Don't Call It 'Torture Porn'!!

I hate “torture porn”. Not the movies, it’s the term I hate.

Horror films are going through a trend right now, and it’s been given a very unfortunate name. They’re no longer utilizing monsters or ghosts or even serial killers for scares, it’s now torture and human suffering. It’s a very unique approach that almost humanizes the horror and makes the view squirm in their seat more than cower in fear. It doesn’t work for everyone, but it does work, and besides not all horror works for everyone. But ever since this brand of horror has hit the mainstream it somehow got the name of “torture porn”. We can thank New York Times film critic David Edelstein for that idiotic phrase (read about it here).

This title sucks and I’ll tell you why: yes, these films are about torture and human suffering, and you can even say that these films exploit that. These films are definitely “torture horror”, and that’s because it’s scary to see people tortured. But why porn? Is it because it is exploitive? All films are exploitative, especially all kinds of horror. But none of it is considered porn, so why should torture horror be called porn? Using that logic, ‘slasher films’ should instead be called ‘slasher porn’ or ‘serial killer porn’, or maybe a ‘splatter film’ should just be renamed ‘gore porn’ (GWAR, anyone?). Or better yet, zombie films should instead be called ‘flesh-eating porn’.

There is no reason to call this recent trend of torture horror films ‘torture porn’; there is nothing pornographic about it. Of course it is exploitative, all horror films are, but if that is the reason why they are using the term porn to describe these films they are seriously erroneous. It is horror, not porn; it’s the wrong word to use. You don’t get off on it (unless you’re into that type of stuff, which is okay), you’re supposed to feel uncomfortable from watching it; it’s supposed to be terrifying. Anyone who is a horror fan should know better than to use that phrase.

I declare a banning of the term ‘torture porn’. Slap anyone who uses that term from now on. I mean it!