If it’s Halloween, it must be snuff
I’m not the world’s greatest connoisseur of horror films, but I’d like to think that I know one when I see one. We’ve all got our favorites for one reason or another, but this little column, just in time for Halloween, isn’t about discussing which horror film is the best. I’ve been pushed to write this after seeing a commercial for the upcoming Saw 4. You’ve probably seen the one where the tagline reads, “If it’s Halloween, it must be Saw“. When I saw it I initially rolled my eyes and kept on watching TV, but the more that I think about that line, the more that I believe that it has come to represent where the horror genre as a whole is today.
I honestly cannot remember the last time that I went to the theater to watch a horror movie. Is it me, or are the horror films of today not that scary? Sure, the remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre made me jump a few times, but hell, a loud shrieking noise or a guy suddenly popping out from the shadows would scare anyone! It’s our natural reflex to flinch when someone sneaks up on us, or when we suddenly hear a loud noise, so what does that say about films that rely solely on exploiting that reflex to trick us into believing that we’re being scared? It seems to me that horror films these days are more content to shriek at us than scare us. A good horror film can stick in your head for a little while after it’s over, but how many of us have truly lost sleep over crap like Stay Alive or the remake of House of Wax? The horror genre is very cyclical. Every few years, we get a film that becomes so popular that all other films in the genre simply copy it, until another fad comes through. Remember when Scream was released, and all of those wannabes popped up all over the place? Right now, there is no doubt that Saw is THE franchise. These days, every horror movie has a distinctly Saw-ish feel, and for me, that isn’t a good thing.
I have a lot of problems with the Saw franchise, but my main whine would be that this franchise isn’t even a HORROR franchise, yet people keep flocking to see it every Halloween. Saw does not scare me. It disgusts me. There is NOTHING scary to me about simply watching someone have their guts torn out. But you say, “Oh Kristina! Every horror movie has someone dying in a brutal way!” You are right, but if you think about it, the kill itself is not what is scary. A true horror movie is more about the killer’s hunt. A true horror film is about the audience feeling their hearts race as the poor victim runs through the woods/cemetery/house while the killer inevitably gains on her/him. It’s about that quiet moment right before the final strike comes. Saw is all about the killer’s capture, which makes the success of this franchise even more puzzling to me. Saw goes straight to the sex with no sweet foreplay. You know going in exactly what is going to happen. People are going to be put into a room and torn limb from limb when they do something stupid to set off one of Jigsaw’s elaborate little traps. That’s it. If someone can explain to me how that is scary, I’m all ears, but trying to convince me that Saw is horror is even more fruitless than trying to convince me that Dane Cook is funny.
If I had to categorize this franchise, I would call it a celebration of snuff. The film does 
nothing more than glorify these ridiculous images of people being torn apart. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m no prude. I’m all for a little blood every now and then, but just splashing blood and guts all over the place doesn’t give you the right to call yourself a horror film. I recently watched Psycho for the very first time in my Intro to Film class, and I was struck at the difference in what folks back then considered to be scary and what current horror fans demand. There is hardly any blood in that film. You never even see the knife pierce Marion’s skin in the infamous shower scene, but I was still squirming in my seat throughout the film. It made me wish that we had a few Hitchcocks floating around today that knew how to create a scary atmosphere without tossing coils of small intenstine at me. So, I’m issuing a plea right here, right now. For those of you looking for something to do on Halloween, watch an older horror classic at home with your peeps. If you’re going to be in Fayetteville, come and watch The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3-D with my friends and I. Go out trick or treating. Hell, go kill a few people for all I care. But for God’s sake, don’t go and see Saw 4. I don’t know if I have the stomach for Saw 10.
And that stupid little puppet SUCKS.
5 Responses to “If it’s Halloween, it must be snuff”
I love horror movies, and I have not been scared by one in a long, long time. And I’m no fan of the Saw series, though I do enjoy the theme by Charlie Clouser and thats about it. But, to call the movies a “celebration of snuff” is wrong, because for the movies to be snuff, that would entail someone was actually murdered on film.
Also, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is basically a bloodless film. Having a shit load of gore is nice and always welcome, you don’t need to build the movie around it.
I didn’t mean that it was an ACTUAL snuff film, but in its context, it’s nothing more than a glorified snuff film. “Ooh, come see the people get torn apart! Oooh!”
No, not really. Even fake snuff films, are made to look like they are real. The Saw movies come at shit from an almost over the top way.
And the “Ooh, come see the people get torn apart! Oooh!” would be more in line with exploitation.
Okay, Grundy, Okay!
Can we at LEAST agree that watching people get ripped up doesn’t singularly constitute a horror film?
It all depends on how the violence is presented, if it’s presented in way that makes you uncomfortable, I’d say yeah it could be considered horror.
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