Torture porn

So in the last couple of weeks I've had the 'pleasure' of watching a whole bunch of the horror genre known as 'torture porn' - basically, the first three instalments in the Saw series and Hostel.

It's an 'art' form with virtually no legitimacy, and the critical panning of these films comes as no surprise to me (although I was bemused to find that Hostel got better ratings than the Saw films).

First, let's discuss the Saw films. I expected these to be just mindless bloody violence, and I didn't think I'd even make it through the first one.

I was wrong. Don't misunderstand me, these films have plenty of mindless violence thrown in, searching for that adrenaline rush of horror in the audience.

I was surprised at how psychological they were. Admittedly there are major elements of Seven thrown into them, so to a greater or lesser extent they're ripped off.

However, especially the first Saw has quite an interesting concept, with some fascinating twists; it even has some thriller elements thrown in along with the horror.

The second and third volumes are a bit more torture porn-y, but still not nearly as bad as was implied. By the end of the third film, Jigsaw has taken on a sort of anti-hero status, although thankfully the twist ending puts a stop to that before it goes too far.

All in all, these films are not nearly as bad as people implied they would be. I actually quite liked them. They also have a blackhearted sense of humour that I very much appreciated.

I also approved of how actors from the previous films in the series would return for flashbacks. It adds a sense of legitimacy to building up the series' universe around its characters. Compare that to say, the Nightmare On Elm Street series, in which virtually every new film meant a cast of new actors and characters (bar Robert Englund as Freddie Kreuger).

The first Saw is a genuinely interesting, original film just with some elements of Seven spun into it. The second two are not nearly as good, because the concept's being re-used, and they really aren't that good. But I still liked them quite a bit.

Hostel, on the other hand, I despised. I am staggered that Hostel got reasonable reviews compared to Saw. I suspect this is partly due to the words 'Tarantino,' 'presented,' 'Quentin' and 'by' being involved in its promotion.

It's just mindless sex followed soon after by mindless violence. It's a reprehensible movie without a single a likeable character in it.

I suspect that this is exactly what the film was aiming to achieve, and there were a couple of moments where you actually revel in the violence, much as it pains me to admit it.

But overall, Hostel is simply dumb. There's nothing psychological about it.

It's just making a point that guys who see women as objects should be disemboweled and that humanity in general is disgusting enough to pay good money just for the opportunity to kill someone as a pastime.

It's disgusting, whereas Saw was simply brutal as a result of its storyline.

Once I've watched the second Saw trilogy I'll be sure to report back.