on in the world. There's no way in hell I'm sitting through a Hostel movie or any of the Centipedes. That said, I'm going to recommend a title for those with strong stomachs who might want a little intellectual stimulation. Martyrs - a French horror flick from 2008 that will mess you the F up. It is horrifically violent, and there is a ton of blood. But.....there's one helluva story going on underneath it all, and an ending that will leave you thinking for a long time. Pro tips for prospective viewers: - Get the uncut version. In for a dime, in for a dollar. - The dubbed version is quite good. Go with that, so you don't miss anything on screen. - Do not, I repeat DO NOT read anything about this movie on the interwebs. Spoilers abound out there, and you really don't want to know what's going to happen. Seriously. Almost forgot....last I heard, an American remake is in the works. I shudder to think what they'll do with the ending.
That's basically what I thought about "Last House...", as linked above. While the movie could/should have been disturbing, it was so poorly made that it lost any sense of realism and lacked the alleged impact, IMO. "Grave" was a better-made film - despite dodgy editing - and thus had more of an impact...
Me too, though I still thought it was only okay: http://www.dvdmg.com/lasthouseontheleft2009.shtml I'm in the radical minority on this issue, but I think the "Texas Chainsaw" remake is better than the original, largely because it's a much better made film...
