Terrific work! Reflecting on the horror generation that preceded this one, I believe the defining horror of the mid oughts were “torture porn” films like Saw and Hostel. These were much more xenophobic —the scary foreigners and terrorist masterminds were sort of a throwback to the 50’s— but they also had a fairly naked fascination with moral questions at the center of the war on terror. “Would you saw off your leg to survive”, parallels the question of how many soldiers a nation can sacrifice, while the larger public goes about their day unscathed.
These films also present questions about whether those who are swallowed by hedonistic pleasures “deserve” the fate to which they’re subjected. If a drug addict is driven to change his ways by cutting out his own eye, was his tormentor actually benevolent the whole time? Do the ugly Americans who think that Slovakia is their personal playground “deserve” to be murdered by the highest bidder? This echoed the question of how much Americans “deserved” to be hated by Al-Qaeda and the like, while also suggesting that perhaps the rich were more to blame than the small folk caught up in their schemes.
The more mainstream version of these same questions was The Dark Knight, but Saw and Hostel were asking them first!
I only bring this up because I think it’s interesting how these themes have morphed into the generation you’ve described. Some themes completely fell by the wayside, while others seem to live on, but the fascination with questions of morality seems less prominently placed.
I grew up on "Devil" movies–––Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, The Omen. Then, Friday the 13th and Halloween and Nightmare on Elm Street. Your essay really clarifies why movies like Obsession don't seem scary to me in comparison. The bad things to be feared were external vs. internal. Great essay.
Congrats on the Argument!
Terrific work! Reflecting on the horror generation that preceded this one, I believe the defining horror of the mid oughts were “torture porn” films like Saw and Hostel. These were much more xenophobic —the scary foreigners and terrorist masterminds were sort of a throwback to the 50’s— but they also had a fairly naked fascination with moral questions at the center of the war on terror. “Would you saw off your leg to survive”, parallels the question of how many soldiers a nation can sacrifice, while the larger public goes about their day unscathed.
These films also present questions about whether those who are swallowed by hedonistic pleasures “deserve” the fate to which they’re subjected. If a drug addict is driven to change his ways by cutting out his own eye, was his tormentor actually benevolent the whole time? Do the ugly Americans who think that Slovakia is their personal playground “deserve” to be murdered by the highest bidder? This echoed the question of how much Americans “deserved” to be hated by Al-Qaeda and the like, while also suggesting that perhaps the rich were more to blame than the small folk caught up in their schemes.
The more mainstream version of these same questions was The Dark Knight, but Saw and Hostel were asking them first!
I only bring this up because I think it’s interesting how these themes have morphed into the generation you’ve described. Some themes completely fell by the wayside, while others seem to live on, but the fascination with questions of morality seems less prominently placed.
I just like the jump scares otherwise I’m dead inside
I grew up on "Devil" movies–––Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, The Omen. Then, Friday the 13th and Halloween and Nightmare on Elm Street. Your essay really clarifies why movies like Obsession don't seem scary to me in comparison. The bad things to be feared were external vs. internal. Great essay.