It feels like not a very long time ago that I was rushing home from the video shop to finally watch the much hyped “A Nightmare on Elm Street”. This was 1992 which I admit, was 8 years after it was originally released. But don’t get me wrong, I heard about it. Oh yes I heard about it. I heard terrifying stories from kids much older than me explaining how they could not sleep for weeks (or take a bath for that matter) when they first saw it back in the 80’s. I was forbidden to see it by my parents. The fear was struck into me. But the final nail in the coffin was of course the 2-21 age restriction.
And now I had it!!! I finally had it! I could go home and watch this forbidden, 2-21 controversy-filled-wet dream. And so I watched it. And immediately after watching it, I watched it again. Then in the following years of my life I watched it a few times. And not one of those times did I feel scared, the resistance to go to sleep or to take a bath. It was a good movie which was hyped up so much that by the time I watched it, it was all a bit, well, meh!
Now I don’t want to talk about Mr Craven’s horror masterpiece. No, no I want to talk about a movie which I stumbled upon whilst being in another Wikipedia Free-fall (you know, where you go onto Wikipedia to do a bit of re-search on the symptoms of athletes foot then end up after 2 hours reading about Inspector Gadget’s childhood).
Anyway, this movie I’m talking about is called “A Serbian Film”. It was released one or two months ago on the Film Festival Circuit.
One reviewer stated of this movie: “I would rather sit through “I Spit on Your Grave” 10 times before ever watching this again”.
Tim Anderson of the horror review site "Bloody Disgusting" likened the movie to "having [his] soul raped" and dissuaded anyone reading his review from ever seeing it, writing: "If what I have written here is enough to turn your feelings of wonder into a burning desire to watch this monstrosity, then perhaps I haven't been clear enough. You don't want to see Serbian Film. You just think you do."
You can read the reviews here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1273235/
I have read the Plot Synopsis of this movie on here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Serbian_Film as well as a few other places. And yes, it sounds vile and terribly disturbing. Read the synopsis and make up your own mind.
Now I have sat through the aforementioned “I Spit on Your Grave” and it was hands down the most disturbing film I have ever seen. I have also watched “Cannibal Holocaust” and “Last House on the Left” (the original 1973 version). These 3 movies are rated on many Lists as some of the most controversial movies ever made. None of these movies I would ever want to see again as my idea of entertainment does not involve people getting castrated and impaled.
So to sum up: I found “A Nightmare on Elm Street”, even as a 9 year old, very mundane. As a 17 year old I found “I Spit on Your Grave” and “Cannibal Holocaust” deeply disturbing even today. “Last House on the Left” I saw when I was 20 and again found extremely unsettling.
And that then begs the question: After all the reviews you have read, after watching the trailer, after reading the synopsis, there will still be some people who would want to watch "A Serbian Film”? Why?! Because even though they know that after watching it they will wish they never had, us humans all love controversy just too much. Just like the 2-21 rating of “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and even “Basic Instinct”, we love controversy. It’s the forbidden fruit which we hear about so often.
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