By Melissa Antoinette Garza
Over the years, I have been very outspoken about movies that claim to be horror but are in-fact torture porn. Quite frequently, I have bashed the Saw franchise, Hostel or any of the hundreds of copycats. Whether mainstream or indie, low budget or blockbuster, I just can’t stand them.
Personally, I see the Saw films as Cube (1997) for dummies. Whereas Cube was an intelligent, mind-blowing movie about well-developed and intriguing characters stuck in a maze and facing a series of well-designed traps, the Saw movies (with the exception of the first) follow a group of undeveloped stereotypes as they are gruesomely murdered by different and usually silly contraptions.
I never understood the appeal of watching irrelevant and annoying characters being slaughtered. It was pointless. I have no interest in seeing a fake snuff film or a fictional Faces of Death. Of course, each of the films has a “you didn’t see that coming” conclusion. The twist typically consists of the killer being revealed as someone the audience isn’t supposed to expect. I’ll admit that I thought the ending of the first Saw was pretty intense. It had a “WOW” factor that initially made me buy into it being cool. By the sequel, I was more than over it.
One of my pet peeves is the claim that torture porn revolutionized and/or saved horror. Quite often I’ll hear people say that Saw or Hostel raised the bar and changed the genre forever. God, I hope not.
Rarely, do I find anything salvageable about these types of movies. The formula tends to be as follows: Step 1: A beer chugging womanizer, a thug, a feminist, a goth chick, and a preppy girl get caught in a sticky situation. Step 2: Someone begins torturing them to death and it goes on for upwards of 90 minutes. Step 3: It ends with a twist.
Once in a while, a film will flip the formula on its head and actually give the audience a movie worthwhile. As Good as Dead (2010), The Woman (2011), Where are the Children (1986)and Venus Flytrap (1987) are excellent examples of torture done right. There are many reasons that these movies are far superior when compared to the typical drivel that is forced on the horror fans.
For a movie to be viewed as something more than just another torture film, the focus needs to be placed on something other than the violence. The audience needs to grasp the motive of those in control. They don’t need to agree with the motivating factor. In fact, it can be a heinous and despicable reason, but that drive needs to be explored deeply. The viewers also need to see the mindset of the tortured. When done right, the descent of both the villain and victim can make for a very compelling story. The physical violence is necessary not to shock the audience, but instead to show the length of insanity and depravity at the hands of the captor and the amount of strength and endurance of the captive. The mere transitions of these two characters can make or break the movie.
It is important that the portrayals of the characters are realistic. Overdramatic dialogue and reactions should be kept to a minimum. The situation is already so outrageous and at times unbelievable, that to keep the gritty and disturbing nature, a level of realism needs to be found in the main stars.
Another great plot device is when the line of villain and hero is blurred. Revenge films are notorious for this. Kevin Bacon’s Death Sentence (2007) is an excellent example. His motive is completely understandable, but is it justified? The audience is left to ponder that very question.
The Tortured is another film that leaves the viewer with a philosophical quandary where the main characters gain sympathy, but their actions remain inexcusable. It is fascinating to see a production that thoroughly examines the moral compass while fully admitting the subjective nature of its theoretical existence. Though, I would have preferred if the movie concluded without offering a definitive opinion, the closing message is very clear. That said, the dialogue and debate that the movie stirs is certainly something unexpected and refreshing from the horror genre.
The premise is simple. Craig (Jesse Metcalfe) and Elise Landry (Erika Christensen) live the American Dream. They are a young married couple living in suburbia with their one and only child, 6 year old Benjamin (Thomas Greenwood). Craig is a doctor and Elise sells real estate which helps them live in an upper class life of luxury.
Everything changes when psychopath Jon Kozlowski (Bill Moseley) kidnaps Benjamin. Jon wears a tiara and quite a bit of make-up. He is most certainly off his rocker and constantly screams at Ben saying things like, “wait until your father gets home!”
The police go to Jon’s home because reports of a young boy crying had been called in by neighbors. Jon doesn’t want to let the cops in, but one of the officers sees a child’s belongings and decides there is enough cause to enter. Sadly, they are too late when they find Benjamin. The boy was tortured to death. Jon is arrested but only receives 25 years-to-life in jail.
This is far too little for Elise. She convinces Craig that they have to do more. At first, she wants to kill Jon. Craig says no, but as memories of his child flood his mind, he decides that death is too good.
Craig picks up a bunch of medical equipment and drugs from an ambulance. He jumps in the van carrying Jon and begins driving erratically. The van falls down a hill and when Craig finds the inmate’s body, he is badly bruised and beaten. Nonetheless, he’s alive.
The couple brings him to a house that Elise had been trying to sell. They set him up in the basement and tie him to a table. Instantly, they begin torturing him. They tell him that Craig is a doctor and can ensure that he feels every moment of pain and is wide awake during the ordeal.
They burn him, drive objects through his ear, cut him open, and enact all sorts of horrific torture on him. At one point, he dies on the table, but Craig dissatisfied with it being the end brings the criminal back to life.
Both Elise and Craig have doubts at different times, but whenever one backs down, the other talks them back into completing the plan.
The conclusion is predictable yet I wish they had ended it a different way. The reason for the twist is clear, but it overstates something that should have been kept subtle.
Still, that takes little away from the overall movie. I highly recommend, not only watching this, but watching it with a group. The discussions it can spawn afterwards, especially when in intellectual company, can provoke thought and contemplation of one’s own reactions in similar circumstances.
The acting is fantastic. In the beginning, there are certain scenes that are over-the-top, but when in context, it almost makes sense.
I went in with no expectations. I had not heard of this film and only saw it while looking through the horror selection on Amazon. I am so happy that I began flipping through the choices and found this underrated gem.
My brother and I both really enjoyed the movie. My husband liked elements of it. He definitely agreed that it was an intelligent film that was put together in a unique and compelling way, but he was dissatisfied with the torture sequences that he felt were too over the top. Overall it was just not his cup of tea.
Still, I think most horror and suspense fans will find enjoyment. There are aspects of this that were very reminiscent of a modernized Edgar Allan Poe. The dark examination of human nature is always something that Poe perfected and I couldn’t help but think of his writing while engaged by this film. I was also compelled to think of Anton Szandor LaVey’s philosophical thoughts on revenge and protecting oneself.
When really reflecting on the motives of Elise and Craig, one is left analyzing two sympathetic but very flawed individuals. They aren’t evil but commit vile and evil actions because of selfish inclination. They hate themselves for letting their son down and failing to protect him. The need to feel as though they did the right thing, forces them to do something horribly wrong and make a mistake that can never be taken back.
Scared Stiff Rating: 7.5/10
