Comparable to
8MM, not really. The two share the same ratings, but I rate them in their given genre, style and basically for what the director set out to do.
Club Dread is a
that doesn't necessarily mean it's better then a film that is a
just that given the TYPE of film it is.
I enjoyed
8MM, but the film is seriously flawed.
Straw Dogs is tame for me, since I've sat through countless
Saw and
Hostel style films, which show more grotesque gore and violence. Sure the two are different styles and one leaves more to the imagination, but tame none the less.
Someone told me to watch
The Last of the Mohicans because it was pretty violent. I sat there and questioned why this person thought the film was violent. He points to multiple scalpings, I wasn't affected by these scenes.
Same with
Straw Dogs. The violence didn't affect me in any way, I just sat there and watched it.
Like I said, the recent flux of films in today's generation has gotten more violent and stylized. I will be upfront about it, this has warped my sense of what I deem to be violent or not. Is
Straw Dogs violent? Yes, is it as violent as people have told me? No.
I was also debating on whether or not to give it a
if that would make any difference. But as you said, the first half is pretty challenging.
If this makes any sense, I'm just rambling.