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While it is debatable that movies of the 21st century continue to become more graphically shocking with each passing year, it does not diminish the fact that gore does have a place in movies. Film makers have continuously increased the levels of violence depicted in their films and the resulting imagery has become increasingly more disturbing. Movies such as "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (2003), "Hostel" and "Saw I-V" have depicted gore in ways that cinematographers would never have even imagined 25 years ago. Images of intense graphic violence and extreme gore are directly exposed to audiences, creating levels of shock and horror that are unprecedented in any films that came before these ultra-violent nightmares.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:off ice:office" /

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But the question remains, "should gore be used in cinema?" Even when faced with the disturbing images referenced above, I would have to say yes. Gore, for all the word implies, is simply the depiction of a violent act and the resulting affects of that act. Some of the greatest films throughout cinema's century long history have been movies that are graphically violent and packed full of gore. Academy Award winning films such as "Platoon" and the "Godfather" used gore to great cinematic effect and, while some audiences were understandably disturbed by the imagery, it nonetheless served an important purpose in advancing the reality of the story being told.

Perhaps the better question, then, becomes "how much gore is too much?" Is it possible to have too much gore in a movie? Is it necessary to always depict each violent act within a story? While it is impossible to make an absolute statement about this second question, it is worth at least considering that, sometimes, the imagination can do as much to fill in the gaps as the blatant exposure of violence laid out graphically on the screen. Still, this is a far different argument than stating that gore has no place in cinema.

There are movies that would not work without the presence of gore in their narrative. The "Silence of the Lambs", as an example, was an extremely controversial film when it was released, but it's ability to dive into the mind of a serial killer would have been nowhere near as effective were it not for the horrific depiction of it's central antagonists. In fact, this movie, though considered too be "over the top" by many, went on to be another academy award winning film. Should gore be used in cinema? In this instance, there is no question that the gore used in this movie was as much a part of its success as the performances by its key actors.

While it is possible to site plenty of examples where the gore in some movies is excessive, there are a great many more that have only been successful because of the gore depicted in them.

Another thing to consider is that audiences have become increasingly de-sensitized to violence in movies. In order for filmmakers to succeed in generating shocks and horror in their movies, sometimes it is necessary for them to push the boundaries of what is considered gore in cinema. Referring back to "The Silence of the Lambs" a moment longer, that movie is considered far less shocking today than it was 20 years ago. In some respects, it's probably considered tame compared to the horrors depicted in "Hostel" or "Saw". While I certainly respect any filmmaker who can create mood and tension through innuendo, I think it is fair to say that the true "horror" of most contemporary horror movies is how unsettling they make you feel and, moreover, how much they can shock you with their graphic imagery.

Learn more about this author, Scott Kolecki.
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