Akademik

n.

Movies that contains scenes of extreme horror or violence. [Blend of gore and porno.]

And it made me ponder: Has extreme horror gotten, well, too extreme? Will the prevalence and popularity of torture porn — a.k.a. gorno — warp our views on mayhem and murder, inure us, seep into our consciousness in creepy, vestigial ways? Is this stuff — the S & M gear, the leather and vinyl butcher couture, the power tools — being glamorized, fetishized? (Heck, yes!)

—Steven Rea, "When gory movies are torture to watch," Philadelphia Inquirer, June 12, 2007

Even "gorno" — the torture-porn-horror flicks that power the "Saw" and "Hostel" franchises — has moved from merely alienating those consumers who hate the marketing to snuffing out its target audience. The reason? Gore burnout. Case in point: "Hostel: Part II," which opened Friday. It is already showing signs that it will make significantly less than the $19 million than its predecessor nabbed last year in its opening weekend.

—Rachel Abramowitz and Sheigh Crabtree, "Hollywood horror films suffer box office anemia," Los Angeles Times, June 9, 2007

The two essential horror movie drawcards — sex and violence — are here in spades and it's this slick schlock director's understanding of what really shocks that gives Hostel bite. A mostly unknown cast brings the goods, it's effectively repugnant and, like the conditions of hostels themselves, this debaucherously brutal 'gorno' is likely to give you nightmares.

—Craig Miller, "DVD releases," Sunday Tasmanian, June 25, 2006