What makes society enjoy watching a movie that shows people being tortured? It may just be a movie, but it comes from something real. Something that sadistic people will actually do to another human being. Why do you think we have to be entertained by such atrocious films? I know it's really hard for me to even attempt to watch a gorey or disturbing film. I don't understand what people find entertaining....

I mean, would you sit there and watch someone being tortured in real life? How is that any different than watching a movie with such content? Can someone please explain this to me. I just don't see the appeal to that kind of "entertainment."

I agree with Oldschool41, a lot of people like the suspense. I for one can attest to that. It's not necessarily that I enjoy the blood and gore and pain a tortured individual has to go through (I find it actually quite difficult to watch), but I am always leaning in my seat because of how suspenseful it is. And I like it for that, especially because most movie that introduce that kind of thing, the person in question MAY make it or MAY not; you really don't know. It's not as predictable like a main character not being killed off because, well, they're the main character and thus the hero of the story.

Oldschool41 :
Sairek Ceareste :

I saw a movie two nights ago called "Vile". It's actually a really good movie. There were times I had to turn my head, in that girlish kind of way, because some parts were just too disturbing to look at. But it was a good suspenseful film. It was similar to Saw, only not. If that makes sense. I never really thought that maybe it was just the suspensefulness of the films that people enjoyed. I recommend you watch Vile. If you have Netflix, it's on there. Or you can find it somewhere like Let Me Watch This. If you guy's watch it, let me know what you think. It's a low budget horror movie but it was done very well and the actor's did a decent job. You will definitely be on the edge of your seat, so to speak.

I appreciate your replies, sometimes I don't think very clearly, until someone else, kind of opens my eyes.

Yeah. Suspense is one thing, but I had another point. You asked how watching someone being tortured on a movie is different from watching it in real life. Here is the difference I see (and this is probably due to the fact that I have been in theatre a long time now). When you are watching a movie (or a play), there is always the fact that you know that those are just actors and you aren't really watching this happen. No matter how convincing it looks, your subconscious knows that it isn't real no matter  how engaged you are in the film/play. We couldn't watch that in real life because then, we don't have that part of our brain reminding us that it is acting (obviously because it isn't ). That is why it many can watch a hard core torture scene in a movie with no problem, but cringe to see a released terrorist video of them beating hostages. That part of your brain that separates acting from reality vastly changes the kind of empathy you feel.

rcarter2 : Yeah, I never really even thought about that. That's a very good point. There are some gory scenes I just can not watch. I'll turn away and wait until that scene is over, that's why I know I would never be able to handle watching something like that in real life. I've got to say though, some films, they make it all too realistic. *shivers*

That's the thing... What most people don't realize is that many of these "issues" are not mental diseases, but rather, mental disorders. Psychological disorder sounds better to me than "mental".

But my point is that from a scientific standpoint, you will understand the issue more. Sadism, for example, is what many would call a paraphilia... or a "pain fetish". Though, if you're talking pure semantics, I believe there is a scientific difference between a paraphilia and a fetish. I dunno it exactly.  

It's not a disease as some might think, scientifically and semantically, but a psychological disorder.

If you take an anime such as Death Note into perspective, I bet most fans don't even think about the scientific and medical reason why the main character is what he is. Most posts I see on the web call the character "pure evil" and stuff like that. I guess that is subjective after all, however, it's arguable that Light Yagami suffered psychopathological disorder(s) such as megalomania and/or a god complex. Extremely inflated ego--off the charts.

But like I said earlier, it's important to take a scientific standpoint in this.

Part of me can't get enough of these movies and part of me wants them to all disappear.

I think the people who choose to make movies like these have something wrong in the head and the people who like them also have something wrong in the head.

I'm not saying they are crazy or sadistic themselves but there is something just not right in my opinion.

If they had watered down saving private ryan with squirt guns it would not be as effective at story telling now would it? If you do not get why gore or torture is used then you do not understand the concept of story telling.

They are entertaining because they are movies and that is the purpose of making one. If someone is going to pay good money for it then you should give them what they expect out of it. If someone watches porn they expect to see naked people. If someone watches horror they expect to see violence and graphic content. If someone watches a comedy they expect it to be funny.

You are blurring the lines between fantasy and reality here. If you cannot tell the difference between the two, seek mental help ASAP.

I think people who used to watch "gore" or "video nasties" or whatever you wanted to call em were kids who were told not to watch them. Sure, they were actually pretty crappy movies but since we were told to not to watch them and since our country would not even want us to watch such tame movies as "Texas chainsaw massacre" we would be in glee just to watch some third rate 7th generation copy of a bootleg... The forbiden fruit and all.

To see how the infamous impalement scene of Cannibal holocaust was actually done for me it was, sorry to say this, how part of My childhood ended. (She was sitting on a pole with a bicycle seat and the rest of the pole "in her mouth")

Nowadays where you can get footage much more real and more gruesome stuff on your telephone with a few clics away I can only imagine what the good kids are up to these days. Something more "grose" more or less I would guess.