Martyrs

Dread Reckoning

International d’Horreur

Page 1 of 2      Go to:  1 2 >      Next page: Beauté Terrifiante

[30 July 2009]

The country that is producing high quality fear flicks these days is not in North America nor anywhere in Asia, but in Western Europe.

By Marco Lanzagorta

Arguably, the American film industry is the main driving force that dictates the content and the look of most of the movies that are produced all around the globe. Such a commanding influence does not rest on aesthetic arguments though, but is based on the sheer power of economics. Indeed, even though films are artistic products that reflect the specific cultural landscape of its creators, their distribution often follows the strict financial guidelines imposed by Hollywood.

Furthermore, mass consumption often dictates the aesthetic sensibilities of the filmmakers. That is, the artistic value of a film is a relative quality, which ultimately depends on the specific market where the movie is consumed. As much as certain films are made to a specific target audience, the popular response to such films will in turn influence its marketability and encourage or discourage the production of similar products. As such, it should not be a surprise that sometimes the film market gets saturated with strikingly similar products.

Just consider, back in 1998 our planet Earth got hit by meteors in Armageddon, Deep Impact, and countless low rent imitations. And the year before, the heat of lava and volcanoes melted audiences in Dante’s Peak, Volcano, and countless low rent imitations. Today, the American horror film industry is stuck in a shameless effort of blindly regurgitating the classics of the olden days. In as much as these films continue to be consumed and cheered by modern audiences, there is no motivation for Hollywood and its filmmakers to take alternate routes.

However, even though the history of horror cinema is pretty much equivalent to the history of the American horror cinema, there have been periods were foreign films have been acclaimed by audiences and critics alike. In turn, these small foreign productions have dramatically altered the development of domestic horror films. To better appreciate these influences, let us take a brief tour through the history of horror cinema.

cover art

Martyrs

Director: Pascal Laugier
Cast: Catherine Begin, Robert Toupin

(US DVD: 28 Apr 2009)

 Amazon

Few would disagree that horror cinema was born in 1910 with Edison’s Frankenstein. Even though the previous decade had seen a variety of shorts with fantastic and scary themes produced by the inimitable Goerges Melies, these can hardly be considered as movies, at least within the context in which the art and techniques are understood today.

However, the first aesthetic shift in horror culture took place during the ‘20s, when Germany produced several masterworks that combined creepy situations with a striking cinematography composed of contrasting lights and shadows. Movies made during this expressionistic period include The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (1920), The Golem (1920), and Nosferatu (1922).

It is impossible to ignore the influence that these films had on the development of subsequent horror films made by Universal Studios during the ‘30s and ‘40s. At the very least, the clever use of cinematography and special effects to convey a sense of dread can be traced back to the German expressionistic period.

As the American horror films dominated the international market for most of the ‘30s and ‘40s, the ‘50s witnessed an important development that took place in Great Britain. During the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, Hammer Studios revamped the traditional monster figures and completely revolutionized the horror genre. Some of the flicks produced by Hammer Studios include The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Horror of Dracula (1958), and The Mummy (1959). Made in bright color, showcasing generous amounts of blood and gore, as well as a series of adult situations, the Hammer horror flicks resuscitated old monsters for the tastes of contemporary audiences.

Such an explicit showcase of violence and gore is likely to have influenced the important films that emerged from the US during the late ‘60s and ‘70s. Arguably, films such as Night of the Living Dead (1968), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), and The Hills Have Eyes (1977) are indebted to the aesthetic sensibilities of Terence Fischer and Freddie Francis.

And then again, during the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, Italian horror filmmakers such as Lucio Fulci and Dario Argento redefined cinematic violence once more. Similar to the way Sergio Leone deconstructed the myth of the American Western, these Italian horror maestros profoundly altered the visual and narrative structure of subsequent horror films.

Indeed, films such as Suspiria (1977) and Zombie (1979) were characterized by long scenes showcasing a gruesome and bloody death, at the expense of interrupting the narrative flow the movie. Clearly, these Italian shockers were influential on the structure of ‘80s American slasher flicks. Indeed, films in the Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street series were often constructed around gory set pieces full of special effects with a negligible contribution to the narrative.

By the late ‘90s, just as the American horror cinema had exhausted the slasher formula, the next influx of originality came from Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea. With movies such as Whispering Corridors (1998), The Ring (1998), and The Eye (2002), hardcore horrorhounds all over the world turned their gore sensitive sniffers towards Asia. And even though these movies were small productions, compared to the big blockbusters made in Hollywood, they managed to redefine worldwide horror culture.

Just consider, the US DVD market not only was suddenly flooded with a large number of Asian horror imports, but also Hollywood started to remake these gems of the macabre. Unfortunately, these remakes were tailored to what Hollywood executives believed was the common American viewer. As a consequence, these remakes lost most of the inventiveness and exoticism that had made the original films so unique.

Page 1 of 2      Go to:  1 2 >      Next page: Beauté Terrifiante
 
Bookmark and Share
Share

Marco Lanzagorta received a PhD in physics from Oxford University and has worked at prestigious research institutions in England, Italy, Switzerland, Mexico and the US. During the past 18 years, he has conducted research in physics, computer science, and neuroscience. Currently, Marco is a scientific consultant for the US Department of Defense at a major research laboratory in Washington DC, and an affiliate associate professor at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.

Dread Reckoning

Frightful Rome

By Marco Lanzagorta

26.Oct.09

Profondo Rosso, the Dario Argento store in Rome, hints at a dramatic cultural shift taking place in Italy regarding the appreciation and analysis of classic Italian horror films.

Horrifyingly Close to Reality

By Marco Lanzagorta

21.Sep.09

Western culture’s perspective of torture is complex and paradoxical; it's considered immoral, illegal, primitive, and indecent, yet it's shocking to see that torture methods continue to be used in the interrogation of prisoners of war.

Fighting the Flu

By Marco Lanzagorta

04.May.09

The mobilization of the military to control the spread of the current outbreak of a rare strain of the swine flu in Mexico City is right out of Stephen King’s The Stand.

 
 
Comments

Yup, Belgium and France have certainly replaced Japan as the new kings of… horreur. To slightly expand your list: those aficionados who have not seen Eric Valette’s ‘Mal’fique’(2002), might be pleasantly surprised with an European take on the more neolovecraftian themes of ancient evils, forbidden books and unspeakable dimensions. Chtulhu knows you can never have enough of those unspeakable dimensions, what with all those forbidden books to store ‘n’ such.

Comment by KundK — July 30, 2009 @ 6:54 am

No one was “delighted” by “Irreversible”.

Comment by Alllan from Toronto, Canada — July 30, 2009 @ 9:00 am

Great piece. IN MY SKIN (Marina de Van) and TROUBLE EVERY DAY (Claire Denis) are two other amazing recent French horrors, and in many ways, are much more fascinating and terrifying than any of the male directed films you listed. 

It’s alarming/sad/telling that these French directors get swiped up by Hollywood studios as soon as they have a hit on their hands, most often to direct some subpar remake. 

For example, Alejandra Aja (HIGH TENSION) has become the latest remake king, with Hills Have Eyes, Mirrors (remake of Asian horror Into the Mirror), and the upcoming Piranha. Eric Valette, director of the underrated MALEFIQUE, went on to helm the atrocious One Missed Call remake.
David Moreau and Xavier Palud (THEM), went on to do the awful remake of The Eye. Christophe Gans (BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF) directed Silent Hill. Xavier Gans (FRONTIERS) directed Hitman.
And Pascal Laugier and the dudes behind INSIDE have both been attached to the Hellraiser remake, but both of those have fallen through.

I read an article with a French horror director (can’t remember which one it was, maybe the guys who did INSIDE) saying that horror films are actually very difficult sells in France,  which is why many of the directors take the bait as soon as Hollywood comes calling after their debuts are hits.

This isn’t exclusive to French horror directors, of course. Hideo Nakato and Takashi Shimizu have both remade their own films for Hollywood studios.  Christian Alvart (German horror flick ANTIBODIES, which is currently being remade by Hollywood) just finished up the Renee Zelwegger horror Case 39.  I feel like horror fans get ripped off when Hollywood hack-ifies these clearly talented foreign directors.

Comment by stever — July 30, 2009 @ 4:16 pm

I don’t see anything beautiful or poetic in the spectacle of a woman being humiliated, tortured, beaten, repeatedly punched in the face, and finally skinned alive.  Misogynistic Western culture has delighted in such representations, of course, for hundreds of years, but it doesn’t mean one has to buy into MARTYRS’ rather desperate attempt to dress up the same kind of misogyny in ludicrous cod philosophy. Jeepers.  Can’t we move on?

Comment by stevie from UK — August 4, 2009 @ 3:47 am

Allan and Stevie,

If you watch these movies, and you do not like horror films, then you are as out of place as a vegetarian in a barbecue. If horror is a cinematic genre that is supposed to scare you and make you feel uncomfortable and squirming on your seat, then Irreversible and Martyrs are successful movies. But then again, you need a special taste to endure these flicks.

Also, stevie says “I don’t see anything beautiful or poetic in the spectacle of a woman being humiliated, tortured, beaten, repeatedly punched in the face, and finally skinned alive.” Well, if we remove the skinning and we replace a woman for a man, then we have all the beauty and poetry that Christian mythology has inspired across centuries. In particular, I enjoy the works of Rembrandt that showcase Christ on the cross, poetic on all their implicit violence and brutality. I believe that deep down there is no substantial difference between watching a woman being tortured and killed in Martyrs, than watching representations of man being tortured and killed in Christian inspired works and masses. Furthermore, Christian mythology does not have any skinning, but it requires the ritualistic cannibalization of the dead body of Christ. Which one is worse?  :)

Comment by Marco Lanzagorta from USA — August 4, 2009 @ 5:39 am

hi Marco.

I don’t have a problem with horror.  I’ve been a fan since the late 70s, and I teach horror film at university, and write about it.  However, like many others, including a number of creative minds (Joss Whedon) and cultural critics (too many to list), I have a problem with torture porn’s obsession with the humiliation and mutilation of young women.  The genre does not target young women exclusively, but, as in slashers of the 70s and 80s (and as in revenge tragedy in the 17th century, as well as many other examples throughout the history of culture), they are more often than not the favourite victims.  I think the representation of the martyrdom of Christ is, for obvious reasons, a somewhat exceptional case.  I guess, for me, the bottom line is that the persistence of this kind of gender politics in contemporary horror - and directors like Eli Roth and Rob Zombie really do revel in it - is depressing, and I would take issue with anyone finding beauty in a film like MARTYRS. 
Respectfully,
Stevie

Comment by stevie from UK — August 4, 2009 @ 9:35 am

Hi Stevie,

I appreciate your comments, and even though we disagree and we will not change our points of view, I also value intelligent discussions.

About gender politics and its cinematic representations… back in the early 1970s Sam Peckinpah and Stanley Kubrick were bashed by critics all over the world because their films were misogynistic. Today, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia and A Clockwork Orange look tame in comparison to Martyrs. The point is that even though these films were polemic at the time, today they are appreciated as masterworks. Even if these flicks are violent and with aggressive gender politics, critics are now able to see their beauty and poetry. Today Martyrs is polemic in its extremes, but who knows? Maybe in 30 years from now it will be re-appreciated on its technical and aesthetic merits regardless of its gender politics. The idea that I want to move across, which certainly deserves a better argument, is that once polemic films are removed from their political subtext, they are usually re-appreciated on a different light. That is, the fact that a movie has polemic subtexts, does not, or at least should not, affect its technical and aesthetical values. I am completely against “moralizing” works of art (movies, books, music, etc.). Most of the time such moralizing attitude is contextual to a specific time and geographical location, and does not make justice to the works of art in question.

Second, the fact that you, Joss Whedon, and many others condemn the torture porn subgenre, does not make the genre any less interesting or any less important. On the contrary, if the gender politics of these films are clearly subversive and “immoral”, then, why are they so popular? Notice that Eli Roth and Rob Zombie are not making underground flicks, but mainstream flicks released on the local multiplex and their DVDs are readily available at the local grocery store. I would not even consider Martyrs an underground movie. By ignoring or condemning the discussion of the virtues and failures of films such as Martyrs, we will not accomplish anything and we will not further our understanding of the social and cultural dynamics that shape our troubled world.

In a sense, studying and discussing why torture porn is popular, with a fair and objective take on their virtues and defects, it is as important as studying the rise of Nazism. We should not ignore or condemn these topics just because the implied behaviors are considered as contrary to our social code of conduct.

Finally, as an agnostic, I have to confess that I cannot see much difference on the fascination with torture porn by modern audiences, and the fascination for the image of Christ on the cross by those who believe on him. Deep down, at the basic cognitive level, I believe they are related in a closer manner than what people would like to admit. For me, religion is just another expression of cultural fears and anxieties, just as movies and music are.

And finally, I have to agree that the fact that the representation of violence and torture, against men and women, is so pervasive in modern culture, makes it really troubling from a philosophical perspective. Related to the previous paragraph, are our brains internally wired for violence and brutality?

Regards,

Marco

Comment by Marco Lanzagorta from USA — August 4, 2009 @ 6:12 pm

While I do agree that Martyrs explores area of the “torture porn” genre not usually explored (and was enjoyable because of those explorations), I am hesitant to say it was necessarily more violent than other films coming out right now or even in the last three years.  The Masters of Horror series, for instance, has many moments that match the violence in Martyrs (the violence - implied and explicit - in Cigarette Burns is the first that comes to mind).  So far, though, in watching High Tension and Martyrs, I am more annoyed by how cliche so many of the plot elements and “twists” are.  That is what pulls me out of the films and leaves me wondering why they are rating as high as they are among horror aficionados.

That all being said, I have only been exploring this genre for about a decade (looking as far back as the Lumiere Brothers in the movies and Dracula/Frankenstein in the novels).  However, your column has provided many wonderful thinking points since I started reading it two years ago.  I do hope you come back to writing once a month.

Comment by Gabriel Edge from Oregon, USA — August 24, 2009 @ 7:37 pm

— PopMatters sponsor —

Hi Gabriel, thanks for the kind words on Dread Reckoning. The good news is that it is coming back on a regular basis. The latest one, a sort of a sequel to the previous one, has already been posted. Regards, Marco

Comment by Marco Lanzagorta from USA — September 22, 2009 @ 3:48 am

Add a comment

Please enter your name and a valid email address. Your email address will not be displayed. It is required only to prevent comment spam.

Remember my personal information

Notify me of follow-up comments?