Extreme cinema is a subgenre used for films distinguished by its use of excessive sex and violence, and depiction of extreme acts such as mutilation and torture. It recently specializes in genre film, mostly both horror and drama.
Reception
The rising popularity of Asian films in the 21st century has contributed to the growth of extreme cinema, although extreme cinema is still considered to be a horror film-based genre.[1] Being a relatively recent genre, extreme cinema is controversial and widely unaccepted by the mainstream media.[2] Extreme cinema films target a specific and small audience group.[3]
History
The prehistory of extreme cinema can be traced back to censorship of art films and advertising tactics for classical exploitation films to Anglophone markets alongside later liberal representations of sex in the first half of the 20th century onwards.[4]
The name "extreme cinema" originated from a "line of Asian films that share a combination of sensational features, such as extreme violence, horror and shocking plots".[5] Extreme cinema can be rooted as "Asian Extreme", the term for Japanese and other Asian films used to its excessive nature. Early examples of Asian Extreme such as Ring (1998) and Battle Royale (2000).[6]
Controversy
Extreme cinema is highly criticized and debated by film critics and the general public. There have been debates over the hypersexualization that makes these films a threat to the ‘mainstream’ community standards.[7]
There has also been criticism over the increasing use of violence in modern-day films. Ever since the emergence of slasher-gore films in the ’70s, the rising popularity of extreme cinema has contributed to the casual violence in popular media.[8] Some criticize the easy exposure and unintended targeting of adolescence by extreme cinema films.[9]
Notable films
- A Serbian Film[10][11][12][13][14] (2010)
- Act of Vengeance[15] (1974)
- Antichrist[16][17] (2009)
- Audition[18][13] (1999)
- Auschwitz[19] (2011)
- Bandit Queen[20] (1994)
- Begotten[19][16] (1989)
- Benny's Video[19] (1992)
- Black Friday[21] (2004)
- Blood Feast[19] (1963)
- Caligula, unrated version[19] (1979)
- Caligula... The Untold Story[22] (1982)
- Cannibal Holocaust[23][24][25][26][13] (1980)
- The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover[27] (1989)
- Crash[19][28] (1996)
- The Devils[19][29] (1971)
- Dogtooth[18][13] (2009)
- Faces of Death[22][16] (1979)
- Funny Games[18][30][13] (1997)
- Gandu[31] (2010)
- Hated: GG Allin and the Murder Junkies[22] (1994)
- Hellraiser[22] (1987)
- Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer[32][33] (1986)
- Hostel[22] (2005)
- The House That Jack Built[34] (2018)
- The Human Centipede[22] (2009)
- I Spit on Your Grave[22] (1978)
- Ichi the Killer[35][36] (2001)
- The Idiots[37] (1998)
- Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS[22] (1975)
- Infinity Pool[38][39] (2023)
- In the Realm of the Senses[40][13] (1976)
- Irréversible[22][13] (2002)
- Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love[41] (1996)
- The Kashmir Files[42] (2022)
- Kinatay[43] (2009)
- Maniac[44][45] (1980)
- Man Bites Dog[46] (1992)
- Mark of the Devil[46] (1970)
- Martyrs[10][12][14] (2008)
- Masking Threshold[47][48][49] (2021)
- Matrubhoomi[50] (2003)
- Multiple Maniacs[51][52] (1970)
- Mysterious Skin[46] (2004)
- Natural Born Killers[53][54] (1994)
- Nekromantik[46][55] (1987)
- Oedipus Rex[46] (1967)
- Oldboy[30][56][13] (2003)
- Paanch[57] (2003)
- The Passion of the Christ[58][59] (2004)
- Pieces[60][61] (1982)
- Pigsty[46] (1969)
- Pink Flamingos[46][62][13] (1972)
- The Poughkeepsie Tapes[46] (2007)
- Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead[46] (2006)
- Rambo 4[46] (2008)
- Re-Animator[46] (1985)
- Relic[63] (2020)
- Requiem for a Dream[46] (2000)
- Saani Kaayidham[64] (2022)
- The Sadness[65][14] (2021)
- Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom[24][66][13][14] (1975)
- Saw[67] (2004)
- Sick: The Life and Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist[67] (1997)
- Stille Nacht[67] (1969)
- Suicide Club[35] (2001)
- Sweet Movie[67] (1974)
- Taxidermia[12] (2006)
- Tetsuo: The Iron Man[68] (1989)
- Thriller: A Cruel Picture[67] (1973)
- Un Chien Andalou[67] (1929)
- Vase de Noces[67] (1974)
- Where the Dead Go to Die[67] (2012)
Notable directors
- Early Gaspar Noé (I Stand Alone, aforementioned Irréversible and Carne)[69][70][18][71][13]
- Early Peter Jackson (Bad Taste and Dead Alive)[19]
- Early John Waters (aforementioned Multiple Maniacs and Pink Flamingos)[72][73][74]
- Early Wes Craven (1972's Last House on the Left and 1977's The Hills Have Eyes)[46][22][75][13]
- Uwe Boll[19]
- Bruno Dumont[76]
- Lars von Trier[69]
- Takashi Miike[12][77]
- Pier Paolo Pasolini[24][78][13]
- Eli Roth[79][22]
- Sion Sono[80]
- Herschell Gordon Lewis[19]
- Jim Van Bebber[46]
- Lloyd Kaufman[46][67]
Legacy
Pink Flamingos was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2021.[81]
Requiem for a Dream and Oldboy were named on the BBC's 100 Greatest Films of the 21st Century.[82]
The behind-the-scenes look at Cannibal Holocaust was the subject of a Season 2 episode of the documentary series Cursed Films.[83]
See also
References
- ↑ "The Most Disturbing Movies of All Time". Complex Networks.
- ↑ Dirks, Tim (9 February 2016). "100 Most Controversial Films of All Time". Filmsite.
- ↑ gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
- ↑ Frey, Mattias (15 March 2016). Extreme Cinema: The Transgressive Rhetoric of Today's Art Film Culture. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 9780813576527 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Lee, Eunah (Fall 2014). "Trauma, excess, and the aesthetics of the affect: the extreme cinemas of Chan-Wook Park". Post Script. 34 (1): 33–49. ProQuest 1718132381.
- ↑ "10 great Japanese films of the 21st century". BFI. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
- ↑ Pett, Emma (2 January 2015). "A new media landscape? The BBFC, extreme cinema as cult, and technological change". New Review of Film and Television Studies. 13 (1): 83–99. doi:10.1080/17400309.2014.982910. S2CID 146431677.
- ↑ Sapolsky, Burry S.; Molitor, Fred; Luque, Sarah (March 2003). "Sex and Violence in Slasher Films: Re-examining the Assumptions". Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly. 80 (1): 28–38. doi:10.1177/107769900308000103. S2CID 143908234.
- ↑ Sargent, James D; Heatherton, Todd F; Ahrens, M.Bridget; Dalton, Madeline A; Tickle, Jennifer J; Beach, Michael L (December 2002). "Adolescent exposure to extremely violent movies". Journal of Adolescent Health. 31 (6): 449–454. doi:10.1016/S1054-139X(02)00399-3. PMID 12457577.
- 1 2 "Extreme Cinema: Top 25 Most Disturbing Films of all time – part3 – HNN". horrornews.net. 23 August 2010.
- ↑ "Extreme Cinema". Edinburgh University Press Books.
- 1 2 3 4 The 30 Most Extreme Movies of the 21st Century So Far « Taste of Cinema
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 10 essential films from the 'Extreme Cinema' genre|Far Out Magazine
- 1 2 3 4 Mainstream Extreme: How 2022 Made "Disturbing" Popular – Fangoria
- ↑ Extreme Cinema – Rape Squad – Flickering Myth
- 1 2 3 Extreme Cinema: The 40 Most Disturbing Horror Movies Ever Made – PHASR
- ↑ (Butcher Block) Chaos Reigns in Visceral Pain in 'Antichrist' – Bloody Disgusting
- 1 2 3 4 Frey, Mattias (2016). "Discourses and Modes of Distribution". Extreme Cinema: The Transgressive Rhetoric of Today's Art Film Culture. Rutgers University Press. pp. 69–93. ISBN 978-0-8135-7652-7. Project MUSE 1765373.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Extreme Cinema: List of Disturbing Films Compendium A-D – HNN". horrornews.net. 27 July 2019.
- ↑ Bandit Queen (1995)|Roger Ebert
- ↑ Black Friday is grim yet great|Rediff.com
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Extreme Cinema: List of Disturbing Films Compendium E-K". 27 July 2019.
- ↑ "Extreme Cinema: Top 25 Most Disturbing Films of all time – part2". 23 August 2010.
- 1 2 3 "Cultivating Extreme Art Cinema". Edinburgh University Press Books.
- ↑ Extreme Cinema – Cannibal Holocaust (1980) – Flickering Myth
- ↑ Ruggero Deodato, Director Of The Controversial Horror Film Cannibal Holocaust, Dies At 83|/Film
- ↑ The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989)|Roger Ebert
- ↑ Extreme Cinema – David Cronenberg's Crash (1996) – Flickering Myth
- ↑ (Butcher Block) Ken Russel's Controversial 'The Devils' Is a Holy Trinity of Sex, Violence and Religion – Bloody Disgusting
- 1 2 The 30 Most Extreme Movies of the 21st Century So Far « Taste of Cinema
- ↑ Gandu – Variety
- ↑ Extreme Cinema – Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer – Flickering Myth
- ↑ (Butcher Block) The Uncomfortable Realism of 'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer' – Bloody Disgusting
- ↑ Extreme Cinema – The House That Jack Built (2018) – Flickering Myth
- 1 2 "5 Examples Of Extreme Japanese Cinema That Will Freak You Out". Monkey Fighting Robots. July 6, 2016.
- ↑ How Ichi the Killer brought ultra-violence to the mainstream – BBC Culture
- ↑ Extreme Cinema – The Idiots (1998) – Flickering Myth
- ↑ Infinity Pool Review – An Imperfect Experiment in Extreme Cinema – The Curb
- ↑ ‘Infinity Pool’ Review: Extreme Sci-Fi Tale Squanders a Promising Premise – TheWrap
- ↑ "Extreme Asian Horror – Cat III Asian Films". horrornews.net. 26 February 2019.
- ↑ Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1997)|Roger Ebert
- ↑ The Kashmir Files director Vivek Agnihotri: Glamourising extreme violence in cinema is considered talent|Bollywood – The Hindustan Times
- ↑ Extreme cinema: the transgressive rhetoric of today's art film culture 2015021892 ... – EBIN.PUB
- ↑ Extreme Cinema – Maniac (1980) – Flickering Myth
- ↑ (Butcher Block) Tom Savini's Gore Effects of 'Maniac' – Bloody Disgusting
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "Extreme Cinema: List of Disturbing Films Compendium L-R". 30 July 2019.
- ↑ Interview with Johannes Grenzfurthner on quepeliverehoy.es; 22 November 2021
- ↑ "Masking Threshold: A True Macro Exploration of Existential, Ringing Madness" (iHorror); 26 September 2021
- ↑ "MASKING THRESHOLD: Obsession Takes Hold In This Brutal Horror Film"; review in: Film Inquiry, 26 October 2021
- ↑ A Nation Without Women (2003) – Moria
- ↑ Top Gross-Out Moments in John Waters Films – ANTIGRAVITY Magazine
- ↑ Multiple Maniacs – DVD Talk
- ↑ EXPLORING THE POPULARITY OF SQUID GAME — WHEN EXTREME GOES MAINSTREAM
- ↑ Extreme Cinema – Natural Born Killers – Flickering Myth
- ↑ Extreme Cinema – Nekromantik – Flickering Myth
- ↑ Extreme Cinema|Rutgers University Press
- ↑ Anurag Kashyap’s Paanch Movie Review: Flash of Brilliance – madaboutmoviez.in
- ↑ Sanburn, Josh (September 2, 2010). "Top 10 Ridiculously Violent Movies". Time. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- ↑ Ebert, Roger (February 24, 2004). "The Passion of the Christ". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- ↑ (Butcher Block) Going to 'Pieces' Over J. Piquer Simon's Gory Slasher – Bloody Disgusting
- ↑ Extreme Cinema – Pieces (1982) – Flickering Myth
- ↑ 10 Midnight Movies That Made History – MovieWeb
- ↑ What to watch at LFF: New extreme cinema|London Film Festival 2020|BFI
- ↑ Keerthy Suresh, Selvaraghavan are terrific in this bloody, yet focused revenge drama
- ↑ 'The Sadness' Review – Gory Virus Movie Goes for the Jugular With Transgressive, Extreme Horror|Bloody Disgusting
- ↑ Extreme Cinema – Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom – Flickering Myth
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Extreme Cinema: List of Disturbing Films Compendium S-Z". August 2019.
- ↑ (Butcher Block) Cyberpunk and Body Horror Collide in 'Tetsuo: The Iron Man' – Bloody Disgusting
- 1 2 "Against Happiness – Los Angeles Review of Books". 23 September 2015.
- ↑ Extreme Cinema – Gaspar Noé’s Irreversible – Flickering Myth
- ↑ Repp, Mark (14 May 2015). "The 30 Most Extreme Movies of The 21st Century So Far". Taste of Cinema – Movie Reviews and Classic Movie Lists. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
- ↑ Extreme Cinema: The Most Shocking Movies Of All Time – Flickering Myth
- ↑ Eaker, Alfred (2015-07-02). "JOHN WATERS' MULTIPLE MANIACS (1970)". 366 Weird Movies. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
- ↑ "John Waters brings back Multiple Maniacs: 'Of course I went a little too far'". The Guardian. 2016-08-03. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
- ↑ admin (2020-05-01). "Extreme Cinema – The Last House on the Left (1972)". Flickering Myth. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
- ↑ Nicodemo, Timothy (21 August 2013). The New French Extremity: Bruno Dumont and Gaspar Noé, France's Contemporary Zeitgeist (Thesis).
- ↑ When Takashi Miike Heard He Could Do 'Anything' For Masters Of Horror, He Put That To The Test|/Film
- ↑ Sex and Violence: Journey into Extreme Cinema – Offscreen
- ↑ (Butcher Block) Eli Roth’s Flesh-Eating Viral Frenzy ‘Cabin Fever’ – Bloody Disgusting
- ↑ The 30 Most Extreme Movies of the 21st Century So Far « Taste of Cinema
- ↑ Brief Descriptions and Expanded Essays of National Film Registry Titles|Library of Congress
- ↑ The 21st Century's 100 greatest films – BBC Culture
- ↑ Romanchick, Shane (March 25, 2022). "'Cursed Films' Season 2 Trailer Reveals More Mysteries and Oddities From Famous Films". Collider.
Sources
- Lee, Eunah (Fall 2014). "Trauma, excess, and the aesthetics of the affect: the extreme cinemas of Chan-Wook Park". Post Script. 34 (1): 33–49. ProQuest 1718132381.
- Totaro, Donato (2003). "Sex and Violence: Journey into Extreme Cinema". Offscreen. 7 (11).
- King, Mike (2009). The American Cinema of Excess: Extremes of the National Mind on Film. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-3988-1.
- "Media's New Mood: Sexual Violence". Center for Media Literacy.
- Fyfe, Kristen. "More Violence, More Sex, More Troubled Kids." Media Research Center. MRC Culture, 11 Jan. 2007. Web. 9 Feb. 2016
- Pett, Emma (2 January 2015). "A new media landscape? The BBFC, extreme cinema as cult, and technological change". New Review of Film and Television Studies. 13 (1): 83–99. doi:10.1080/17400309.2014.982910. S2CID 146431677.
- Dirks, Tim. "100 Most Controversial Films of All Time." 100 Most Controversial Films of All Time. Filmsite, n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2016.
- Sapolsky, Burry S.; Molitor, Fred; Luque, Sarah (March 2003). "Sex and Violence in Slasher Films: Re-examining the Assumptions". Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly. 80 (1): 28–38. doi:10.1177/107769900308000103. S2CID 143908234.
- Sargent, James D; Heatherton, Todd F; Ahrens, M.Bridget; Dalton, Madeline A; Tickle, Jennifer J; Beach, Michael L (December 2002). "Adolescent exposure to extremely violent movies". Journal of Adolescent Health. 31 (6): 449–454. doi:10.1016/S1054-139X(02)00399-3. PMID 12457577.