Picture this. You’re watching a new movie about a twisted killer, hunting down his victims one by one, brutually torturing, and eventually murdering them. This isn’t uncommon. Our society has become obsessed with dark and violent media such as crime shows, thrillers, and horror movies. Your eyes stay glued to the screen as the victim hides under the bed. You hold your breath and hope that they make it out alive. You feel like you are the victim. You feel afraid because you feel as if it is happening to you. You have come to the conclusion that this character is a good person and doesn’t deserve what’s happening to them. You must be more similar to the victim than to the villian. Right?
The film “Funny Games” argues that we might have more in common with the villains than we think. Funny Games is an Austrian film that was made in 1997 and then remade as an American version in 2007. The movie follows a wealthy couple and their son at their vacation home, as they are tormented by two young men who show up at their door and refuse to leave. The family is told that they will all be killed in twelve hours, and the rest of the film shows their slow torment.
The director, Michael Haneke, intentionally made the movie uncomfortable to watch, filling it with long scenes of both physical and psychological torture being enflicted on the family. Perhaps one of the most memorable aspects of the film is when one of the young men breaks the fourth wall looking directly at the camera and saying “What do you think? Do you think they stand a chance? You’re on their side aren’t you?” This moment cuts the tension of the scene, and serves as a reminder that we are just watching a movie.
But the real intention of the movie is not to just keep viewers interested by showing slow torture and bizarre fourth wall breaks, these are merely tactics used to guide us to a realization. The realization is that we are enjoying watching this family be tortured, just as the two young men are. We are engaged in the movie solely because of the disturbing, fear invoking moments. Without them our interest would be lost. So while we may think we are rooting for the family, hoping they somehow survive this horrific situation, the reality is that we are secretly enjoying their struggle. That darkness is what makes the movie. It leaves us with one main question: does enjoying watching these dark, torturous moments make you just as sick and sadistic as the fictional characters inflicting them?
Hi Jillian- I am so glad you write about this. I’ve thought about this idea so many times. As someone who’s into crime shows and movies, I always catch myself wondering how dark someone’s mind has to be to write these kinds of scenes… and then I start questioning myself for enjoying watching them. That’s what made this article so interesting to me. Using Funny Games as an example really drove home the idea that we’re not just identifying with the victims, but we’re also entertained by the violence itself, just like the villains. I think it would be fascinating to see this studied neurologically too. How do our brains respond when we’re scared, disturbed, or hooked on something violent, and why is that experience so engaging?
Hi Jillian! It is an interesting take if it makes the viewer sadistic to watch horror movies. I have never heard of “Film Games” directed by Michael Haneke; however, it sounds very suspenseful and scary. I always cover my eyes when I watch horror movies. I don’t want to remember the traumatizing scenes by myself late at night. However, just because I watch scary movies doesn’t mean I’m sadistic. I mainly think of horror movies as entertainment, and it’s not real. If people were to watch real humans die and be tormented live, then that is sick and tormented. Horror movies have good symbolism behind them and reveal the problems in society. People are able to learn from it. But it shouldn’t be movies to take inspiration from or become so desensitized by them.
This is a super interesting thought, one that I have inquired about for a long time as well. I do wonder why we as a collective are drawn to dark, violent, or frightening forms of media. Can it be argued that we are sick and sadistic for watching it or do we just enjoy the adrenaline that it brings? I think it is interesting that mostly all news is negative and that people consume this negative news daily and find it interesting. I think it is difficult to draw the line between finding something interesting, or resonating with it. I do not resonate with horror movies when I watch them and usually turn them off because I get too scared or upset by them. However, those who do constantly binge all of this disturbing media may have some possible issues.
This article brings up an interesting point…because even tho we as the audience are rooting for the victims suffering the torture to survive, there is some weird sense of feeling like you want to continue watching (even if it makes you uncomfortable). Maybe for some people, it’s just to see how the movie ends while maybe for others, they are intrigued by the killer’s actions.
Those fear invoking moments are interesting because they give us a sort of thrill. We aren’t fearing for our lives because we know we’re in a safe place so we are able to enjoy the entertainment that these horror movies bring. It’s not that watching too many of these disturbing/violent horror movies will cause you to turn into the killers of those movies. The majority of people are able to separate fiction from reality.