Appluading Death Scenes

Have your say on what you would like to see new, changed or just kept the same at the next FrightFest.
markR
Twitching Corpse
Twitching Corpse
Posts: 28
Joined: Sun Aug 29, 2010 5:29 pm

Appluading Death Scenes

Post by markR »

Just wanted to open this thought for discussion.

I watched I spit on your Grave on Sat eve and in the final 30min when the revenge is taking place, a huge round of appluase goes up in the cinema after each death. Now with a film like I Spit I can understand this, and found it quite fun to cheer on the heroine as well. I also watched Bedevilled on Monday (great movie), and the same thing occured during the final 30min when the heroine begin dispatching the residents of the Island, a round of appluase for each death. This time I couldn't join in, as I felt it wasn't really appropriate within the context of the film. Anyone else have any ideas/thoughts about weather cheering in the cinema detracts from the power of a film?
User avatar
ZombieCommand
Twitching Corpse
Twitching Corpse
Posts: 36
Joined: Wed Sep 02, 2009 2:03 pm
Location: Safely bugged in
Contact:

Re: Appluading Death Scenes

Post by ZombieCommand »

Over 20 years of abuse and no way of getting help or leaving doesn't leave a person many options.

Why do you think the deaths were less warranted than ISOYG?
Saving you from the zombocalypse one forum post at a time - Zombie Command
Twitter | Facebook
markR
Twitching Corpse
Twitching Corpse
Posts: 28
Joined: Sun Aug 29, 2010 5:29 pm

Re: Appluading Death Scenes

Post by markR »

No didn't mean they were less warranted. Nothing to do with the deaths in each movie being more/less warranted. Just thinking maybe that applauding scenes in some movies makes it "fun" like ISPOYG, where as Bedevilled wasn't/shouldn't be "fun". Maybe it is a personal thing and how emotionally involved you are in the film. Am I making any sense??
User avatar
The Soapmaker
Undead Horde
Undead Horde
Posts: 453
Joined: Tue Aug 29, 2006 10:50 am
Location: London

Re: Appluading Death Scenes

Post by The Soapmaker »

I think Bedevilled was supposed to be fun, at times - the deaths of the "aunties" were definitely laced with black humour, as was the Bean Paste Incident. Having said that, there was nothing at all funny about the spousal abuse scenes or the death of the little girl.

Korean movies very often have that odd mix of darkness and humour, take Memories of Murder, The Chaser or most of Chan Wook Park's films for example.

But I do take your point. It would've been strange if everyone had started cheering during Red, White & Blue.
markR
Twitching Corpse
Twitching Corpse
Posts: 28
Joined: Sun Aug 29, 2010 5:29 pm

Re: Appluading Death Scenes

Post by markR »

I def found the deaths of some of the aunties humerous, and I laughed out loud with the bean paste. But like you said it would have been innapropariate to be laughing during Red, White, and Blue. Just think it is interesting to see where the line of "cheer or no cheer" is/should be. Maybe I'm being too deep for a Tuesday morning! Is t Frightfest 2011 yet???! :D
GeorgeCaplin
Twitching Corpse
Twitching Corpse
Posts: 29
Joined: Sun Jun 14, 2009 12:11 pm

Re: Appluading Death Scenes

Post by GeorgeCaplin »

The Soapmaker wrote:I think Bedevilled was supposed to be fun, at times - the deaths of the "aunties" were definitely laced with black humour, as was the Bean Paste Incident. Having said that, there was nothing at all funny about the spousal abuse scenes or the death of the little girl.

Korean movies very often have that odd mix of darkness and humour, take Memories of Murder, The Chaser or most of Chan Wook Park's films for example.

But I do take your point. It would've been strange if everyone had started cheering during Red, White & Blue.


To be honest I did cheer to myself in that film when Nate ripped of the rock dude's stupid earings!
User avatar
The Soapmaker
Undead Horde
Undead Horde
Posts: 453
Joined: Tue Aug 29, 2006 10:50 am
Location: London

Re: Appluading Death Scenes

Post by The Soapmaker »

GeorgeCaplin wrote:To be honest I did cheer to myself in that film when Nate ripped of the rock dude's stupid earings!
I did think what a complete arse he was wearing them to his mum's funeral.

And wearing them at all, come to think of it.

And what about that "year before GCSE subject choices" moustache....? :|
User avatar
narcan
Twitching Corpse
Twitching Corpse
Posts: 27
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2008 9:42 am
Location: Brighton
Contact:

Re: Appluading Death Scenes

Post by narcan »

It's a weird one this applauding violence thing - I don't always feel comfortable when it kicks off even though I do it too and there is definitely something cathartic about vocally celebrating when a victim gets revenge on their oppressors. However I'm conscious of being manipulated by films that employ tabloid tactics to provoke a 'bring back capital punishment' kind of reaction.

I think it's safe to assume that no-one would have been applauding the money shots in 'A Serbian Film' had it been shown.
Read Narcan's horror, sci-fi, exploitation & dirty movie reviews at the Grindhouse Cinema Database:
http://www.grindhousedatabase.com/index.php/User:Narcan
http://www.facebook.com/grindhousedatabase
streetrw
Frightfest Hardcore
Frightfest Hardcore
Posts: 1560
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2005 5:54 pm
Location: A hell of my own making
Contact:

Re: Appluading Death Scenes

Post by streetrw »

narcan wrote:It's a weird one this applauding violence thing - I don't always feel comfortable when it kicks off even though I do it too and there is definitely something cathartic about vocally celebrating when a victim gets revenge on their oppressors. However I'm conscious of being manipulated by films that employ tabloid tactics to provoke a 'bring back capital punishment' kind of reaction.
There were times when I joined in and times when I didn't; at no time did I start it.
brad1000
Running Zombie
Running Zombie
Posts: 193
Joined: Wed Jun 10, 2009 2:18 pm

Re: Appluading Death Scenes

Post by brad1000 »

the tone of the film should dictate the reactions....simple really

peace
the house shot her !!!
Heiko
Twitching Corpse
Twitching Corpse
Posts: 28
Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2009 3:43 pm

Re: Appluading Death Scenes

Post by Heiko »

Okay, see, the way I look at these movies is: they are entertainment.

Now, being entertained, having fun, can be quite a number of things: enjoying a well shot (killing) scene, marvelling at a great makeup job for a death scene, seeing a rather creative/unique/new way of 'dispatching' someone... or enjoying a visual slapstick gag, a verbal joke used in the movie, a well executed action sequence, a great CGI moment, etc.

And being entertained deserves applause...

So I don't think many people will actually take into consideration the 'deeper context' of the killing i.e. was it deserved, was it unjustified, was it morally wrong, was it this, was it that, etc. - it was a moment of 'yes, that was a great kill!'

And that's why people cheer... well, maybe I should rather say 'fans' cheer, 'normal people' will probably be disgusted... ;-)

Think about it: do you cheer when Jason or Michael or Victor or Freddie or some other fun serial killer gets his next victim in a rather joyious way? Or do you boo and hiss because another innocent life was destroyed?

Just remember to keep telling yourself, it's only a movie... it's only a movie... it's only a movie... it's only a movie... it's only a movie - until the guy sitting next to you brings out the knife... then it's a party and you can bring out your hacksaw! LOL
AdeBrown
Undead Horde
Undead Horde
Posts: 316
Joined: Thu Jun 23, 2005 7:58 pm
Location: London
Contact:

Re: Applauding Death Scenes

Post by AdeBrown »

I think there were examples when people did not applaud, perhaps due to the context of the movie.

In Bedevilled there was less of it due to the moving context, even though they were mostly funnier than in I Spit On Your Grave, but there was more of a sense of joining her revenge in the latter film.

In Hatchet 2 it was completely appropriate and even in the very funny Last Exorcism there were some ripples of applause and laughter at what could have been deemed "wrong" moments.

I don't mind this even though it's not my thing in the more serious films, since it's the same as the people who complain about some of the film choices - different strokes etc.

However I did get annoyed once at a London Film Festival screening of a Takeshi Kitano film about an abusive husband when some people laughed at his expressions and drunken behaviour when it was clearly a fairly straight film about abuse.
Still, we can always watch these in our own homes with no-one else.
My livejournal Frightfest reports from days gone by (2004 to 2011)
http://surprisetruck.livejournal.com/tag/frightfest
User avatar
The Soapmaker
Undead Horde
Undead Horde
Posts: 453
Joined: Tue Aug 29, 2006 10:50 am
Location: London

Re: Applauding Death Scenes

Post by The Soapmaker »

AdeBrown wrote:However I did get annoyed once at a London Film Festival screening of a Takeshi Kitano film about an abusive husband when some people laughed at his expressions and drunken behaviour when it was clearly a fairly straight film about abuse.
Was that Blood & Bones? It was a long time ago and I can't recall any laughter (I may have missed it at the LFF and seen it later at the NFT). But if I remember right the film just went on and on (and on) with nothing happening but him being horrible to everyone. There was no variation in the mood, no light and shade, so eventually it just became tiresome and, perhaps, laughable in an "oh god here we go again" sort of way.

Rather like Martyrs, which was so unrelentingly horrible that it eventually stopped being disturbing and just got boring.
brad1000
Running Zombie
Running Zombie
Posts: 193
Joined: Wed Jun 10, 2009 2:18 pm

Re: Applauding Death Scenes

Post by brad1000 »

The Soapmaker wrote:
AdeBrown wrote:However I did get annoyed once at a London Film Festival screening of a Takeshi Kitano film about an abusive husband when some people laughed at his expressions and drunken behaviour when it was clearly a fairly straight film about abuse.
Was that Blood & Bones? It was a long time ago and I can't recall any laughter (I may have missed it at the LFF and seen it later at the NFT). But if I remember right the film just went on and on (and on) with nothing happening but him being horrible to everyone. There was no variation in the mood, no light and shade, so eventually it just became tiresome and, perhaps, laughable in an "oh god here we go again" sort of way.

Rather like Martyrs, which was so unrelentingly horrible that it eventually stopped being disturbing and just got boring.
wow .....you found martyrs boring...i hope pascal ups his game just for you

peace
the house shot her !!!
daveroughcut
Running Zombie
Running Zombie
Posts: 240
Joined: Wed Jan 21, 2009 5:34 am

Appluading Death Scenes

Post by daveroughcut »

narcan wrote:
I think it's safe to assume that no-one would have been applauding the money shots in 'A Serbian Film' had it been shown.
I did laugh out at two bits, I think it might have been a "surely they're not gonna... Oh God they have!" kind of laugh.
Post Reply