Poll: Is Gore Truly Scary?

[wookiee777]

After seeing a trailer for the Evil Dead remake (and by coincidence right after having finished Army of Darkness an hour before), I was wondering how the Escapist felt about this. I've seen this debated in some places, but not too often. Is gore scary?

I would say yes, but to me, gore makes me lose a part of horror that is really important, fascination. Isn't part of fear working the imagination? What I mean is, I won't forget all the strange crap that happened in The Shining because it's unexplainable, more complex and makes me think about it afterward. The Shining is still the scariest movie I've ever seen. But I don't remember much from the Halloween remakes. I think it's because gore is pretty explanatory. It's gore, right? There's nothing to get the mind going on it. Sure it may startle and shock for the moment, but it doesn't last and doesn't leave me wanting to relive the thrill because that thrill has nothing for the mind to latch onto and remember it.

I guess for short term: Yes, gore is scary.
For long term: No, it's not.

 

[Flamezdudes]

Initially to many and likely most it is, but it is hard to say as I have been desensitised to the vast majority of it and even enjoy it now in media. The only that can weird me out and freak me out in media is rape at this point.

 

[SlaveNumber23]

To me gore isn't scary at all, its just... sickening. It doesn't actually do any of the scaring but it can help build up an uncomfortable atmosphere to make the scares more effective.

 

[dyre]

Gore's not scary, unless you're afraid of inconvenient truths.

But, uh, OT, gore isn't very scary, and when done over-the-top it can ever detract from a proper scare. It can get uncomfortable to look at though.

 

[Occams_Razor]

Gore on its own isn't scary, I find. What it can do is help to build atmosphere, as the presence of gore can make you uncomfortable, and set you up for more legitimate scares, as well as increase the effectiveness of scares if gore is added. On its own though, gore isn't enough. If its missing all the things that play with your psyche and legitimately scare you, gore can just be over the top and ridiculous.

 

[HardkorSB]

Gore all by itself is just repulsing to many people.
However, if gore is used to amplify fear as opposed to being scary, it might work.
David Cronnenberg's and John Carpenter's movies often use gore as an amplifier of tension. The Hellraiser series had a lot of good scenes with gore.

Movies like Evil Dead or Braindead show that gore can even be funny if used correctly.

It's all about context, timing, quantity and execution.

 

[darlarosa]

I find gore more disconcerting than anything else, but not horrifying. I think gore must be used not just as something to be tossed around, but must build in conjuction with psychological horrors.

A true understanding of horror is a combination of factors that play on basic human instinct, thrills, and fears. You must lure in the audience put them in a position where they feel something is not right and continuously build upon that. Gore and physical horrors should be used sparingly and with ruthless intent.

 

[Genocidicles]

Not if it's in a film.

But I've seen some photos on a Cracked article about old fashioned medical treatments they used to do and I really felt sick.

As well as a video of some guy who cracked his face in half right down the middle.

Both got to me because they were real, and I knew (or thought) they were.

 

[thesilentman]

Gore on its own isn't scary, I find. What it can do is help to build atmosphere, as the presence of gore can make you uncomfortable, and set you up for more legitimate scares, as well as increase the effectiveness of scares if gore is added. On its own though, gore isn't enough. If its missing all the things that play with your psyche and legitimately scare you, gore can just be over the top and ridiculous.

+1. Occams_Razor got exactly what I wanted to say. Oddly, that advice applies to horror in general, too...

 

[White Lightning]

In movies or games no, but in real life it is. Anyone who says otherwise is lieing or hasn't seen it before.

 

[algalon]

Context. It's all about context. The first Saw was a great movie because it was horror without emphasizing the gore. For the most part we never saw the act, just heard the squish sound of one man's face being pounded to goo by another man with a toilet lid. In the sequels that thrill was lost because they showed too much.

Real life gore is a whole other thing. Just watch a couple episodes of Tosh.0. There's the guy with some transparent plaster over his wrist after a surgery, all bones readily visible, the various zits shown being popped, and recently, a kid who broke his foot in a failed bike trick then waved his foot at the camera screaming. Not horrific mind you but definitely uncomfortable. Still funny though.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

To me gore isn't scary at all, its just... sickening. It doesn't actually do any of the scaring but it can help build up an uncomfortable atmosphere to make the scares more effective.

Pretty much this. Gore isn't scary. It's squicky. There's a big difference.

 

[game-lover]

I'm more of an audio type of person. I can probably see lots of stuff that make me wince and all that. But it's the sound effects of a gruesome act that can have me shuddering like hell.

And yet, that's not a fear thing. It's more like a deep down unsettling feeling.

 

[Olas]

It's all in how it's used. If the gore is unexpected, or surprisingly excessive while still realistic then it can be unsettling.

Obviously in real life gore is scary.

 

[Klumpfot]

It can be, but I think the feeling most would associate with it is revulsion rather than horror. Body horror on the other hand (which I would closely associate with gore) is something that plays on the fear of losing control of your own body in a very fundamental way, and is considerably more effective.

A head exploding: awesome.
A head turning into a sickly (but still recognizable) parody of a human: terrifying.

 

[burningdragoon]

Gore is a tool that can be used in the creation of scary if used properly.

 

[BreakfastMan]

Gore in and of itself is not scary. It can be horrifying, but that is not scary. Buuuuuut... Things that horrify are an important part of a scary movie. Would The Fly have been as scary if Jeff Goldblums transformation had been less horrifying (which means less gorey)? Yes, I think so. Similarly, John Carpenter's The Thing would not have been as scary or effective as it is if the titular thing was not horrifying. Basically, it is a tool that can be used it enhance scares when used by a competent directer.

 

[GTwander]

I say it depends on the context.

In Bulletstorm you are in control of the gore itself, and it loses any chance of being scary because *YOU* are the one doing it. In fact, it gains a bit of a comedic essence. See The Darkness 2, as well.

Now, when you aren't the one dishing it out, but it has a chance of happening to *YOU*, things change. Lets look at SH: Homecoming (regardless of your stance on the game itself). All the gore in that game is basically the punishment for being unawares, and the most disturbing moments occur when you fail to complete a QTE, or watch the main characters parents get split in half. That's when it's scary, because it's actually making you, the player/character, the only victim of it. It likely wouldn't have the same effect if you were carving monsters in half along the way either.

 

[CpT_x_Killsteal]

I love gore!! I play Killing Floor because I love seeing zombie heads explode when I shoot them.
I also love zombies because of the gore.
And my favourite CoD was WaW because you could blow people's arms off with an anti-material rifle.

Games need more gore, stop pandering to the parents of widdle kiddies who want to buy video games.

 

[Robot Number V]

No. If it's done well then it is at best shocking, which only tricks you into thinking you're scared. Same as the deal with jump-scares. Real horror is more subtle then that.