FIVE TORTUROUS NIGHTS AT THE MOVIES

From CHUD, The state of the world today is upsetting enough, so what's the point in paying $10 to heighten one's misery? What's the upside in spending ninety minutes to watch a group of nubile ingénues get sliced up in gorily inventive ways when one need only listen to a few minutes of conservative talk radio to be reminded that humanity is held cheap in 2007? Nastiness is all around us. Lives are being lost at an alarming rate in Darfur, Iraq and Afghanistan. "Karma Police" keeps getting covered. How can anyone be looking forward to a major motion picture centered on thrill killing?

To celebrate our merry Demon Drop down the abyss, I've compiled a list of five movies designed to jar the senses, scar the psyche and send you fleeing the theater for the rough, but comparatively forgiving embrace of reality. One caveat: most movies lose their ability to shock when viewed at home. Even when presented via the most tricked-out home theater imaginable, you've still got the home field advantage; you can hit "stop" at any time, whereas, in a commercial movie house, you'll have to bear the shame of walking over people to seek relief for your fragile sensibilities. This, then, accounts for the absence of endurance tests like I Spit on Your Grave, Funny Games and Inland Empire, all of which I watched in the comfort of my own living room. This isn't to say I enjoyed them, but it's hard to be consistently engaged when you've got a cat sitting on your lap and your upstairs neighbors are fucking like it's the end of the world.

Now, here comes the pain… http://www.chud.com/index.php?type=news&id=10571