Sadistic Cinema

By: PolarisDiB

This is not a list of recommendations.

This is not a best-of list.

This is not a list trying to inspire you to see something new.

This is a list that operates under the theory that you must watch bad films in order to understand what makes good films good. This is a list that points out the difference between being disturbing to make a point, and being disturbing to make a profit. This is a list that asks of the filmmakers that made the movies on it, “Please try to understand that at least some of your characters should be real people,” that wonders of them, “Do you really find this shocking, or are you just trying to shock us?”

All of the movies on this list contain a scene or scenes that were meant to shock, thrill, unnerve us, but mishandled them because the director doesn’t understand the intended significance of such usage. In most cases, whatever the director was trying to do can be counterpointed by an example of a movie that did it meaningfully and thus successfully.

It is an ongoing list. Also taking suggestions, but I reserve judgment until I’ve actually seen the movie.

A final note: I love antiheroes too. I care nothing for absolute soullessness. There is a difference.