Editorials
Can Horror Movies Go Too Far?
A friend of mine once explained that she didn’t watch horror movies because the daily news was already horrific enough for her. While I obviously don’t agree with that sentiment, her opinion is entirely valid, and there’s no reason to disrespect those who don’t share in our gruesome tastes. That being said, her statement can be regarded as a symptom of a long-standing issue in the world of blood, gore, and frights.
After all, in a society as frustratingly violent as our own, it’s only natural that some would question the need for disturbing imagery in media. Popular culture has seeped into nearly every aspect of modern life, so you can’t blame people for feeling a little apprehensive about the possible side-effects of this weird relationship. With these social anxieties in mind, we horror fans are faced with an exceedingly pertinent question regarding our beloved genre: Can Horror Movies Go Too Far?
People have been arguing over the limits of violence in media since media was barely old enough to shave, and these arguments will likely continue into the distant future. One recurring thread in this everlasting debate is the unjustified depiction of horror films, books, games and other media as scapegoats for seemingly inexplicable acts of real-world violence. For some people, it seems that the genre has already crossed the line.
This rather unfair treatment of scary movies and the like isn’t anything new, with even the incredibly popular Universal Monster movies facing heavy censorship back in the day, but the discussion resurges seasonally like an undead slasher villain, usually in light of recent tragedies. Admittedly, this problem has become less prevalent with the rise of the internet, but it hasn’t exactly disappeared, and nearly every big horror filmmaker has had to deal with these issues at some point in their lives.
Movies don’t always have to be a pleasant experience…
The late Wes Craven was unfortunate enough to be in the spotlight of such controversy more than once in his legendary career, facing heavy criticism for pushing the limits of horror with his work. An early example of this is his terrifying 1972 thriller, The Last House on the Left. Many accused Craven of glorifying the incredibly realistic violent acts depicted in the picture, deeming it particularly offensive towards women. This led to the film, which was ironically well-received by most critics, being banned/censored in several countries.
The Scream movies, which aren’t even that explicit when compared to most other slasher films, were also targeted due to a series of alleged copy-cat murders inspired by the Ghostface killer. While the public eye will always desperately try to find an easy-to-digest motive behind these unfortunate incidents, it’s quite obvious that the Scream franchise’s involvement in these crimes was tangential at best (which is also what the legal system declared nearly every time horror movies have been blamed for real-world crime).
Of course, the horror genre is far from the only form of media affected by these controversies, and several other big-name directors have also dealt with their own fair share of criticism. Quentin Tarantino is one of my favorite examples, as it’s always amusing to watch him passionately defend his use of violence when faced with some of the most annoying critics that the industry has to offer. In his case, however, the exaggerated use of blood and guts has since been accepted as its own style of neo-grindhouse filmmaking. When it comes to public perception of the genre as a whole, horror is still somewhat marginalized, despite countless examples of mainstream financial success.
This contradictory relationship with the genre is even stranger when you consider that, during most of their history, scary movies have actually been reinforcing traditional societal values. Hell, even the most disturbing haunted house movies still make a point of honoring family and religious tradition. I’m not even going to begin to dissect the not-so-subtle puritanical subtext of most classic slasher films.
That’s not to say that there haven’t been any particularly subversive horror flicks in the past, as many filmmakers have attempted to question what is and isn’t acceptable on the big screen. Movies like the August Underground trilogy routinely challenge our perception of brutality in fiction, sometimes feeling more akin to a snuff film than a traditional horror movie. The artistic merit of some of these more extreme productions may be questionable at times, but they certainly have a right to exist. This is especially true when these cinematic limits are pushed in order to make a point.
Should some movie tickets double as coupons for therapy?
One of the best examples of this would be Srđan Spasojević’s A Serbian Film, which uses its brutality as a storytelling device, provided you can make it to the bitter end. Personally, I think the film is masterfully directed, with several layers of well-crafted metaphors and social commentary, but I can’t honestly say that I enjoyed watching it. Nevertheless, in cases like this, maybe that’s the point, and I don’t have to necessarily like the movie in order to appreciate it.
Not every film needs to please mainstream audiences, and absolutely no one is forced to like these movies. At the end of the day, horror is just one genre within several art forms, and artists should be free to explore even the darkest aspects of human experience. Social responsibility shouldn’t really be on a filmmaker’s mind when trying to craft an enjoyable/meaningful story, as that doesn’t factor in on whether or not a movie is actually good.
Naturally, the horror genre would certainly benefit from more nuanced and purposeful depictions of violence and depravity, but it doesn’t really owe us anything. Not only that, but audiences aren’t wrong for enjoying some of the more savage examples of filmmaking. People have been entertained by the macabre and grotesque since the age of the first fairy tales, and there’s no real reason to stop now. Any horror fanatic can vouch for the genre’s positive impact on their life, so maybe it’s time to accept that great things can come from dreadful places.
In the end, I don’t think it’s possible for horror movies to go too far. The horror genre as a whole is defined by its willingness to break boundaries and go where other genres won’t, so why limit that progress? While there truly is no accounting for taste, and there’s no guarantee that extremely sadistic films will actually be good, I feel that humanity is better off having the option to watch some amazingly trashy works of art every once in a while.
Editorials
Before ‘The Blair Witch Project’, ‘Alien Autopsy’ Showed How Real Found Footage Could Feel
The line separating artist from con man is a lot thinner than you might initially believe. While I think we can all agree that lying for the sake of profit is actively malicious behavior, isn’t it also true that the faux documentary aspect of The Blair Witch Project is half the reason why that film became such a cultural phenomenon? After all, if there’s one thing filmmakers have in common with stage magicians, it’s that misleading and misdirecting audiences is simply part of the job.
That’s why I’ve developed a habit of mostly ignoring the moral quandaries behind many of film and television’s biggest “hoaxes” in favor of appreciating the narrative elements that drive productions like Mermaids: The Body Found and even Animal Planet’s highly underrated The Cannibal in the Jungle. However, if there’s a definitive case of a highly publicized broadcast fooling the world into taking it seriously, it has to be Fox’s infamous 1995 TV special Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction.
It’s been over three decades since that eerie footage first haunted television screens right at the peak of the ’90s ufology craze, and in that time, the video has taken on a life of its own. From countless parodies and references in everything from The X-Files to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (as well as John Dower’s recently released tell-all documentary The Alien Autopsy Scandal, which I’d highly recommend to genre fans everywhere), there’s no denying the legacy of the Alien Autopsy video. However, I rarely see the tape discussed as what it truly is: a highly convincing found footage film directed by a passionate stage magician and brought to life by masterful practical effects work.
That’s why I’d like to invite readers to join me on a deep dive into one of the most infamous broadcasts of all time in an attempt to reevaluate the footage as a fascinating narrative experience rather than a complete hoax.
The TV Special That Convinced Millions It Was Real
Ray Santilli next to Extraterrestrial replica in ‘The Alien Autopsy Scandal’
For starters, regardless of whether or not you believe that there was in fact an extraterrestrial crash in Roswell during the summer of 1947 and that some form of autopsy was performed on the victims, the producers behind the black & white recordings, Ray Santilli and Gary Shoefield, insist that their video was a “restoration.” Though I’d argue that the proper word is “remake”of genuine footage that was too damaged to air on television. That’s why the duo went on to recruit filmmaker and eccentric magician Spyros Melaris and sculptor/monster designer John Humphreys to bring their version of the autopsy to life and sell it to the highest bidder.
This is where the story of the Alien Autopsy as a narrative experience really begins. Melaris claims that his approach to the faux recording consisted of striving for extreme period accuracy in both shooting equipment and setting while also planting subtle details that would initially seem like mistakes but could later be revealed to actually fit the time period. That being said, the filmmaker was under the impression that the short would be released for free as a PR stunt, with the team later producing and selling an informative documentary chronicling exactly how the footage was faked and commenting on how easy it is to manipulate public perception with a good old-fashioned magic trick.
This obviously isn’t how things went down, and that’s likely the reason why Melaris has since distanced himself from everyone else involved with the project. Yet, no amount of behind-the-scenes drama can undermine the genuine effort that went into making the short as impressive as it is. From the sourcing of real animal organs from a local butcher to make the organic part of the creature more lifelike to the highly detailed sculpt that made use of a hollowed-out underlayer that could be filled with fake blood and assorted viscera, there’s a reason why so many Hollywood specialists are still impressed with the artistry on display here.
Of course, the believability is only half the story, as I think that the best part of the autopsy is how Melaris builds on the existing tension by obscuring certain details and often embracing the chaos of what a real examination of extraterrestrial life could feel like. The camera often goes out of focus at just the right time to make certain effects hit even harder, and we can only speculate as to what the hazmat-suited doctors are gesticulating about during the operation. There’s a real air of mystery to the whole thing that almost makes it feel like a cosmically terrifying, cursed film containing forbidden knowledge that civilians were never meant to see.
So when Fox’s Fact or Fiction brings in the specialists to comment on the film and its otherworldly subject, it’s no surprise that we end up with one of the most memorable mockumentaries of all time – albeit one where the participants are unaware that the footage they’re commenting on is basically a large-scale practical joke. A joke that the network was obviously in on, as many participants claim that the TV special cut out significant portions where guests point out that they believe the footage to be an elaborate hoax.
The Lasting Impact of the Hoax Turned Cultural Event
Regardless, I remember going to bed terrified after watching reruns of the special and thinking about the respected pathologist who claimed that the body was almost certainly inhuman, with even effects maestro Stan Winston commenting on how difficult it would be to recreate some of these visuals through practical puppetry. That’s not even mentioning Jonathan Frakes’ dramatic hyping up of the disturbing imagery as if he was talking about the tape from The Ring, with his spooky demeanor here likely being responsible for his later role as the host of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction a few years later.
Personally, I’d argue that the Alien Autopsy phenomenon had just as much of an impact on me as a horror fan as The Blair Witch Project, a film that was almost certainly influenced by the success of this immensely popular hoax (to the point where they even produced their own TV special commenting on Heather’s found footage). Even if Fox didn’t intend to produce a narrative feature about the aftermath of the Roswell crash, the end product still holds up remarkably well as a highly entertaining mockumentary exploring the idea that we may not be alone in the universe.
While neither Santilli nor the rest of the production team has ever commented on this, I also think it’s very likely that the idea of a faux Alien Autopsy could have been influenced by Dean Alioto’s The McPherson Tape/UFO Abduction. I’ve already written about how this granddaddy of found footage was co-opted by rogue ufologists who began selling bootlegs of the tape at conventions as if it were real evidence of a close encounter, so it’s not that much of a stretch to imagine that Santilli and company could have heard about this phenomenon and been inspired to come up with their own highly profitable hoax.
At the end of the day, it’s unlikely that the Alien Autopsy film is recreating any real footage from Roswell, but I can still appreciate the short and the accompanying television event as a standalone horror story that still influences the way we see found footage to this very day.
After all, the possibility that something could be real is often much scarier than finding out for sure – and that’s why I think Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction is still worth revisiting three decades down the line.
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