Why Do Movies Like The Human Centipede Exist?

Horror is a genre I hold near and dear to my heart. It's a genre of filmmaking which I believe is extraordinarily deep and explores parts of the human psyche which other genres of art refuse to delve into. Fear is one of humanity's most primitive and instinctual responses, and horror aims to tap into that sensation. However, keeping that in mind I cannot simply neglect to even acknowledge the ugly aspects of horror which people tend to think of when the genre is mentioned; the Hostels, Saw Vs, and Human Centipedes of the genre. After all, there's no smoke without fire, and if the hideous "torture porn" subgenre of horror can't be described as a raging dumpster fire, then I'm not sure what can be.

I would, however, like to briefly condemn the use of phrases such as "torture porn." While there are quite a few movies in the horror genre which spend a sickening amount of time focusing on gore and torture, to compare them to pornography demeans the process of filmmaking as a whole by regarding it less as an art and more as some sort of perverted and seedy act.

While you may not personally enjoy the Saw franchise, it is cold to dismiss the creativity and psychological depth of its plot as nonexistent and instead make obscene comparisons to a business which has nothing to do with the creation of art. Bearing that in mind, when I use the phrase "torture porn" I am not using it in the genuine sense which implies that the niche crowd who enjoyed the Human Centipede trilogy derives some sort of sick sexual gratification from the film's subject matter, I am using it as a simple and quick way to refer to that specific branch of horror movies in general.

Of course, there are the more repulsive genres under the horror umbrella which are impossible to defend due in part to the fact that they exist for the sole purpose of being repulsive. While horror is in fact a beautiful art form, it is also an opportunity for people to earn easy money through throwing creativity aside and instead deciding to try and find the most repulsive idea they can in a vain attempt to disgust curious audience members who couldn't help but wonder what a movie like Hostel has in store for them. I believe that films such as these thrive from the morbid curiosity of film goers, and that curiosity is the sole reason that they continue being produced. If people were to ignore the nagging curiosity that comes about when a movie like The Human Centipede is mentioned they would unintentionally create a demand for deeper and better films, perhaps even more classics similar to the likes of Psycho and The Shining.

Bearing all of this in mind I encourage you to ignore that creeping curiosity and instead demand better films which offer more than gore and disgusting imagery, demand dark art that examines the world around it, not sexist exploitative messes.