Tortured

I just watched the bit of nastiness called MUM and DAD. It was well done, but not for me. not for me at all, really. MUM and DAD plays out the scenarios that are common in much of today's horror - torture, madness, kidnapping and just being mean in general. By the end, I was not interested at all. I didn't care about anyone in the film and cared about the end - fast forward button depressed - even less. It was a bore.

It's funny because even though we're talking about horror here - usually nasty, scary and violent for the most part - this new generation of "torture-porn" doesn't do it for me at all. I usually try to avoid bad mouthing films and stick to the "if you don't have something good to say, don't say anything at all" method, however these films bore me to tears. I have nothing invested in them. They also make me kind of angry. Why? I feel like they are talking down to me for one. They also feel a little evil. A lot evil in some cases. Horror to me is like a roller coaster. I strap in for a scary thrill. A what if scenario to get my heart racing. This latest style of cruel horror is like a blunt instrument. There's no substance or style to it.

"Ok...here's the story. There are these hot girls, right? And then they meet these nasty people. The nasty people torture them and sexually assault them...because they have...a thing against girls or something. Doesn't matter. Anyway...they kidnap them and torture them and stuff. There is some nude stuff and blood and screaming. Maybe a room with blooood all over the walls and floor and scary, sharp blood covered things all over. THEN...at the end....they either don't make it when they ALMOST escape...or they kill their captors in some really nasty ways. Crowd cheers. We count our money. Sound good?"

No. No it doesn't, actually. I need plot. I need substance. In the case of Mum and Dad, you have horrid people doing horrid things to people who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but you're given nothing to think about other than getting out of the situation. Why are these people like this? How long has this been going on? Why? I get it to a certain extent. These are nasty things going on under people's noses. In the shadows of a community. Sure, that's creepy, but it's also like setting off fireworks in your living room - not subtle or smart.

I've seen great movies start off in fantastic ways and hold my interest in total only to then fall into this level and loose me. MARTYRS was a fantastic film with some compelling story lines and amazing character development. The first 2/3 of the film was amazing. Then, it stumbles and falls into the pit of torture for the last 1/3 and I was bored and just didn't care anymore.

Give me good plot over horrid games of torture and cruelty any day. Am I getting old? Or, am I just too soft to play in today's horror torture world? If you like this stuff, have at it! There is plenty of it out there for you to enjoy. I'm not suggesting my views are the only ones out there by any means.

Give me bump in the night chills over that crap any day!