“
At the time I came along, Hollywood’s idea of teen movies meant there had to be a lot of nudity, usually involving boys in pursuit of sex, and pretty gross overall. Either that or a horror movie. And the last thing Hollywood wanted in their teen movies was teenagers!”~ John Hughes
This blog post contains subject matter that some may find offensive. Please use discretion if you are easily offended or repulsed by controversial subject matters which include extreme violence, gore, and sexual situations that appear in films.
This past weekend, I was surprised to see some of the people in which I had subscribed to on YouTube who are known for making movie reviews. The movie that they were reviewing and making videos for, was Human Centipede 2.
Not having seen the first film, I didn’t know anything about this sequel. Other than everyone who was reviewing this film on YouTube, was disgusted by it. So instead of paying out of my pocket to watch this film online, I decided to research it and find out just what it was all about.
They were right. This movie, based on an article that had written the plot of the film, is really disgusting. But like I said, I cannot compare it to the first one because I have seen neither film. And wouldn’t you know it, there are plans for making Human Centipede 3 next year, and it is supposed to be even more gross and shocking than number two!!
How they will pull that off, based solely on what I read about the sequel, is beyond me!!!!!!
But my lack of interest in seeing this film caused me to research other films which had been given the label of “sickest films of all time”.
I have seen plenty of horror films in my lifetime. I have seen lots of slasher and gore films as well. Most exploitation films that I have seen, were made for one purpose: shock value. Some of them, actually fit the bill.
Slasher films like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Last House on the Left, etc. I actually would learn that they were (at the time) banned in many different countries across the world. And that got me going on finding a worldwide list of banned films, categorized by country.
It didn’t really surprise me too much that the USA didn’t have a very long list of films that are “banned”.
I have seen rape and revenge films, such as I Spit On Your Grave which was made in 1978. I recall renting the Director’s Cut from a local video store, and just squirming during the brutal rape scenes. It too, was banned in some parts of the world.
Day Of The Woman/ I Spit On Your Grave (1978)
The rape scenes are so intense and very long in length. But of course comparing them to standards in which rape scenes are filmed in the 21st Century, one could say that it was “tame”. But rape scenes in films are horrible, period.
However, the second half of the film was the woman finding her revenge against those who attacked her. Their killing and mutilation (upon the first time watching this) caught me in a flurry of cheers for the woman in screaming, “GET THEM ALL!!!!”.
One of the movie’s taglines was “Not a jury in the world would convict her.” Well, no… because she didn’t leave much evidence behind by the end of the film to what she had done to her tormentors.
There’s even a category called “Sexploitation”. One of the films which some define under this category is Showgirls. When I saw that film, I actually believed it to be a waste of my time.
But going back to the brutality of content in films, which caused so much controversy in the world. I kept seeing a list of films that were made (and most of them banned for a while in countries worldwide) that were deemed the worst of all.
Most of these films I have never seen before. But some of them for whatever reason got my curiosity up about them.
Films such as 120 Days of Sodom which is an Italian horror film made in 1975. I thought to myself “What could POSSIBLY be so disturbing about a film that was made back then??”.
I’ve seen Caligula. The full length and uncut version of it. It even had eminent actors such as Peter O’Toole and Helen Mirren. The sexual content of the film included scenes of an orgy, incest, and homosexual fellatio. That last part right there actually turned my stomach. The “gore” of it though, wasn’t as shocking to me as it may be to others.
And then I would read about the film and its plot.
This movie was based off the writings of the Marquis de Sade. That right there, should tell the view of the film something. The violence is supposed to be very shocking with the mutilation and death of some of the characters. The idea of rape against characters who were supposed to be children is also vile. And then you have coprophagia. UGH!!!
I have already had my fair share of watching scenes in films of coprophagia when I saw 13:Game of Death, (aka 13: Game Sayong or 13 Beloved) and even though I laughed at the rest of the people that I was watching the film with, it was something that I had to research to prove to my ex that the scene was fake and NOT real. Plus it was subtitled since it was made in Thailand, which does take a little bit away from the experience of watching a film because one who cannot read fast will miss out on a lot of things that are happening in the film.
Still, it was gross enough. And never again…. or not?!?
So I don’t know if I really want to watch 120 Days of Sodom based purely on that fact. I’m guessing that the violence in it is not as graphic as films are today. But just that one subject matter makes me tremble to think of what it might be.
Another one I was able to watch someone do a review for was called A Serbian Film. Tons of extreme violence, sex, and even the inclusion of children. Ehhh… I don’t know about that one either.
Visions of Ecstasy
One more film that was banned was called Visions of Ecstasy. Which was banned in the UK for blasphemy.
The only film in the world to be banned for that reason.. I think. That one, I have to double check. But again, its based on the TRUE writings of Saint Teresa from Spain. And its only 18 minutes long.
But I think that certain topics and subject matter in films cause certain controversy. For sure, I think that society finds things repulsive and disgusting if it deals with animals and/or children.
Other things like religion also get controversial as well. I mean The Life of Brian was banned for many years in many countries. And that was just satire humor… with a religious element.
How some of these horror films actually get through censorship boards is really, beyond my comprehension. But I can take a slasher film or a gore film and watch it. It doesn’t really bother me much at all. Because I know that its not real. And no, I will not go into the urban legend of the snuff film. I’m just saying that the levels of violence, blood, and gore keep going up with each decade and the changing of society and its morals and what is deemed “okay”. After all, the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre is STILL banned in a few places.
But there are some films that I don’t think that I will ever be able to “unsee” once I’ve seen them. Some that I had never had watched in the first place. I’ve made those mistakes too many times.
So I have to make a decision on where I draw the line. Where is it that I will lay the boundaries and say “I’m NOT going to watch this film!”. It is personal decision that can only be made by that individual. Some can handle such plots of violence and gore, and others cannot.
Dambreaker 