Torture porn : popular horror after Saw / Steve Jones, Northumbria University, UK.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Jones, Steve, 1979-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Splatter films--History and criticism.

Splatter films.

Horror films--History and criticism.

Horror films.

Torture in motion pictures.

Physical Description:

ix, 232 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Houndmills, Basingstoke : Palgrave Macmillan, 2013.

Summary:

"Lambasted by critics as a sign of censorial failure and even social decline, the horror subgenre known as 'torture porn' has generated a great deal of controversy during the last decade. Although torture porn films such as Saw, Hostel and The Human Centipede were highly successful and have become cultural touchstones, the term 'torture porn' remains synonymous with misogyny, obscenity and morally depravity. Arguing primarily in defense of these popular torture-themed horror films, this is the first book to offer a detailed critical examination of the 'torture porn' phenomenon, outlining the subgenre's lineage, scrutinizing responses to the sub-genre, and offering narrative analyses of the sub-genre's central box-office hits as well as the multitude of independent direct-to-DVD films that have followed in their footsteps. In doing so, this book seeks to unpick the relationships between 'porn', 'horror', 'immorality', and 'extremity'. "-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note:

Contents

Introduction: 'Welcome To Your Worst Nightmare'

PART I: 'TORTURE PORN' (CATEGORY)

1. 'The Past Catches Up to Everyone'

Lineage and Nostalgia

2. 'Bend to our objectives'

'Torture Porn' as Press Discourse

3. 'No-one approves of what you're doing'

Fans and Filmmakers

PART II: 'TORTURE' (MORALITY)

Introduction

4. 'Your story's real, and people feel that'

Contextualising Torture

5. 'Some are Victims. Some are Predators. Some are Both'

Torturous Positions

6. 'In the land of the pig, the butcher is king'

Torture, Spaces, and Power

PART III: 'PORN' (EXTREMITY)

7. 'Ladies first'?

Torture Porn, Sex, and Misogyny

8. 'Why are you crying? Aren't you having fun?'

Extreme Porn

9. 'You Will Not Believe Your Eyes...or Stomach'

Hardcore Horror

Conclusion: 'Will You Continue?'

Beyond 'Torture Porn'

Notes

Bibliography

Filmography

Index.

Notes:

Includes filmography.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780230319417

0230319416

OCLC:

834978360

Online:

Cover image