Quote:
Originally Posted by ChronoGrl
Thanks for the response, Jenna... I wonder if I just have an issue with that particular genre... I feel as though Devil's Rejects most certainly emulates Torture Porn - those "uncomfortable" moments are uncomfortable to me because they seem very exploitative for the sake of being exploitative.
What strikes me, though, is that, when I consider other torture porn and exploitative movies, I realize that Zombie hasn't really done anything original. He takes a LOT from movies such as TCM, Last House on the Left, and I Spit On Your Grave... I think there's even a bit of The Hills Have Eyes in there. But I don't think that he adds to the genre, per say.
Take something like Hostel or Saw. Both of these movies add to the exploitative torture porn genre because they, well, torture people in more explicit and different ways (both of them being more strictly TORTURE than anything else).
I guess my problem with Devil's Rejects is that I found myself asking, "What's the point?" At least with Hostel or Saw, the point IS the spectacle. But with Devil's Rejects, I'm just confused with that... Is he out to make the audience uncomfortable? Perhaps that's the answer: Experimenting with the audience to see whether or not they come back. After all, MOST horror is an experiment in human comfort/discomfort boundaries.
|
No, I don't think he has done anything groundbreaking, or particularly original, but I also don't think that is the point. That doesn't mean that a film doesn't have merit, and it doesn't mean that a film can't be effective. All he added to the genre was (in my opinion, of course ;) ) a well made horror film, reminiscent of the films of the '70s that I love, with some unique characters. THAT is what I find interesting about The Devil's Rejects. Its a movie where you get to know the monsters of the piece FAR better than you do the victims. Nothing new there. But what is interesting, and in general maybe a bit different from other films, is the family dynamic. What makes it disturbing to me, and intriguing, is that at times they seem so NORMAL. Besides the bad hygiene...;) and the fact that they are brutal murderers, I mean. How they relate to one another. There is the favored child, the mostly annoyed older brother. They bicker, they eat ice cream, etc. And while this might not be a new direction to take (and let's face it, there are so few genuinely NEW ideas out there right now, that's not really a mark against it in my book), it did keep me watching, it did keep me interested, and it did.....effect me. In my opinion, it is well written, and stands on its own. And I would much rather see Rob Zombie, or any other horror director for that matter, develop interesting characters of his own and make his own movie, even if it is at times derivative, then the endless number of remakes we apparently have to look forward to.
And yes, I think the point of The Devil's Rejects is to make you squirm, make you wince, make you laugh, and make you feel a bit dirty. Like all horror should, it is meant to disturb you on some level. Its not subtle, its not tasteful.....and that's why I happen to like it. And like it a lot. I can completely see why others wouldn't though.