Arthouse Atrocities - Where Art and Eyegouging form an uneasy peace

[LineSix]

I know of Harmony Korine, his films are meant to be pretty weird. I also know that Werner Herzog has acted in some of them aswell.

I've never actually seen any of them though. I've seen the trailer for his latest one, Trash Humpers, which does look very bizarre.

[Make Them Die Slowly]

I forgot to put "Sweet Movie" on my list of films. Truly one of a kind with some outrageous scenes with Otto Muehl and the Friedrichshof commune.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Make Them Die Slowly

"Subconscious Cruelty" good but tries a little too hard to shock.

Agree with your comments on this one. Hussain's Ascension on the other hand is superb, whcih a much more linear story than the experimental stylings of Subconscious Cruelty.

Originally Posted by Make Them Die Slowly

"Ice From the Sun" weird beard gore and strangeness.

This is indeed a weird little film, I enjoyed it a lot.

[Philleh]

Originally Posted by Make Them Die Slowly

I forgot to put "Sweet Movie" on my list of films. Truly one of a kind with some outrageous scenes with Otto Muehl and the Friedrichshof commune.

Good choice, dude! Some pretty horrible scenes in this one!

[Justin101]

There is a really good film from Belgium called Man Bites Dog, released in 1992 and directed by Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel & Benoît Poelvoorde. It's a mock documentary following a serial killer as he goes about doing his 'job' - killing people! It's pretty violent and extremely funny if you like dark as tar black comedy!

[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

The Wicker Man and Martin have a certain arthouse feel to them.Anyone agree?

[Make Them Die Slowly]

Originally Posted by The Reaper Man

The Wicker Man and Martin have a certain arthouse feel to them.Anyone agree?

They do have a continental feel to them and that certainly comes under the umbrella term "arthouse" The mature exploration of sex in both films also adds to this feeling.

[Sarah@Cult Labs]

Coming into this discussion a little late.

I hated Hidden... In fact I think I may have fallen asleep. But I really enjoyed Calvaire when I caught it on Film4. Tuned in just before I went to bed and only intended watching a few minutes of it. Ended up getting hooked and watching the whole thing!

[Sam@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Justin101

There is a really good film from Belgium called Man Bites Dog, released in 1992 and directed by Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel & Benoît Poelvoorde. It's a mock documentary following a serial killer as he goes about doing his 'job' - killing people! It's pretty violent and extremely funny if you like dark as tar black comedy!

100% Recommended!

I remember this getting caught up in the Natural Born Killers/Reservoir Dogs controversy in the early 90s, when 'Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells' types had another pop at cinema violence, but this is a world away from Tarantino's slick, amoral violence or the psychedelic overkill of Oliver Stone's movie.

I like the fact that the killer is a professional who saves bullets by scaring little old ladies to death and the way the documentary crew get slowly sucked into his world, to the point where they wake up on New Years Day after a party having involved themselves in an orgy of bloodlust.

The hungover aftermath reminded me of that Yellow Pages advert where the kid has a party and says 'French Polishers? It's just possible you could save my life'.

The killer in this film is a charisma machine and an expert in good food and the arts, particularly cinema but unlike other evil killers in movies, I never feel like his articulate nature and intelligence are unreal. Most real life serial killers can barely tie their own shoe laces, let alone wax lyrical about fine dining. I always thought Seven was a bit silly in this regard.

[docvoltage]

Werner Herzog's Nosferatu is defintely art-house horror, and IMHO a superbly bleak, nihilistic, ennui-oid film.

Also quite good is the very political Jonathan by Hans Geißendörfer. The DVD has a particularly enlightening interview placing the film into the context of social upheavals/politics of its time.