Splatter film
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A splatter film or gore film is a type of horror film that deliberately focuses on graphic portrayals of gore and violence. These films, through the use of special effects and excessive blood and guts, tend to display an overt interest in the vulnerability of the human body.
Due to their willingness to portray images society might consider shocking, splatter films share ideological grounds with the transgressive art movement.
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[edit] History of splatter
As a distinct genre, the splatter film began in the 1960s with the films of Herschell Gordon Lewis, who became notorious for such work as Blood Feast (1963). Lewis has been called the "Godfather of Gore." Blood Feast is widely considered as the first splatter film [1].
Blood Feast, produced by David F. Friedman, had a unique advertising campaign before its release. The film carried with it this warning: “Nothing so appalling in the annals of horror! You’ll recoil and shudder as you witness the slaughter and mutilation of nubile young girls – in a weird and horrendous ancient rite! An abomination: If you are the parent or guardian of an impressionable adolescent, do not bring or permit him to see this motion picture. Introducing Connie Mason: You read about her in Playboy. More grisly than ever, in blood color!” [2]
In the 15 years following its release, Blood Feast reeled in an estimated $7 million. It was made for an estimated $24,500. [3] The film has since become a cult favorite. Blood Feast was the first in what is called the "blood trilogy," which also includes Two Thousand Maniacs! and Color Me Blood Red.
In 2002, Lewis' sequel, Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat,which was more comedic than its predecessor, followed. Lewis said of the sequel, "Blood Feast 2 goes far beyond the original in violence and gore. But we make it 150 percent clear: It's black humor." [4]
While many splatter films fall into the exploitation film subgenre, some make their way into the mainstream. One of the most successful splatter films – critically and commercially – was George A. Romero’s 1978 zombie film Dawn of the Dead [5] , which was released in United States theaters unrated rather than with the X-rating it would have received for its explicit carnage [6]. Critic Roger Ebert called it "one of the best horror films ever made." [7] The film was the follow-up to Romero’s 1968 Night of the Living Dead.
Some splatter directors have gone on to produce blockbusters. Peter Jackson, who is now best known for his films King Kong (2005) and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, started off his career in New Zealand by directing splatter movies like Bad Taste (1987) and Braindead (1992) [8]. Jackson’s early work featured so much gore that it became a comedic device.
Likewise, Sam Raimi, now known for directing the Spider-Man film series, became famous from creating The Evil Dead (1981), which he followed up with the sequels Evil Dead II (1987) and Army of Darkness (1992)[9].
Scenes of splatter also appear in other genres. Some examples are Lady Snowblood (1973), El Topo (1970), Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill (2003) and Edgar Wright's latest film Hot Fuzz. There has also been a surge of films influenced by the splatter genre in recent years, including Ichi the Killer (2001), Hostel (2006) and the Saw film series.
Splatter films have also proved influential in cinema. Cannibal Holocaust (1980), for example, is similar to The Blair Witch Project (1999) [10] Cannibal Holocaust is told through footage from a group of people making a documentary about a portion of the amazon which is said to be populated by cannibals.
"Splatstick" is defined as physical comedy that involves evisceration (making the sound "splat!"). Some examples of splatstick would include Evil Dead II, Dead Alive, Bad Taste and parts of Michele Soavi's Cemetery Man (1994).
The term “splatter film” is often confused with “slasher film.” While there is often overlap, many slasher movies, like Halloween (1978), are not considered splatter films because they don’t have enough on-screen gore. Other films, like Maniac (1980), can fall into the splatter subgenre.
[edit] Notable splatter films
- Bad Taste (1987)
- Basket Case (1982)
- The Beyond (1981)
- Blood Diner (1986)
- Blood Feast (1963)
- Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat (2002)
- Bloodsucking Freaks (1975)
- Brain Damage (1987)
- Cannibal Ferox (1981)
- Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
- City of the Living Dead (1980)
- Color Me Blood Red (1976)
- Dawn of the Dead (1978)
- Day of the Dead (1985)
- Dead Alive (1992)
- The Dead Next Door (1989)
- Dr. Butcher MD (1979)
- The Evil Dead (1982)
- Evil Dead II (1987)
- Frankenhooker (1990)
- The Gore Gore Girls (1975)
- The Gruesome Twosome (1967)
- The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
- The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
- Jungle Holocaust (1977)
- I Spit on Your Grave (1978)
- Last House on Dead End Street (1973)
- Maniac (1980)
- Nekromantik (1987)
- Pieces (1983)
- Re-Animator (1985)
- Redneck Zombies (1987)
- Snuff (1975)
- Three on a Meathook (1972)
- Tourist Trap (1979)
- Two Thousand Maniacs! (1964)
- The Wizard of Gore (1970)
- Zombie (1979)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- http://www.phillyburbs.com/HGL/hgl5.shtml
- Briggs, Joe Bob (June 28, 2003). Profoundly Disturbing: Shocking Movies That Changed History. Universe Publishing, 129.
- http://www.phillyburbs.com/HGL/hgl13.shtml
- Deodato, Ruggero. Interview with Sage Stallone; Bob Murawski. "Cult-Con 2000." Cannibal Holocaust DVD Commentary., Tarrytown, New York. 2000-11-12.
- http://www.jgames.co.uk/title/MPAA_film_rating_system
- http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19790504/REVIEWS/905040301/1023
- IMDb: Business Data for Dawn of the Dead (1978)
- http://tbhl.theonering.net/films/index.html
- http://www.phillyburbs.com/raimi/
[edit] External links
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