Extreme cinema is a subgenre used for films distinguished by its use of excessive

sex Sex is the trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing animal or plant produces male or female gametes. Male plants and animals produce smaller mobile gametes (spermatozoa, sperm, pollen), while females produce larger ones ( ova, of ...

and

violence Violence is the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy. Other definitions are also used, such as the World Health Organization's definition of violence as "the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened ...

, and such various extreme nature as

mutilation Mutilation or maiming (from the Latin: ''mutilus'') refers to Bodily harm, severe damage to the body that has a ruinous effect on an individual's quality of life. It can also refer to alterations that render something inferior, ugly, dysfunction ...

and

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. definitions of tortur ...

. It recently specializes in genre film, mostly both horror and drama.

Reception

The rising popularity of Asian films in the 21st century has contributed to the growth of extreme cinema, although extreme cinema is still considered to be a horror film-based genre. Being a relatively recent genre, extreme cinema is controversial and widely unaccepted by the mainstream media. Extreme cinema films target a specific and small audience group.

History

The prehistory of extreme cinema can be traced back to censorship of

art film An art film (or arthouse film) is typically an independent film, aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made primarily f ...

s and advertising tactics for classical

exploitation film An exploitation film is a film that tries to succeed financially by exploiting current trends, niche genres, or lurid content. Exploitation films are generally low-quality "B movies", though some set trends, attract critical attention, become hi ...

s to Anglophone markets alongside later liberal representations of sex in the first half of the 20th century onwards. The name "extreme cinema" originated from a “line of Asian films that share a combination of sensational features, such as extreme violence, horror and shocking plots”. Extreme cinema can be rooted as "Asian Extreme", the term for Japanese and other Asian films used to its excessive nature. Early examples of Asian Extreme such as ''

Ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

'' (1998) and '' Battle Royale'' (2000).

Controversy

Extreme cinema is highly criticized and debated by film critics and the general public. There have been debates over the hypersexualization that makes these films a threat to the ‘mainstream’ community standards.Pett, E. “A New Media Landscape? The BBFC, Extreme Cinema As Cult, And Technological Change.” ''New Review of Film and Television Studies'' 13.1 (2015): 83-99. Scopus. Web. 9 Feb. 2016 There has also been criticism over the increasing use of violence in modern-day films. Ever since the emergence of slasher-gore films in the ’70s, the rising popularity of extreme cinema has contributed to the casual violence in popular media. Some criticize the easy exposure and unintended targeting of adolescence by extreme cinema films.

Classification and guidelines

The

British Board of Film Classification The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC, previously the British Board of Film Censors) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of f ...

(BBFC) classifies extreme cinema films into an "R18" rating, which is defined as “special and legally restricted classification primarily for explicit works of consenting sex or strong fetish material involving adults.”

Notable films

* '' A Serbian Film''The 30 Most Extreme Movies of the 21st Century So Far « Taste of Cinema
/ref> (2010) * '' Act of Vengeance'' (1974) * ''

Antichrist In Christian eschatology, the Antichrist refers to people prophesied by the Bible to oppose Jesus Christ and substitute themselves in Christ's place before the Second Coming. The term Antichrist (including one plural form)1 John ; . 2 John . ...

''Extreme Cinema: The 40 Most Disturbing Horror Movies Ever Made - PHASR
/ref> (2009) * ''

Audition An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performer. It typically involves the performer displaying their talent through a previously memorized and rehearsed solo piece or by performing a work or piece giv ...

'' (1999) * '' Auschwitz'' (2011) * '' Bandit Queen'' (1994) * '' Begotten''(1990) * '' Benny's Video'' (1992) * '' Black Friday'' (2004) * ''

Blood Feast ''Blood Feast'' is a 1963 American splatter film. It was composed, shot, and directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis, written by Allison Louise Downe from an idea by Lewis and David F. Freidman, and stars Mal Arnold, William Kerwin, Connie Mason, ...

'' (1963) * '' Caligula'', unrated version (1979) * '' Caligula... The Untold Story'' (1982) * '' Cannibal Holocaust'' (1980) * '' The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover'' (1989) * ''

Crash Crash or CRASH may refer to: Common meanings * Collision, an impact between two or more objects * Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond * Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating * Couch su ...

'' (1996) * '' The Devils'' (1971) * '' Dogtooth'' (2009) * '' Faces of Death'' (1979) * '' Funny Games''The 30 Most Extreme Movies of the 21st Century So Far « Taste of Cinema
/ref> (1997) * ''

Gandu Gandu is a municipality in the state of Bahia in the North-East region of Brazil. Gandu covers , and has a population of 32,596 with a population density of 125 inhabitants per square kilometer. Gandu has its origin as Fazenda Corujão, a farm pu ...

'' (2010) * '' Hated: GG Allin and the Murder Junkies'' (1994) * ''

Hellraiser ''Hellraiser'' is a 1987 British supernatural horror film written and directed by Clive Barker, and produced by Christopher Figg, based on Barker's 1986 novella ''The Hellbound Heart''. The film marked Barker's directorial debut. Its plot invol ...

'' (1987) * '' Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer'' (1986) * '' Hostel'' (2005) * '' The House That Jack Built'' (2018) * '' The Human Centipede'' (2009) * ''

I Spit on Your Grave ''I Spit on Your Grave'' (originally titled ''Day of the Woman'') is a 1978 American rape and revenge horror film edited, written, and directed by Meir Zarchi. The film tells the story of Jennifer Hills (Camille Keaton), a fiction writer based ...

'' (1978) * ''

Ichi the Killer Ichi the Killer may refer to: * ''Ichi the Killer'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film based on the manga series of the same name * ''Ichi the Killer'' (manga), a manga series written and illustrated by Hideo Yamamoto {{disambig ...

'' (2001) * ''

The Idiots ''The Idiots'' ( da, Idioterne) is a 1998 Danish dark comedy-drama film written and directed by Lars von Trier. It is his first film made in compliance with the Dogme 95 Manifesto, and is also known as Dogme #2. It is the second film in von Tr ...

'' (1998) * '' Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS'' (1975) * ''

In the Realm of the Senses ''In the Realm of the Senses'' (french: link=no, L'Empire des sens, Japanese: , ''Ai no Korīda'', "Bullfight of Love") is a 1976 erotic art film written and directed by Nagisa Ōshima. It is a fictionalised and sexually explicit treatment of a ...

'' (1976) * ''

Irréversible ''Irréversible'' () is a 2002 French experimental psychological thriller film written and directed by Gaspar Noé. Starring Monica Bellucci, Vincent Cassel and Albert Dupontel, the plot depicts the events of a tragic night in Paris as two men ...

'' (2002) * '' Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love'' (1996) * '' Kinatay'' (2009) * ''

Maniac Maniac (from Greek μανιακός, ''maniakos'') is a pejorative for an individual who experiences the mood known as mania. In common usage, it is also an insult for someone involved in reckless behavior. Maniac may also refer to: Film * ' ...

'' (1980) * ''

Man Bites Dog The phrase man bites dog is a shortened version of an aphorism in journalism that describes how an unusual, infrequent event (such as a man biting a dog) is more likely to be reported as news than an ordinary, everyday occurrence with similar cons ...

'' (1992) * '' Mark of the Devil'' (1970) * ''

Martyrs A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external ...

'' (2008) * '' Masking Threshold'' (2021) * ''

Matrubhoomi ''Matrubhoomi: A Nation Without Women'' (Hindi: मातृभूमि, translation: ''Motherland'') is a 2003 Indian dystopian tragedy film written and directed by Manish Jha. The film examines the impact of female foeticide and female infan ...

'' (2003) * ''

Multiple Maniacs ''Multiple Maniacs'' is a 1970 independent American black comedy horror film composed, shot, edited, written, produced, and directed by John Waters, as his second feature film and first "talkie". It features several actors who were part of the ...

'' (1970) * ''

Mysterious Skin ''Mysterious Skin'' is a 2004 coming-of-age film written and directed by Gregg Araki, adapted from Scott Heim's 1995 novel of the same name. The film tells the story of two pre-adolescent boys who both experienced sexual abuse as children, and h ...

'' (2004) * ''

Natural Born Killers ''Natural Born Killers'' is a 1994 American crime film directed by Oliver Stone and starring Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Robert Downey Jr., Tommy Lee Jones, and Tom Sizemore. The film tells the story of two victims of traumatic childho ...

'' (1994) * ''

Nekromantik ''Nekromantik'' (stylized as ''NEKRomantik'') is a 1988 West German horror exploitation film co-written and directed by Jörg Buttgereit. It is known to be frequently controversial, banned in a number of countries, and has become a cult film ov ...

'' (1987) * '' Oedipus Rex'' (1967) * '' Oldboy'' (2003) * ''

Paanch ''Paanch'' (English: ''Five'') is a 2003 Indian crime thriller film written and directed by Anurag Kashyap in his directing debut, starring Kay Kay Menon, Aditya Srivastava, Vijay Maurya, Joy Fernandes and Tejaswini Kolhapure. The film is "loo ...

'' (2003) * ''

The Passion of the Christ ''The Passion of the Christ'' is a 2004 American epic biblical drama film produced, directed and co-written by Mel Gibson and starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus of Nazareth, Maia Morgenstern as Mary, mother of Jesus, and Monica Bellucci as Mary ...

'' (2004) * '' Pieces'' (1982) * ''

Pigsty A sty or pigsty is a small-scale outdoor enclosure for raising domestic pigs as livestock. It is sometimes referred to as a hog pen, hog parlor, pigpen, pig parlor, or pig-cote, although pig pen may refer to pens confining pigs that are kep ...

'' (1969) * ''

Pink Flamingos ''Pink Flamingos'' is a 1972 American film directed, written, produced, narrated, filmed, and edited by John Waters. It is part of what Waters has labelled the "Trash Trilogy", which also includes '' Female Trouble'' (1974) and '' Desperate Liv ...

'' (1972) * ''

The Poughkeepsie Tapes ''The Poughkeepsie Tapes'' is a 2007 American pseudo-documentary horror film written and directed by John Erick Dowdle. The film is about the murders of a serial killer in Poughkeepsie, New York, told through interviews and footage from a cache o ...

'' (2007) * '' Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead'' (2006) * '' Rambo 4'' (2008) * ''

Re-Animator ''Re-Animator'' (also known as ''H. P. Lovecraft's Re-Animator'') is a 1985 American comedy horror film loosely based on the 1922 H. P. Lovecraft serial novelette "Herbert West–Reanimator". Directed by Stuart Gordon and produced by Brian Yuzn ...

'' (1985) * '' Relic'' (2020) * ''

Requiem for a Dream ''Requiem for a Dream'' is a 2000 American psychological drama film directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher McDonald and Marlon Wayans. It is based on the 1978 novel of the same na ...

'' (2000) * ''

Saani Kaayidham ''Saani Kaayidham'' () is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language action crime film directed by Arun Matheswaran. The film stars Keerthy Suresh and Selvaraghavan in lead roles. Sundar Arumugam produced the film while the music and cinematography were han ...

'' (2022) * ''

The Sadness ''The Sadness'' () is a 2021 Taiwanese body horror film written and directed by Canadian filmmaker Rob Jabbaz in his feature film directorial debut. It stars Berant Zhu and Regina as a Taiwanese couple who attempt to reunite amidst a viral pan ...

'' (2021) * ''

Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom ''Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom'' ( it, Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma, billed on-screen ''Pasolini's 120 Days of Sodom'' on English-language prints and commonly referred to as simply ''Salò'' []) is a 1975 horror film, horror art film dir ...

'' (1975) * ''Saw (2004 film), Saw'' (2004) * ''Sick: The Life and Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist'' (1997) * '' Otto Muehl, Stille Nacht'' (1969) * '' Suicide Club'' (2001) * ''

Sweet Movie ''Sweet Movie'' is a 1974 avant-garde surrealist comedy-drama film written and directed by Yugoslavian director Dušan Makavejev. An international co-production of companies from France, Canada, and West Germany, the film follows two women: a Can ...

'' (1974) * ''

Taxidermia ''Taxidermia'' is a 2006 Hungarian surrealist comedy-drama horror film directed and co-written by György Pálfi. An international co-production of Hungary, Austria and France, the film spins a metaphorical socio-political retelling of Hungary's ...

'' (2006) * '' Tetsuo: The Iron Man'' (1989) * '' Thriller: A Cruel Picture'' (1973) * ''

Un Chien Andalou ''Un Chien Andalou'' (, ''An Andalusian Dog'') is a 1929 French silent short film directed by Luis Buñuel, and written by Buñuel and Salvador Dalí. Buñuel's first film, it was initially released in a limited capacity at Studio des Ursuline ...

'' (1929) * ''

Vase de Noces ''Vase de Noces'' (also known as ''Wedding Trough'' and ''The Pig Fucking Movie'') is a 1974 Belgian avant-garde art exploitation horror film directed by Thierry Zéno and starring Dominique Garny. The film deals openly, and sometimes graphic ...

'' (1974) * ''

Where the Dead Go to Die ''Where the Dead Go to Die'' is a 2012 American adult animated anthology horror film written, directed, composed, edited, and animated by James "Jimmy ScreamerClauz" Creamer. This film is noted as an example of extreme cinema because of its gr ...

'' (2012)

Notable directors

* Early

Gaspar Noé Gaspar Noé (, ; born 27 December 1963) is an Argentine filmmaker based in Paris, France. He is the son of Argentine painter, writer, and intellectual Luis Felipe Noé. In the early 1990s, Noé along with his wife Lucile Hadžihalilović were ...

('' I Stand Alone'', aforementioned ''

'' and ''

Carne Carne or Carné is a surname (occasionally a given name), and may refer to ''Given name'' * Carne Ross, British diplomat ''Surname'' * Sir Edward Carne (c.1500–61), Welsh scholar, diplomat, English M.P. * Elizabeth Catherine Thomas Carne (1817� ...

'') * Early Peter Jackson (''

Bad Taste ''Bad Taste'' is a 1987 New Zealand science-fiction comedy horror film directed, produced and filmed by Peter Jackson, who also stars in and co-wrote the screenplay, along with Tony Hiles and Ken Hammon. Independently produced on a low budge ...

'' and ''

Dead Alive ''Braindead'' (also known as ''Dead Alive'' in North America) is a 1992 New Zealand zombie comedy film directed by Peter Jackson, produced by Jim Booth, and written by Jackson, along with Fran Walsh and Stephen Sinclair. It stars Timot ...

'') * Early

John Waters John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, writer, actor, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films, including '' Multiple Maniacs'' (1970), '' Pink Flamingos'' (1972) and '' Fe ...

(aforementioned ''

'' and ''

'') * Early

Wes Craven Wesley Earl Craven (August 2, 1939 – August 30, 2015) was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and editor. Craven has commonly been recognized as one of the greatest masters of the horror genre due to the cultural imp ...

(1972's '' Last House on the Left'' and 1977's ''The Hills Have Eyes'') *

Uwe Boll Uwe Boll (; born June 22, 1965) is a German filmmaker. He came to prominence during the 2000s for his adaptations of video game franchises which often starred international stars like Jason Statham, Burt Reynolds, Ray Liotta, Christian Slater, ...

* Bruno DumontThe New French Extremity: Bruno Dumont and Gaspar Noé, France's Contemporary Zeitgeist
/ref> *

Lars von Trier Lars von Trier ('' né'' Trier; 30 April 1956) is a Danish filmmaker, actor, and lyricist. Having garnered a reputation as a highly ambitious, polarizing filmmaker, he has been the subject of several controversies: Cannes, in addition to nomina ...

Takashi Miike is a Japanese film director, film producer and screenwriter. He has directed over one hundred theatrical, video, and television productions since his debut in 1991. His films run through a variety of different genres, and range from violent a ...

Pier Paolo Pasolini Pier Paolo Pasolini (; 5 March 1922 – 2 November 1975) was an Italian poet, filmmaker, writer and intellectual who also distinguished himself as a journalist, novelist, translator, playwright, visual artist and actor. He is considered one of ...

Eli Roth Eli Raphael Roth (born April 18, 1972) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and actor. As a director and producer, he is most closely associated with the horror genre, having directed the films '' Cabin Fever'' (2003) and ''Hoste ...

Sion Sono Sion may refer to * an alternative transliteration of Zion People * Sion (name) or Siôn, a Welsh and other given name and surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Shion or Sion, a Japanese given name Plac ...

Herschell Gordon Lewis Herschell Gordon Lewis (June 15, 1926 – September 26, 2016) was an American filmmaker, best known for creating the " splatter" subgenre of horror films. He is often called the "Godfather of Gore" (a title also given to Lucio Fulci), though hi ...

Jim Van Bebber Jim VanBebber (born November 24, 1964) is an American film director. Born in Greenville, Ohio, VanBebber attended Wright State University Wright State University is a public research university in Fairborn, Ohio. Originally opened in 1964 as ...

Lloyd Kaufman Stanley Lloyd Kaufman Jr. (born December 30, 1945) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. Alongside producer Michael Herz, he is the co-founder of Troma Entertainment film studio, and the director of many of their featur ...

Legacy

''Pink Flamingos'' was inducted into the

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...

in 2021. ''Requiem for a Dream'' and ''Oldboy'' were named on the

BBC's 100 Greatest Films of the 21st Century The 100 Greatest Films of the 21st Century is a list compiled in August 2016 by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), chosen by a voting poll of 177 film critics from around the world. It was compiled by collating the top ten films submitte ...

. As the other examples in media, it can be seen in Japanese works,

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

, and

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

s as varied that are related to or inspired by extreme cinema due to its subject to its nature (e.g. '' Berserk'', '' Game of Thrones'', ''

Redo of Healer , also known in Japan as ''Kaiyari'' for short, is a Japanese fantasy light novel series written by Rui Tsukiyo and illustrated by Shiokonbu. It began serialization online in December 2016 on the user-generated novel publishing website Sh ...

'', 2007's ''

Manhunt 2 ''Manhunt 2'' is a 2007 stealth game by Rockstar Games. It was developed by Rockstar London for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 2, Rockstar Leeds for the PlayStation Portable, and Rockstar Toronto for the Wii. It is the sequel to 2003's ''M ...

'', and 2018's ''Fear and Hunger'').

References

Sources

* Lee, Eunah. “Trauma, excess, and the aesthetics of the affect: the extreme cinemas of Chan-Wook Park.” ''Post Script'' 2014:33. ''Literature Resource Center''. Web. 7 Feb. 2016. * ''Review of Film And Television Studies'' 13.1 (2015): 83-99. Scopus. Web. 7 Feb. 2016 * Totaro, Donato. “Sex and Violence: Journey into Extreme Cinema.” ''Offscreen''7.11 (2003): n. pag. Web. * King, Mike. ''The American Cinema of Excess: Extremes Of The National Mind On Film''. n.p.: Jefferson, N.C : McFarland, c2009., 2009. ''JAMES MADISON UNIV's Catalog.'' Web. 10. Feb. 2016 * Malamuth, Neil. “Media's New Mood: Sexual Violence.” ''Media's New Mood: Sexual Violence.'' N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Feb. 2016. * Fyfe, Kristen. “More Violence, More Sex, More Troubled Kids.” ''Media Research Center''. MRC Culture, 11 Jan. 2007. Web. 9 Feb. 2016 * Pett, E. “A New Media Landscape? The BBFC, Extreme Cinema As Cult, And Technological Change.” ''New Review of Film and Television Studies'' 13.1 (2015): 83-99. Scopus. Web. 9 Feb. 2016 * Dirks, Tim. “100 Most Controversial Films of All Time.” ''100 Most Controversial Films of All Time''. Filmsite, n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2016. * Sapolsky, Barry S., Fred Moliter, and Sarah Luque. “Sex and Violence in Slasher Films: Re-examining the Assumptions.” ''J&MC Quarterl''y 80.1 (2003): 28-38. ''SAGE Journals''. Web. 9 Feb. 2016. * Sargent, James D., Todd F. Hetherton, M. Bridget Ahrens, Madeline A. Dalton, Jennifer J. Tickle, and Michael L. Beach. “Adolescent Exposure to Extremely Violent Movies.” ''Journal of Adolescent Health'' 31.6 (2002): 449-454. ''JAMES MADISON UNIV's Catalog.'' Web.

External links

Extreme Cinema:Top 25 Most Disturbing Films of All Time on Horror News

Butcher Block articles about extreme cinema on Bloody Disgusting
{{DEFAULTSORT:Extreme Cinema Film and video terminology Visual arts Obscenity controversies in film Censorship 1960s in film 1970s in film 1980s in film 1990s in film 2000s in film 2010s in film 2020s in film Movements in cinema Horror films Postmodern art

Reception

History

Controversy

Classification and guidelines

Notable films

Notable directors

Legacy

See also

References

Sources

External links