Gore As a Genre
 

The following is a quote from the Horror Movies thread.

JR raised an interesting point I'd like to raise for discussion. Namely... 'gore' as a genre. There is a wide range of exploitation/grindhouse cinema that falls within the ultra-violent category, and I've always had the vague feeling that such films deserve a niche all their own. I could never really put a finger on anything, however, until I read that post. To me, there are quite a few films that would fall into a 'gore' genre, and as JR pointed out there is most certainly room for further creativity and growth in the area.

Basically, I was wondering what your views are on 'gore' as a genre, the direction exploitation cinema is taking, and your faves from these categories.

A few examples if you don't know the kind of films I am referring too:

Exploitation Cinema:
Sin City
Grindhouse
Kill Bill
The Devil's Rejects
Saw
Hostel
Shoot Em Up

(note these are all recent examples)

The Gore Sub-Genre:
Saw
Hostel
The Devil's Rejects
Grindhouse

And so on. Discuss.

Re: Gore As a Genre
 

I personally see gore as a film that has a loose, uninteresting narrative drive and emphasis on body horror but I don't see a big enough distinction between gore and exploitation films to make gore a sub-genre but I do for the moment acknowledge there is a difference between the two. I do feel there's more sexuality involved in exploitation cinema, though im not saying there is none in gore, rather than what we would describe as gore so perhaps therein lies one of the defining factors.

Re: Gore As a Genre
 

Hmm, I agree with you on the sexuality point, although as far as I can remember there is a 'sex' sub-genre of exploitation cinema... though that could very well be another term for porn. However, that could def. be one of the defining factors as you say. Ultra-focus on physical violence as opposed to mixed focus? Interesting.

Re: Gore As a Genre
 

I remember reading an article somewhere on the subject of Gore as Genre. Think it may have been on Jstor though, may go hunt it down if get the time.

Re: Gore As a Genre
 

I honestly thought this thread had something to do with Al Gore before I really looked at it and decided to come in.

Re: Gore As a Genre
 

Gorno is its own genre. I'm not a fan of gore movies in general as I feel they rely far too heavily on half dressed women running around to fill up the spaces between carnage and that just screams bad/boring storyline to me. Saying that I do like exploitation cinema such as Kill Bill.

Re: Gore As a Genre
 

That would be great if you could man.

@ Moviefan: Since we were on this a bit earlier in the thread, where do you think the line is drawn? That is, where do you personally think a film stops being exploitation and starts being gore/gorno cinema?

Re: Gore As a Genre
 

I appreciate subtlety and story telling and see "gore" as a director's trick to hide the lack of them in many cases. However, in the right hands, it can be a very effective story telling element. See what happens to Marvin in "Pulp Fiction". A great director (I don't actually see Tarantino as "great" but "Pulp Fiction" was a great film) can take something horrific and not only make it important to that segment of the film, but actually make the audience laugh at how over the top it was handled.

A hack director will simply come up with a new way to kill somebody and have more blood spurt from a severed neck or arm than the human body contains to begin with.

Re: Gore As a Genre
 

I did the same thing.

Re: Gore As a Genre
 

I hate gore :yup: They all seem the same to me, knives, guns, saws and lots of spurting blood http://bestsmileys.com/violent/16.gif

Re: Gore As a Genre
 

Gore is sub-genre of horror. I personaly dont think it is scary but more entertaining. I think gore is to horror movies as slapstick is to comedy. Gore gets cheap scares and slapstick gets cheap laughs. Its all relative people!

Re: Gore As a Genre
 

Just want to make an amendment on my earlier post, i said 'I don't see a big enough distinction between gore and exploitation films to make gore a sub-genre...' What I meant to say is that i dont think theres enough of a distinction to make gore a genre in and of itself, that perhaps there is such a narrow margin that perhaps it is only a sub-genre.

Re: Gore As a Genre
 

I've never seen the appeal of gore films. Narrative gets substituted by how much they can gross out the audience, after a while you just get numb to it.

Re: Gore As a Genre
 

Bugger, thunder stolen again!

Here was me thinking up an extremely witty An Inconvenient Truth II: He's Back and This time He's Driving an Even Bigger SUV gag. All for nothing.

I had loads of 'em. Loads. :(

Re: Gore As a Genre
 

I do love Gore in movies its great but there does need to be more to a film than Gore ie good acting and a good story.

Re: Gore As a Genre
 

Aww Poor Tatty http://bestsmileys.com/hugging/1.gif :kiss:

Re: Gore As a Genre
 

@ Sawman. The Film Encyclopedia defines exploitation cinema as:

'Films made with little or no attention to quality or artistic merit but with an eye to a quick profit, usually via high-pressure sales and promotion techniques emphasizing some sensational aspect of the product.'

I don't really agree with this as I feel that alot of exploitation cinema can be of good quality and have excellent plots. I feel that Kill Bill for example, while not being the greatest quality makes up for it with great plot and visual artistry.

Personally I feel that when the movie becomes based more on the 'shock' factor of spurting blood, guts and brain than the storyline and acting ability, thats when it becomes more gore than exploitation.

Imo Saw, Hostel and The Devils Rejects are perfect examples of the gore sub genre, visual perverseness to make up for very little acting ability and weak plot.

But thats just my opinion and as such should not be taken as gospel, however much I think it should. :)

Re: Gore As a Genre
 

Apparently more than one of us thought OMG!!! NO!!! NOT A GENRE ABOUT

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:...trait_1994.jpg

THAT WOULD BE TERRIBLE!!!! :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

Unless of course He's doing this:

http://www.danzfamily.com/archives/b...-gore-fire.jpg

Re: Gore As a Genre
 

gore as a whole is a played out genre in the last couple of years. it seemed as though each one of these came out, it wanted to out gore the competion. like make the viewer recoil in horror from a new way to torture others. as in ''hostel'', do we really need to see a dripping eyeball socket filled with ooze??? why cannot we just pretend to see it with our own imagination?? i am prolly the only one to think this but gore as genre should be placed in a vault for a couple years and then return to shock and amaze us filmgoers....

Re: Gore As a Genre
 

Oh, no, Al has made another movie!?!?!?!