Thread: Horror films
View Single Post
Old 09-30-2018, 06:12 PM   #25
Seanny One Ball
World Class References
 
Seanny One Ball's Avatar
 
Posts: 30,619
Seanny One Ball makes a lot of good posts (200,000+)Seanny One Ball makes a lot of good posts (200,000+)Seanny One Ball makes a lot of good posts (200,000+)Seanny One Ball makes a lot of good posts (200,000+)Seanny One Ball makes a lot of good posts (200,000+)Seanny One Ball makes a lot of good posts (200,000+)Seanny One Ball makes a lot of good posts (200,000+)Seanny One Ball makes a lot of good posts (200,000+)Seanny One Ball makes a lot of good posts (200,000+)Seanny One Ball makes a lot of good posts (200,000+)Seanny One Ball makes a lot of good posts (200,000+)Seanny One Ball makes a lot of good posts (200,000+)Seanny One Ball makes a lot of good posts (200,000+)
Funny Games isn't a horror film. Some people think it is but it's sort of a meta-psychological thriller with fourth wall breaks and a focus on tension through extreme sadism. It's violent and nasty but it's also nowhere near as bad as critics make it out to be. It's just that it's extremely unforgiving and fairly realistic. It haunts the part of your brain that knows you are never entirely safe even in polite society.
Michael Haneke makes unbelievably tense films about uncomfortable topics. If you watch Funny Games watch the 1997 original, it has Arno Frisch and if you enjoy it you can move onto "Benny's Video" which is probably one of the most nausea inducing films I have ever seen despite the fact that you see no violence or gore. The 2007 remake is sort of pointless, it has a good cast but it's like Van Sant's Psycho or Let Me In.

I like Michael Haneke a lot, he's a man that can make inaction and build up so much more vital than violence. Funny Games is an indictment on violence and so it has to be ugly. It's an ugly film that disturbs people.

In contrast you have a film like Eden Lake which adapts the idea and takes none of the style turning it into emotional torture porn.
Last edited by Seanny One Ball; 08-13-2019 at 01:33 AM.
Seanny One Ball is offline   Reply With Quote