Ick

The number 1 movie in America over the weekend was the grizzly (understatement of the year) "Hostel." Yuck. I felt almost physically ill when I heard yesterday that people spent about $20 million to see this film in a matter of a few days. I cringed again as I read " 'The track record of horror films tells you maybe Hollywood should just release horror movies to be successful. I can't think of a more consistently performing genre at the box office,' " said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Contrast this movie with the one it edged for the top spot, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum. Of course, "Hostel" will never measure up to Narnia's overall numbers (nearly $250 million domestically), but I can't help feeling disheartened that this kind of violence is such a sensation.

What is this obsession with gore so many people have? And that's what this movie is, by all accounts. On some level I can understand (though not relate to) the thrill of a scary movie -- suspense, adrenaline, etc. But this is not a scary movie. It's a horrifically violent movie, the mere commercials for which make me uneasy.

OK, some people will argue that violence is violence. "Why do you like 'Glory' or 'Braveheart' so much?" There is a big difference in my mind between "fighting" violence and "victim" violence. Images of two people going one on one with swords, guns or even fists don't stay in my mind long. Images of one person mercilessly torturing a helpless/weaker individual? Those stick around a lot longer. The concept of pummeling is quite different from fighting. Fighting is often necessary; pummeling isn't. And it's people's obsession with this gore that takes their minds to dark places where it's hard to find peace.

I don't want to discuss the aforementioned movie any more, that's how much I detest it. However inarticulate it sounds, I think I really just don't like that people go through the trouble of making films like this ... and that people reward them for it. Call me a child, call me old-fashioned: My only reaction will always be "ick!"