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Extreme cinema

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A set of props used in the production of the Saw films, which are notorious for depicting extreme graphic violence

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.

Reception[edit]

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[edit]

Still from Caligula (1979), known for its graphic sex scenes.

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[edit]

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 1970s, 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[edit]

Title Year Ref.
A Serbian Film 2010 [10][11][12][13][14]
Act of Vengeance 1974 [15]
Antichrist 2009 [16][17]
Audition 1999 [18][13]
Auschwitz 2011 [19]
Bandit Queen 1994 [20]
Begotten 1989 [19][16]
Benny's Video 1992 [19]
Black Friday 2004 [21]
Blood Feast 1963 [19]
Caligula, unrated version 1979 [19]
Caligula... The Untold Story 1982 [22]
Cannibal Holocaust 1980 [23][24][25][26][13]
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover 1989 [27]
Crash 1996 [19][28]
The Devils 1971 [19][29]
Dogtooth 2009 [18][13]
Faces of Death 1978 [22][16]
Funny Games 1997 [18][30][13]
Gandu 2010 [31]
The Green Elephant 1999 [32]
Hacksaw 2020 [33]
Hated: GG Allin and the Murder Junkies 1994 [22]
Hellraiser 1987 [22]
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer 1986 [34][35]
Hostel 2005 [22]
The House That Jack Built 2018 [36]
The Human Centipede 2009 [22][37]
I Spit on Your Grave 1978 [22]
Ichi the Killer 2001 [38][39]
The Idiots 1998 [40]
Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS 1975 [22]
Infinity Pool 2023 [41][42]
In the Realm of the Senses 1976 [43][13]
Irréversible 2002 [22][13]
Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love 1996 [44]
The Kashmir Files 2022 [45]
Kinatay 2009 [46]
Maniac 1980 [47][48]
Man Bites Dog 1992 [49]
Mark of the Devil 1970 [49]
Martyrs 2008 [10][12][14]
Masking Threshold 2021 [50][51][52]
Matrubhoomi 2003 [53]
Multiple Maniacs 1970 [54][55]
Mysterious Skin 2004 [49]
Natural Born Killers 1994 [56][57]
Nekromantik 1987 [49][58]
Oedipus Rex 1967 [49]
Oldboy 2003 [30][59][13]
Paanch 2003 [60]
The Passion of the Christ 2004 [61][62]
Pieces 1982 [63][64]
Pigsty 1969 [49]
Pink Flamingos 1972 [49][65][13]
The Poughkeepsie Tapes 2007 [49]
Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead 2006 [49]
Rambo 4 2008 [49]
Re-Animator 1985 [49]
Relic 2020 [66]
Requiem for a Dream 2000 [49]
The Revenant 2015 [37]
Saani Kaayidham 2022 [67]
The Sadness 2021 [68][14]
Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom 1975 [24][69][13][14]
Saw 2004 [70]
Sick: The Life and Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist 1997 [70]
Stille Nacht 1969 [70]
Suicide Club 2001 [38]
Sweet Movie 1974 [70]
Taxidermia 2006 [12]
Tetsuo: The Iron Man 1989 [71]
Thriller: A Cruel Picture 1973 [70]
Un Chien Andalou 1929 [70]
Vase de Noces 1974 [70]
Where the Dead Go to Die 2012 [70]
Who's Watching Oliver 2018 [72]

Notable directors[edit]

Legacy[edit]

Pink Flamingos was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2021.[85]

Requiem for a Dream and Oldboy were named on the BBC's 100 Greatest Films of the 21st Century.[86]

The behind-the-scenes look at Cannibal Holocaust was the subject of a Season 2 episode of the documentary series Cursed Films.[87]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The Most Disturbing Movies of All Time". Complex Networks.
  2. ^ Dirks, Tim (9 February 2016). "100 Most Controversial Films of All Time". Filmsite.
  3. ^ gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
  4. ^ Frey, Mattias (15 March 2016). Extreme Cinema: The Transgressive Rhetoric of Today's Art Film Culture. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 9780813576527 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "10 great Japanese films of the 21st century". BFI. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ a b "Extreme Cinema: Top 25 Most Disturbing Films of all time – part3 – HNN". horrornews.net. 23 August 2010.
  11. ^ "Extreme Cinema". Edinburgh University Press Books.
  12. ^ a b c d The 30 Most Extreme Movies of the 21st Century So Far « Taste of Cinema
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 10 essential films from the 'Extreme Cinema' genre|Far Out Magazine
  14. ^ a b c d Mainstream Extreme: How 2022 Made "Disturbing" Popular – Fangoria
  15. ^ Extreme Cinema – Rape Squad – Flickering Myth
  16. ^ a b c Extreme Cinema: The 40 Most Disturbing Horror Movies Ever Made – PHASR
  17. ^ (Butcher Block) Chaos Reigns in Visceral Pain in 'Antichrist' – Bloody Disgusting
  18. ^ a b c d 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.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Extreme Cinema: List of Disturbing Films Compendium A-D – HNN". horrornews.net. 27 July 2019.
  20. ^ Bandit Queen (1995)|Roger Ebert
  21. ^ Black Friday is grim yet great|Rediff.com
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Extreme Cinema: List of Disturbing Films Compendium E-K". 27 July 2019.
  23. ^ "Extreme Cinema: Top 25 Most Disturbing Films of all time – part2". 23 August 2010.
  24. ^ a b c "Cultivating Extreme Art Cinema". Edinburgh University Press Books.
  25. ^ Extreme Cinema – Cannibal Holocaust (1980) – Flickering Myth
  26. ^ Ruggero Deodato, Director Of The Controversial Horror Film Cannibal Holocaust, Dies At 83|/Film
  27. ^ The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989)|Roger Ebert
  28. ^ Extreme Cinema – David Cronenberg's Crash (1996) – Flickering Myth
  29. ^ (Butcher Block) Ken Russel's Controversial 'The Devils' Is a Holy Trinity of Sex, Violence and Religion – Bloody Disgusting
  30. ^ a b The 30 Most Extreme Movies of the 21st Century So Far « Taste of Cinema
  31. ^ Gandu – Variety
  32. ^ "Film Review: The Green Elephant (1999)". horrornews.net. 20 April 2014.
  33. ^ "Hacksaw (2020) Review". 8 January 2021.
  34. ^ Extreme Cinema – Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer – Flickering Myth
  35. ^ (Butcher Block) The Uncomfortable Realism of 'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer' – Bloody Disgusting
  36. ^ Extreme Cinema – The House That Jack Built (2018) – Flickering Myth
  37. ^ a b The birth of "extreme cinema": "The Revenant" is an endurance test of suffering for Leonardo DiCaprio -- and moviegoers. But for what?|Salon.com
  38. ^ a b "5 Examples Of Extreme Japanese Cinema That Will Freak You Out". Monkey Fighting Robots. July 6, 2016.
  39. ^ How Ichi the Killer brought ultra-violence to the mainstream – BBC Culture
  40. ^ Extreme Cinema – The Idiots (1998) – Flickering Myth
  41. ^ Infinity Pool Review – An Imperfect Experiment in Extreme Cinema – The Curb
  42. ^ ‘Infinity Pool’ Review: Extreme Sci-Fi Tale Squanders a Promising Premise – TheWrap
  43. ^ "Extreme Asian Horror – Cat III Asian Films". horrornews.net. 26 February 2019.
  44. ^ Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1997)|Roger Ebert
  45. ^ The Kashmir Files director Vivek Agnihotri: Glamourising extreme violence in cinema is considered talent|Bollywood – The Hindustan Times
  46. ^ Extreme cinema: the transgressive rhetoric of today's art film culture 2015021892 ... – EBIN.PUB
  47. ^ Extreme Cinema – Maniac (1980) – Flickering Myth
  48. ^ (Butcher Block) Tom Savini's Gore Effects of 'Maniac' – Bloody Disgusting
  49. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Extreme Cinema: List of Disturbing Films Compendium L-R". 30 July 2019.
  50. ^ Interview with Johannes Grenzfurthner on quepeliverehoy.es; 22 November 2021
  51. ^ "Masking Threshold: A True Macro Exploration of Existential, Ringing Madness" (iHorror); 26 September 2021
  52. ^ "Masking Threshold: Obsession Takes Hold In This Brutal Horror Film"; review in: Film Inquiry, 26 October 2021
  53. ^ A Nation Without Women (2003) – Moria
  54. ^ Top Gross-Out Moments in John Waters Films – Antigravity Magazine
  55. ^ Multiple Maniacs – DVD Talk
  56. ^ Exploring the Popularity of Squid Game — When Extreme Goes Mainstream
  57. ^ Extreme Cinema – Natural Born Killers – Flickering Myth
  58. ^ Extreme Cinema – Nekromantik – Flickering Myth
  59. ^ Extreme Cinema|Rutgers University Press
  60. ^ Anurag Kashyap’s Paanch Movie Review: Flash of Brilliance – madaboutmoviez.in
  61. ^ Sanburn, Josh (September 2, 2010). "Top 10 Ridiculously Violent Movies". Time. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  62. ^ Ebert, Roger (February 24, 2004). "The Passion of the Christ". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  63. ^ (Butcher Block) Going to 'Pieces' Over J. Piquer Simon's Gory Slasher – Bloody Disgusting
  64. ^ Extreme Cinema – Pieces (1982) – Flickering Myth
  65. ^ 10 Midnight Movies That Made History – MovieWeb
  66. ^ What to watch at LFF: New extreme cinema|London Film Festival 2020|BFI
  67. ^ Keerthy Suresh, Selvaraghavan are terrific in this bloody, yet focused revenge drama
  68. ^ 'The Sadness' Review – Gory Virus Movie Goes for the Jugular With Transgressive, Extreme Horror|Bloody Disgusting
  69. ^ Extreme Cinema – Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom – Flickering Myth
  70. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Extreme Cinema: List of Disturbing Films Compendium S-Z". August 2019.
  71. ^ (Butcher Block) Cyberpunk and Body Horror Collide in 'Tetsuo: The Iron Man' – Bloody Disgusting
  72. ^ "Who's Watching Oliver (2017) Review". 1 July 2017.
  73. ^ a b "Against Happiness – Los Angeles Review of Books". 23 September 2015.
  74. ^ Extreme Cinema – Gaspar Noé’s Irreversible – Flickering Myth
  75. ^ 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.
  76. ^ Extreme Cinema: The Most Shocking Movies Of All Time – Flickering Myth
  77. ^ Eaker, Alfred (2015-07-02). "JOHN WATERS' MULTIPLE MANIACS (1970)". 366 Weird Movies. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
  78. ^ "John Waters brings back Multiple Maniacs: 'Of course I went a little too far'". The Guardian. 2016-08-03. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
  79. ^ "Extreme Cinema – The Last House on the Left (1972)". Flickering Myth. 2020-05-01. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
  80. ^ Nicodemo, Timothy (21 August 2013). The New French Extremity: Bruno Dumont and Gaspar Noé, France's Contemporary Zeitgeist (Thesis).
  81. ^ When Takashi Miike Heard He Could Do 'Anything' For Masters Of Horror, He Put That To The Test|/Film
  82. ^ Sex and Violence: Journey into Extreme Cinema – Offscreen
  83. ^ (Butcher Block) Eli Roth’s Flesh-Eating Viral Frenzy ‘Cabin Fever’ – Bloody Disgusting
  84. ^ The 30 Most Extreme Movies of the 21st Century So Far « Taste of Cinema
  85. ^ Brief Descriptions and Expanded Essays of National Film Registry Titles|Library of Congress
  86. ^ The 21st Century's 100 greatest films – BBC Culture
  87. ^ Romanchick, Shane (March 25, 2022). "'Cursed Films' Season 2 Trailer Reveals More Mysteries and Oddities From Famous Films". Collider.

Sources[edit]

  • 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.

External links[edit]

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