{{Short description|Horror genre}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2026}} [[File:Blood-feast.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Poster art for ''Blood Feast'' (1963), considered to be the first splatter film]]
A '''splatter film''' is a subgenre of horror film that deliberately focuses on graphic portrayals of gore and graphic violence. These films, usually through the use of special effects, display a fascination with the vulnerability of the human body and the theatricality of its mutilation. The term "splatter cinema" was coined by George A. Romero to describe his film ''Dawn of the Dead'', though ''Dawn of the Dead'' is generally considered by critics as possessing higher aspiration (such as social commentary) rather than simply being exploitative for its own sake.<ref name="mccarty"/>
The term was popularized by John McCarty's 1981 book ''Splatter Movies'', subtitled: ''Breaking The Last Taboo: A Critical Survey of the Wildly Demented Sub Genre of the Horror Film that Is Changing the Face of Film Realism Forever''. The first significant publication to attempt to define and analyse the 'splatter film', McCarty suggests that splatter is indicative of broader trends in film production. Though splatter is associated with fairly extreme horror films, and such works form the main focus of the book, a relatively diverse range of titles dating mainly from the 1960s to late 1970s are also included; examples include John Waters' ''Female Trouble'', Ted Post's ''Magnum Force'', Terry Gilliam's ''Jabberwocky'', and Walter Hill's Western ''The Long Riders''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mubi.com/lists/john-mccartys-splatter-movie-gore-nucopia|title = John McCarty's Splatter Movie Gore-Nucopia – Movie List}}</ref> This filmography implies that the influence of film-makers such as Sam Peckinpah or Andy Warhol, to name two, is as significant to the development of the form as Grand Guignol, Hammer Films or Herschell Gordon Lewis.
During the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the use of graphic violence in cinema has been labeled "'''torture porn'''" or "'''gorno'''" (a portmanteau of "gore" and "porno").<ref>{{cite web |last=Boucher |first=Geoff |date=3 June 2007 |title=A queasy-does-it guy |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-jun-03-ca-eliroth3-story.html |work=latimes.com |access-date=9 July 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20120711231153/http://articles.latimes.com/2007/jun/03/entertainment/ca-eliroth3 |archive-date=11 July 2012 }}</ref> By contrast, films such as ''Braindead'', ''Evil Dead II'', ''Idle Hands'', and to some extent ''Dawn of the Dead'', all of which feature over-the-top gore, can be construed as darkly comedic, and fall into the category of '''splatstick'''. This has also been incorporated outside of horror-related media in various comedies, with franchises such as ''Deadpool'', ''South Park'', ''Superjail!'' and ''Happy Tree Friends'' incorporating exaggerated violence with humorous intent, generally used in tandem with black comedy in general.
==Characteristics== Splatter films, according to film critic Michael Arnzen, "self-consciously revel in the special effects of gore as an artform."<ref name="arnzen">{{cite journal |last=Arnzen |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Arnzen |year=1994 |title=Who's Laughing Now?...The Postmodern Splatter Film |journal=Journal of Popular Film and Television|volume=21 |issue=4 |pages=176–184 |doi=10.1080/01956051.1994.9943985 }}</ref> Where typical horror films deal with such fears as that of the unknown, the supernatural and the dark, the impetus for fear in a splatter film comes from physical destruction of the body and the pain accompanying it. There is also an emphasis on visuals, style and technique, including hyperactive camerawork. Where most horror films have a tendency to re-establish the social and moral order with good triumphing over evil, splatter films thrive on a lack of order. Arnzen argues that "the spectacle of violence replaces any pretensions to narrative structure, because gore is the only part of the film that is reliably consistent."<ref name="arnzen"/> These films also often feature fragmented narratives and direction, including "manic montages full of subject camera movement ... cross-cuttings from hunted to hunter, and ominous juxtapositions and contrasts."<ref name="arnzen"/>
==Origins== The splatter film has its aesthetic roots in French Grand Guignol theatre, which endeavored to stage realistic scenes of blood and carnage for its patrons. In 1908, Grand Guignol made its first appearance in England, although the gore was downplayed in favor of a more Gothic tone, owing to the greater censorship of the arts in Britain.<ref name="mccarty">{{cite book |last=McCarty |first=John |year=1984 |title=Splatter Movies: Breaking the Last Taboo of the Screen |publisher=St. Martin's Press |location=New York City, New York}}</ref>
The first appearance of {{nowrap|gore{{px2}}{{mdash}}{{px2}}}}the realistic mutilation of the human {{nowrap|body{{px2}}{{mdash}}{{px2}}}}in cinema can be traced to D. W. Griffith's ''Intolerance'' (1916), which features numerous Guignol-esque touches, including two onscreen decapitations, and a scene in which a spear is slowly driven through a soldier's naked abdomen as blood wells from the wound. Several of Griffith's subsequent films, and those of his contemporary Cecil B. DeMille, featured similarly realistic carnage.{{fact|date=May 2026}}
===Modern era=== In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the public was reintroduced to splatter themes and motifs by groundbreaking films such as Alfred Hitchcock's ''Psycho'' (1960) and the output of Hammer Film Productions (an artistic outgrowth of the English Grand Guignol style) such as ''The Curse of Frankenstein'' (1957) and ''Horror of Dracula'' (1958). Perhaps the most explicitly violent film of this era was Nobuo Nakagawa's ''Jigoku'' (1960), which included numerous scenes of flaying and dismemberment in its depiction of the Buddhist underworld Naraka.{{fact|date=May 2026}}
Splatter came into its own as a distinct subgenre of horror in the early 1960s with the films of Herschell Gordon Lewis in the United States. Eager to maintain a profitable niche, Lewis turned to something that mainstream cinema still rarely featured: scenes of visceral, explicit gore. In 1963, he directed ''Blood Feast'', widely considered the first splatter film.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bankard |first=Bob |title=Making 'Blood Feast' |newspaper=Philly Burbs}}</ref> In the 15 years following its release, ''Blood Feast'' took in an estimated $7 million. It was made for an estimated $24,500.<ref name="profoundly">{{cite book |last=Briggs |first=Joe Bob |author-link=Joe Bob Briggs |date=28 June 2003 |title=Profoundly Disturbing: Shocking Movies That Changed History |publisher=Universe Publishing}}</ref> ''Blood Feast'' was followed by two more gore films by Herschell Gordon Lewis, ''Two Thousand Maniacs!'' (1964) and ''Color Me Blood Red'' (1965).
The popularity of the splatter film in the 1970s was met with strong reactions in the US and the U.K. Roger Ebert in the U.S., and Member of Parliament Graham Bright in the U.K., led the charge to censor splatter films on home video with the film critic going after ''I Spit on Your Grave'' while the politician sponsored the Video Recordings Act, a system of censorship and certification for home video in the U.K.<ref name="newman">{{cite book |last=Newman |first=Kim |author-link=Kim Newman |year=2011 |title=Nightmare Movies |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |location=London}}, p.276</ref> The latter resulted in the outright banning of many splatter films in the U.K., which were deemed "video nasties" in the British press.{{fact|date=May 2026}}
Some splatter directors have gone on to produce mainstream hits. Peter Jackson started his career in New Zealand by directing the splatter movies ''Bad Taste'' (1987) and ''Braindead'' (1992). These films featured such over-the-top gore that it became a comedic device. These comedic gore films have been dubbed "splatstick", defined as physical comedy that involves dismemberment. Splatstick seems to be more common in Japan, with the examples of ''Robogeisha'', ''Tokyo Gore Police'', and ''The Machine Girl''.<ref name="mccarty"/>
[[File:CannibalHolocaustimpale.jpg|right|thumb|The 1980 mockumentary ''Cannibal Holocaust'', an influential example of splatter cinema]]
Splatter films have pioneered techniques used in other genres. For example, the popular 1999 film ''The Blair Witch Project'' is similar to the 1980 film ''Cannibal Holocaust''.<ref>Deodato, Ruggero. Interview with Sage Stallone; Bob Murawski. "Cult-Con 2000", ''Cannibal Holocaust'' DVD commentary, Tarrytown, New York. 12 November 2000.</ref> The story in ''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. Although the ''Blair Witch'' directors had not seen ''Cannibal Holocaust'' at the time of filming, this "mockumentary" format was later used in their film.{{fact|date=May 2026}}
One of the more recent examples of a splatter film is ''Terrifier'' (2016), and its sequels ''Terrifier 2'' (2022) and ''Terrifier 3'' (2024). All three films are infamous for their gore, two main examples being Dawn's hacksaw kill in ''Terrifier'', where Art the Clown saws Dawn in half, and Allie's bedroom kill in ''Terrifier 2'', where Art theatrically mutilates Allie to death. ''Terrifier 2'' was said to be so gory and so violent that audience members have reported to be vomiting and fainting.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 October 2022 |author=Pauline Villegas |website=Insider |title={{-'}}Terrifier 2' director reacts to reports of viewers vomiting, fainting |url=https://www.insider.com/terrifier-2-director-reacts-to-reports-of-viewers-vomiting-fainting-2022-10 |access-date=2022-10-17 }}</ref><ref name="usatoday">{{Cite news |last=Segarra |first=Edward |title={{-'}}Terrifier 2' has fans vomiting. Here's why the 'brutal' clown slasher movie is so hard to watch. |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2022/10/16/terrifier-2-fans-vomiting-fainting-over-graphic-violence/10519066002/ |newspaper=USA TODAY |access-date=2022-10-17 }}</ref>
===Torture porn===<!-- NOTE: "Torture porn" redirects here. Please update the redirect if you change the section heading. --> [[File:Hostelchairshot.PNG|thumb|left|Bijou Phillips in Eli Roth's 2007 film ''Hostel: Part II'', portraying a woman being tortured]]
In the 2000s—particularly 2003–2009—a body of films was produced that combined elements of the splatter and slasher film genres.<ref name= "TorturePorn">{{cite book|last=Jones |first=Steve |year=2013 |title=Torture Porn: Popular Horror after Saw |publisher=Palgrave-Macmillan |location=Basingstoke}}</ref> The films were dubbed "'''torture porn'''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA-->" by critics and detractors, most notably by David Edelstein, who coined the term in a 2006 article.<ref name="NewYorkMagazine">Edelstein, David (6 February 2006). "[https://nymag.com/movies/features/15622/ Now Playing at Your Local Multiplex: Torture Porn] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011200524/http://nymag.com/movies/features/15622/ |date=2007-10-11 }}". ''New York Magazine''. Retrieved on 11 June 2007.</ref> Like their splatter forerunners, torture porn films reputedly emphasize depictions of violence, gore, nudity, torture, mutilation and sadism. Also like splatter films, the extent to which torture porn lives up to its sensational reputation has been disputed.<ref name="LexiconofOffense">Jones, Steve (2013) "The Lexicon of Offense: The Meanings of Torture, Porn and 'Torture Porn'", in Feona Attwood et al. (eds.) ''Controversial Images: Media Representations on the Edge'' (Basingstoke: Palgrave-Macmillan).</ref>
The torture porn label has been applied to films including ''Baise-moi'' (2000), ''Ichi the Killer'' (2001), ''Saw'' (2004) and its sequels (though its creators disagree with the classification),<ref name="UGO">Warner, Kara. "[http://www.ugo.com/ugo/html/article/?id=17961 Saw IV Press Conference] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616022701/http://www.ugo.com/ugo/html/article/?id=17961 |date=2011-06-16 }}". ''UGO.com''.</ref> ''Hostel'' (2005), ''The Devil's Rejects'' (2005), and ''Wolf Creek'' (2005).<ref name="NewYorkMagazine"/><ref name="AdvertisingAge">Skenazy, Lenore (28 May 2007). "It's Torture! It's Porn! What's Not to Like? Plenty, Actually". ''Advertising Age''.</ref><ref name="Guardian">3 May 2007. "[https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/may/03/letters.news Is there a link between 'torture porn' and real sexual violence?] ". ''The Guardian''. Retrieved on 11 June 2007.</ref> A difference between this group of films and earlier splatter films is that they are often mainstream Hollywood films that receive a wide release, and have comparatively high production values.<ref name="AdvertisingAge"/>
The torture porn subgenre has proven to be very profitable: ''Saw'', made for $1.2 million, grossed over $100 million worldwide, while ''Hostel'', which cost less than $5 million to produce, grossed over $80 million.<ref name="AssociatedPress">Murray, Steve (7 June 2007). "[http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/entertainment/movies/abox/article_1722611.php 'Horror porn' a bloody success] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001030517/http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/entertainment/movies/abox/article_1722611.php |date=2007-10-01 }}". ''Associated Press''. Retrieved on 11 June 2007.</ref> Lionsgate, the studio behind the films, made considerable gains in its stock price from the box office showing.<ref name="CNN">La Monica, Paul R. (8 June 2007). "[https://money.cnn.com/2007/06/08/news/companies/lionsgate/index.htm 'Torture porn' helps Lionsgate roar] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071005002317/http://money.cnn.com/2007/06/08/news/companies/lionsgate/index.htm |date=2007-10-05 }}". Retrieved on 14 June 2007.</ref> The financial success led the way for the release of similar films: ''Turistas'' in 2006, ''Hostel: Part II'', ''Borderland'', and ''Captivity'', starring Elisha Cuthbert and Daniel Gillies, in 2007.<ref name="AssociatedPress"/><ref name="NationalPost">Kinsella, Warren (7 June 2007). "[http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/issuesideas/story.html?id=373ed690-d213-4bc1-bf9f-d84f53220e75 Torture porn's dark waters] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012200711/http://canada.com/nationalpost/news/issuesideas/story.html?id=373ed690-d213-4bc1-bf9f-d84f53220e75 |date=2007-10-12 }}". ''National Post''. Retrieved on 11 June 2007.</ref> Indeed, in 2009, the ''Saw'' series became the most profitable horror film series of all time,<ref>Lariam Peter (24 October 2008) "[http://www.nypost.com/seven/10242008/business/saw_may_become_best_horror_franchie_ever_135079.htm 'Saw' May Become Best Horror Franchise Ever] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090201100222/http://www.nypost.com/seven/10242008/business/saw_may_become_best_horror_franchie_ever_135079.htm |date=2009-02-01 }}". ''New York Post''. Retrieved on 4 June 2009.</ref> prompting the release of ''The Collector'' starring Josh Stewart and Juan Fernández within that year. Despite these financial successes, torture porn is perceived as a pejorative label by many press critics, filmmakers, and fans.<ref name= "TorturePorn"/> "Torture porn's" pejorative connotations were anchored by high-profile salacious advertising campaigns. Billboards and posters used in the marketing of ''Hostel: Part II''<ref>[http://www.fangoria.com/blogs/raising-hell/4461-the-problem-with-torture-porn.html The Problem with Torture Porn] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029232019/http://www.fangoria.com/blogs/raising-hell/4461-the-problem-with-torture-porn.html |date=29 October 2009 }}</ref> and ''Captivity'' drew criticism for their graphic imagery, causing them to be taken down in many locations.<ref name="GuardianMay1">1 May 2007. "[https://www.theguardian.com/gender/story/0,,2069473,00.html For your entertainment]". ''The Guardian''. Retrieved on 11 June 2007.</ref> Director Eli Roth sought to defend the subgenre, claiming that critics' uses of torture porn "genuinely says more about the critic's limited understanding of what horror movies can do than about the film itself",<ref>3 June 2007. "[https://www.aintitcool.com/node/32868 Capone and Eli Roth discuss horror movies, gore, Stephen King, the phrase "Torture Porn" and much more!!!] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071005190149/http://www.aintitcool.com/node/32868 |date=2007-10-05 }}". ''Ain't It Cool News''. Retrieved on 11 June 2007.</ref> and that "they're out of touch."<ref name="MTV">Horowitz, Josh (28 March 2007) "[http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1555691/20070327/story.jhtml 'Hostel' Helmer Eli Roth Says Horror Should Have No Limits: 'It's All Fake'] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012195800/http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1555691/20070327/story.jhtml |date=2007-10-12 }}". ''MTV''. Retrieved on 11 June 2007.</ref> Horror author Stephen King defended ''Hostel: Part II'' and torture porn stating, "sure it makes you uncomfortable, but good art should make you uncomfortable."<ref>Olsen, Marc. "[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-jun-22-et-king22-story.html Stephen King on the artistic merits of torture porn] ". ''Los Angeles Times''. Retrieved on 14 July 2007.</ref> Influential director George A. Romero stated, "I don't get the torture porn films ... they're lacking metaphor."<ref>Onstad, Katrina (10 February 2008). "[https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/10/movies/10onst.html Horror Auteur Is Unfinished With the Undead] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170129085920/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/10/movies/10onst.html |date=2017-01-29 }}". ''The New York Times''. Retrieved on 15 February 2008.</ref>
The success of torture porn, and its boom during the mid to late 2000s, led to a crossover into genres other than horror. This became evident with the release of many crime thrillers, particularly the 2007 film ''I Know Who Killed Me'' starring Lindsay Lohan, and the 2008 film ''Untraceable'', starring Diane Lane and Billy Burke.<ref>Corliss, Richard (25 January 2008). "[http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1706925,00.html Hiding from ''Untraceable''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080228235140/http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1706925,00.html |date=2008-02-28 }}". ''Time''. Retrieved on 15 February 2008.</ref> The British film ''WΔZ'', starring Stellan Skarsgård and Selma Blair,<ref>Evans, Mark (30 August 2008). "[https://web.archive.org/web/20081201065001/http://www.herald.ie/entertainment/film-cinema/crime-w-delta-z--the-killing-gene-1466163.html Crime W Delta Z / The Killing Gene]". ''Evening Herald''. Retrieved on 12 September 2008.</ref> and its US counterpart ''Scar'', starring Angela Bettis and Ben Cotton, continued to facilitate this hybrid form of torture porn, which was also, to a lesser degree, evident in films such as ''Rendition'' (2007) starring Jake Gyllenhaal, ''Law Abiding Citizen'' (2009), and ''Unthinkable'' (2010) starring Samuel L. Jackson.<ref>French, Philip. [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/nov/09/scar-3d-review "''Scar 3D'' Cert 18"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170128213104/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/nov/09/scar-3d-review |date=2017-01-28 }} (review), ''The Observer'', 9 November 2008. Retrieved 22 November 2008</ref>
In the mid-2000s, the splatter film was given a major boost within the horror industry by a new wave of French films—commonly referred to as the New French Extremity—which became internationally known for their extremely brutal nature: ''Martyrs'' (2008), directed by Pascal Laugier,<ref>Pasche, Alexandre (30 August 2008). "[http://www.rue89.com/2008/08/30/martyrs-quelle-limite-pour-le-torture-porn-a-la-francaise Martyrs : quelles limites pour le torture porn à la française ?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080911225102/http://www.rue89.com/2008/08/30/martyrs-quelle-limite-pour-le-torture-porn-a-la-francaise|date=2008-09-11}}". ''Rue 89''. Retrieved on 12 September 2008.</ref> ''Frontier(s)'' (2007), directed by Xavier Gens,<ref>Gonzalez, Ed (8 May 2008). "[https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/frontiers/3564 Frontier(s)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110301040851/http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/frontiers/3564 |date=2011-03-01 }}". Slant Magazine. Retrieved on 21 April 2010.</ref> and ''Inside'' (2007), directed by Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury.<ref name="AssociatedPress"/><ref>Ogden, Brianne (18 February 2008). "[http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/commentary/wb/151211 Torture porn says something about society] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130201084300/http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/commentary/wb/151211 |date=2013-02-01 }}". ''The Roanoke Times''. Retrieved on 18 February 2008.</ref> Rapper Eminem explored the genre in his music video for the single "3 a.m.".<ref>Graham, Mark (30 April 2009). "[https://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2009/04/eminem_resurrects_torture_porn.html Eminem Resurrects Torture Porn for '3 A.M.' Video] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090531092350/http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2009/04/eminem_resurrects_torture_porn.html |date=2009-05-31 }}". ''New York Magazine''. Retrieved on 4 June 2009.</ref> Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier's ''Antichrist'', starring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg, was labeled torture porn by critics when it premiered at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival due to scenes of extreme violence, graphic sex, and genital self-mutilation.<ref>Singh, Anita (18 May 2009). "[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/cannes-film-festival/5344374/Cannes-Film-Festival-2009--Lars-Von-Triers-torture-porn-film-Antichrist-shocks.html Cannes Film Festival 2009 : Lars Von Trier's 'torture porn' film Antichrist shocks] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090521183628/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/cannes-film-festival/5344374/Cannes-Film-Festival-2009--Lars-Von-Triers-torture-porn-film-Antichrist-shocks.html|date=2009-05-21}}". ''The Daily Telegraph''. Retrieved on 4 June 2009.</ref><ref>Ordoña, Michael (1 August 2009). "[http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/la-et-collector1-2009aug01,0,4610410.story The Collector] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090804072408/http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/la-et-collector1-2009aug01,0,4610410.story |date=2009-08-04 }}". ''Los Angeles Times''. Retrieved on 1 August 2009.</ref>
By 2009, the box office draw of torture porn films had mostly been replaced in the U.S. by the profitable trend of remaking or rebooting earlier horror films from decades past, with the modernization of films such as ''Dawn of the Dead'' (2004), ''The Amityville Horror'' (2005), ''House of Wax'' (2005), ''Black Christmas'' (2006), ''Halloween'' (2007), ''My Bloody Valentine 3D'' (2009), ''Friday the 13th'' (2009), ''The Wolfman'' (2010), ''The Crazies'' (2010), and ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' (2010).<ref>Bowles, Scott (13 February 2009), "[https://www.usatoday.com/printedition/life/20090213/horror13_st.art.htm Classic horror films come back to life, profitably] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090917140437/http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/life/20090213/horror13_st.art.htm |date=2009-09-17 }}". ''USA Today''. Retrieved on 4 June 2009.</ref> A number of these remakes, such as ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' (2003), ''The Hills Have Eyes'' (2006) (and its sequel in 2007), ''Funny Games'' (2008), ''The Last House on the Left'' (2009), and ''I Spit on Your Grave'' (2010) were referred to as torture porn in press reviews.<ref>Fletcher, Phoebe (2009) 'Apocalyptic Machines: Terror and Anti-Production in the Post-9/11 Splatter Film', in Leanne Franklin and Ravenel Richardson (eds) ''The Many Forms of Fear, Horror and Terror'' (Oxford: Inter-Disciplinary Press).</ref><ref>Schneller, Johanna (2008) 'The Torture Merchants' Not-so-Funny Game', ''The Globe and Mail'', 22 March.</ref><ref>Hulse, Ed (2007) 'Directing New Brands of Horror', Video Business, 12 March.</ref><ref>Puig, Claudia (2009) '"Last House" is Condemnable', ''USA Today'', 13 March.</ref><ref>Phelan, Laurence 'New Films', ''The Independent'', 22 January.</ref>
At the close of the decade, ''The Human Centipede (First Sequence)'' (2009) and ''A Serbian Film'' (2010) were among the most notable torture porn releases. Although not as financially successful as ''Saw'' or ''Hostel'',<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=horrortorture.htm |title=Home |access-date=2013-09-28 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014075603/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=horrortorture.htm |archive-date=2013-10-14 }} Retrieved on 28 September 2013.</ref> ''A Serbian Film'' and ''The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence)'' (2011) gained attention in the press for their graphic depictions of forced fecal consumption and necrophilia,<ref>Sobolewski, Helene (2011) "Depraved Horror Movie Banned" ''The Advertiser'' (Australia) 2 December.</ref><ref>Kermode, Mark (2010) "A Confederacy Of Dunces: Jonah Hex's Mix Of The Civil War And Comic Book Is Plain Confusing", ''The Observer'' (England), 26 December.</ref> and both films were censored in order to attain release in the U.K.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/srpski-film-serbian-film-2010 |title=Srpski Film - A Serbian Film |access-date=2013-09-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130401065726/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/srpski-film-serbian-film-2010 |archive-date=2013-04-01 }}. Retrieved on 28 September 2013.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/human-centipede-ii-full-sequence-2011 |title=The Human Centipede Ii (Full Sequence) |access-date=2013-09-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131010054257/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/human-centipede-ii-full-sequence-2011 |archive-date=2013-10-10 }}. Retrieved on 28 September 2013.</ref> Other torture porn films such as ''Murder-Set-Pieces'', ''Grotesque'' and ''The Bunny Game'' were banned outright by the BBFC.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/grotesque-1970-4 |title=Grotesque |access-date=2013-09-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025210800/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/grotesque-1970-4 |archive-date=2014-10-25 }}. Retrieved on 28 September 2013.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/bunny-game-1970 |title=The Bunny Game |access-date=2013-09-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140707105546/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/bunny-game-1970 |archive-date=2014-07-07 }} Retrieved on 28 September 2013.</ref>
Subsequently, torture porn has increasingly become a DVD-oriented subgenre. For example, ''Hostel: Part III'' (2011) was released direct to DVD, unlike the previous films in the series. The film received less negative attention in the press as a result of its lower-profile release.<ref name= "TorturePorn"/> Other recent torture porn films include ''Would You Rather'' (2012), ''The Collection'' (2012),<ref name=":0" /> ''Truth or Dare'' (2013),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Conterio |first=Martyn |date=2014-08-27 |title=TRUTH OR DARE [FRIGHTFEST 2014] |url=http://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/latest-reviews-of-movies/9535-truth-or-dare-frightfest-2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006064949/http://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/latest-reviews-of-movies/9535-truth-or-dare-frightfest-2014 |archive-date=2014-10-06 |access-date=2024-06-18 |website=Starburst}}</ref> ''Who's Watching Oliver'' (2018),<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Roger |date=2018-05-27 |title=Movie Review: Torture porn lives on in "Who's Watching Oliver" |url=https://rogersmovienation.com/2018/05/27/movie-review-torture-porn-lives-on-in-whos-watching-oliver/ |access-date=2024-06-18 |website=Movie Nation |language=en}}</ref> ''Don't Click'' (2020),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Newman |first=Kim |author-link=Kim Newman |date=2020-08-29 |title=FrightFest review – Don't Click |url=https://johnnyalucard.com/2020/08/29/frightfest-review-dont-click/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928085411/https://johnnyalucard.com/2020/08/29/frightfest-review-dont-click/ |archive-date=2020-09-28 |access-date=2024-06-18 |website=The Kim Newman Web Site |language=en-GB}}</ref> ''Hacksaw'' (2020),<ref>{{Cite web |last=DeFellipo |first=Michael |date=2019-09-15 |title=Review: Anthony Leone's "Hacksaw" |url=https://www.horrorsociety.com/2019/09/15/review-anthony-leones-hacksaw/ |access-date=2024-06-18 |website=Horror Society |language=en-US}}</ref> and ''The Host'' (2020).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Clarke |first=Cath |date=2020-04-15 |title=The Host review – a horror for all the wrong reasons |url=http://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/apr/15/the-host-review-british-horror-thriller |access-date=2024-06-18 |website=The Guardian}}</ref> As fewer and fewer high-profile cinematic torture porn films are being released, however, the subgenre is slowly dying out, as many journalists have proposed.<ref name=":0">Barnes, Brookes (2009) 'Audiences Laughed to Forget Troubles', ''The New York Times'', 30 December.</ref>
The genre elements were also used in episodes of many popular American television shows, including Fox's ''24'', CBS's ''Criminal Minds'', Showtime's ''Dexter'', The CW's ''Supernatural'', NBC's ''Blindspot'' and FX's ''American Horror Story''.
Some scholars have published analyses of torture porn films. For example, a book chronicling the torture porn phenomenon and the surrounding controversy—Steve Jones' ''Torture Porn: Popular Horror after Saw''<ref name= "TorturePorn"/>—was published in 2013.
==See also== *Exploitation film *Extreme cinema *Video nasty
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Horror film}} {{Exploitation film}} {{Film genres}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Splatter film}} * Category:Film genres Category:Horror genres Category:Dystopian fiction Category:Thrillers Category:Splatter films Category:Obscenity controversies in film Category:1960s in film Category:1970s in film Category:1980s in film