By Tristan Bishop
The horror film positively thrives on controversy – from the illicit thrill of the X rating introduced in the 1950s, to the Video Nasties debacle, shock and outrage is part of the lingua franca of the genre, and film-makers still find ways to rattle the cage after over 100 years.
Of course, controversy is not only measured in the outrageousness of a film’s content – and some of the more divisive films to have come out in Brutal As Hell’s lifetime have split the horror community (let alone the BAH staff!) for other reasons as well. So here’s a little rundown of the more noteworthy…
A Serbian Film (2010)
Where did it come from?
Serbia, rather unsurprisingly – in fact the debut feature of Srdan Spasojevic, who directed, produced and co-wrote.
What’s it about then?
An aging adult film star agrees to appear in an ‘art’ film for a huge amount of money. However he soon finds himself drugged and forced to participate in increasingly demeaning and immoral scenes.
Why is it so controversial?
This film is basically a catalogue of atrocities designed to offend almost everyone – reading the IMDB ‘parental information’ list for this one is a favourite party game. The unflinching scenes of sexual violence are hard to watch, and doubly so when young children (and in one memorable case, a new-born baby) are thrown into the mix. These scenes, although obviously faked (at least obvious to anyone who has ever seen a film before) landed the film in hot water. The Serbian government ordered an investigation into it, a whopping 19 minutes were cut for the American release, and the film was banned in Spain, Portugal, France, Austria, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore and Brazil – although oddly not in the UK, where a (still fairly heftily) cut version is available on DVD.
What happened to the film-makers?
Amazingly, Spasojevic isn’t languishing behind bars somewhere, and managed to direct one of the better, if perhaps slightly too arty, segments of ABCs Of Death (R is for Removed). Doubtless the horror world will be watching his next move with interest.
American Mary (2012)
Where did it come from?
Despite the title, Canada. The second film by those irrepressible identical twins the Soska sisters, who burst on the scene previously with the high-energy, zero-budget grindhouse thriller Dead Hooker In A Trunk.
What’s it about then?
A promising young medical student, after being drugged and raped by one of her professors, drops out and finds herself embroiled in the world of body modification, whilst simultaneously taking gruesome revenge.
Why is it so controversial?
This is an odd one in that the controversy was not generated by any extreme content. The rape scene, although effective, is shot sensitively and non-explicitly, and the body horror business, although occasionally disturbing, is nothing that would land the film in trouble. Rather this film divided the horror scene because of the buzz surrounding it – by the time many got to see it they were already sick of it, and the film’s extremely borderline status as a horror film (it’s basically a rape-revenge film, although totally unlike any you have seen before). This is certainly an understandable reaction (I’ve never seen Breaking Bad and I’m already bored of it), yet it somehow turned into a vicious online war regarding female film-makers, with some commentators equating the length of a director’s skirt with the size of their talent – which, whether you liked the film or not (and to my mind there is plenty to criticise as well as celebrate here), is blatantly A1 asshole behaviour.
What happened to the film-makers?
Well, no publicity is bad publicity, as they say. Despite American Mary barely troubling the cinematic mainstream, the waves of hype generated by the film and the larger-than-life personalities of the writer/directors mean the girls are keeping the work coming, with their segment in ABCs Of Death 2, and slasher sequel See No Evil 2 both due in 2014.
Antichrist (2009)
Where did it come from?
Danish arthouse bad boy and cinematic rule-breaker Lars Von Trier
What’s it all about then?
Your guess is as good as mine, frankly. Ostensibly about a couple (Charlotte Gainsbourg and Willem Dafoe) who go on vacation to heal after the accidental death of their child.
Why is it so controversial?
Many, many reasons – not only in terms of content, but also reception. Von Trier serves up hardcore sex, some truly unpleasant gore scenes and queasy subject matter, but does it in a way so mannered and obscurist that the result is less a horror film and more a set text for film academics. Which isn’t to say that’s a bad thing or that the film is unwatchable (give me this over the director’s turgid Melancholia any day), but it’s certainly a talking point, and guaranteed you won’t find two people in the same room with the same opinion of this film.
What happened to the film-makers?
Getting booted out of Cannes for ill-advised (but humorously intended) Nazi comments aside, he has since made the aforementioned snooze-fest and is about to release two-part all-star hardcore porn epic Nymphomaniac, which will undoubtedly prove even more controversial than Antichrist.
The Human Centipede films (2009/2011)
Where did it come from?
The Netherlands and the fevered imagination of enfant terrible Tom Six.
What’s it about then?
Of all the films under discussion here, the Human Centipede films are the only ones to have truly entered popular consciousness, but if, like the titular insects, you actually have been living under a rock, here’s the gist – in the first film, a mad scientist kidnaps three people and stitches them together, mouth to arse, to make a three person sequence. The second film is an altogether stranger, self-referential proposition, as a deranged fan of the original film decides to kidnap several people and build his own centipede, using much less scientific methods than the original.
Why is it so controversial?
Originally, because of the vomit-inducing concept of having your face surgically attached to someone else’s digestive tract. Despite this the first film is fairly non-graphic, being a rather standard (although very enjoyable) mad doctor film . The second instalment, however, takes the notoriety gained by the original and plays off it, delivering a stark, surreal and extreme commentary on those who blame horror films for real life atrocities. The film, with staple guns replacing surgical needles, and scenes including sandpaper masturbation, was briefly banned in the UK, although an edited version was released soon afterwards. Despite the controversy, it’s an intelligent and surprisingly funny film.
What happened to the film-makers?
Tom Six, after much wrangling and apparent legal issues, has managed to persuade Deiter Laser and Laurence R Harvey – the villain/protagonists of parts 1 and 2 respectively, to return to the fold for the almost certainly even more bizarre third and final instalment, due in 2014.
Kill List (2011)
Where did it come from?
The UK, and from former TV director Ben Wheatley.
What’s it about then?
Without wanting to spoiler those who haven’t seen it, it concerns two hitmen who take on a job which leaves them over their heads in trouble.
Why is it so controversial?
Like American Mary this is one which divides opinion among horror fans. Some (myself included) lapped up the well-balanced characterisation and the deliberately uneven pace of the film, whilst some were left distinctly unimpressed by that same pace and the film’s remarkably similarity in structure (and ending!) to a certain other controversial film which may or may not appear on this list. Again, despite the lack of extreme material on show here, Kill List is a film it seems impossible not to have a strong opinion on.
What happened to the film-makers?
Mr Wheatley, even Kill List’s detractors will admit, quickly became the hottest new talent in the UK, following this up with the universally-adored horror comedy Sightseers, and the even more head-scratching English Civil War psychedelic witchcraft odyssey A Field In England. Although the less said about his ABCs Of Death segment the better.
Martyrs (2008)
Where did it come from?
France, from director Pascal Laugier, former assistant to Christophe Gans.
What’s it about then?
Again, hard to describe without major spoilers, let’s just say it’s a film about imprisonment, ordeal and human exploitation.
Why is it so controversial?
This one not only shocked people with extreme content – it’s certainly one of the nastier films that could conceivably be placed under the subgenre of ‘torture porn/ ordeal horror’, partially due to the skill with which it is made rather than explicit violence (although there is plenty of this too), but it also divided people critically as well, with as many feeling cheated by the out-of-left-field climax as felt exhilarated.
What happened to the film-makers?
Laugier went to the States to direct The Tall Man (2012) which went largely ignored by horror fans. He was scheduled to be involved in a Hellraiser remake, but his stated intention to bring the gay S&M elements to the fore upset the producers, who wanted yet another teen-focussed soft R-rated remake.
The Woman (2011)
Where did it come from?
The only film on this list from the USA, from director Lucky McKee, who had previously been behind horror fan favourite May (2002) and the best of the Masters Of Horror episodes (Sick Girl) amongst others.
What’s it about then?
A grim, unflinching feminist parable about a lawyer and supposed family man who captures a feral woman and attempts to ‘civilise’ her with increasingly brutal methods.
Why is it so controversial?
It’s a Jack Ketchum adaptation, so there’s enough rape, violence, misogyny and general grimness on show here to put anyone on edge, and McKee gives us very little direct comment on proceedings, leaving the audience to make their own minds up. The lack of likeable characters (or at least those with speaking parts) adds to the overall atmosphere of ordeal.
What happened to the film-makers?
McKee has made another feminist horror film since then, in the form of the much lighter, but outrageously enjoyable All Cheerleaders Die.
Editor’s note: as Brutal As Hell’s five year anniversary celebrations continue, be on the lookout for our top 20 films of the past five years – which just might feature the odd title from this very same list…