Viscerally Disturbing, Round 1: Salo or the 120 Days of Sodom vs. Gutterballs

[Cena's Little Helper]

Salo or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975, Directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini)

Synopsis: Four wealthy men in Fascist Italy hold some kind of debauched torture session with nine young men and nine young women as their victims. After sexually humiliating them and making them eat feces, the four men have them all killed.

Why This Film Was Chosen: I think the synopsis says it all.

Key Disturbing Moment: Most definitely the graphic mass murder at the end of the film.

vs.

Gutterballs (2008, Directed by Ryan Nicholson)

Synopsis: A motley group of teenagers and twentysomethings is terrorized in while participating in an after-hours bowling league at their local alley.

Why This Film Was Chosen: Because it's the greatest slasher homage ever made, and it's disgusting as sin to boot.

Key Disturbing Moment: After having a sharpened bowling pin rammed up his, ahem, bottom "out hole," the main antagonist begs his attacker to just kill him off.​

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

For some reason, film historians and critics think of Salo as a political parable masked as a shock film. Given that Pier Paolo Pasolini was considered part of the Italian Neo-realist film movement, I'm going to forgive this grievous mistake on their part; even if the extremely overrated Pasolini had other intentions, Salo is nothing more than an exploitation film, and, save for the forced coprophagy, it's pretty tame by today's standards.

On the other hand, Ryan Nicholson strives to do nothing more than make the most stylish and repulsive films ever made. He has the repulsive part down pat, and Gutterballs shows that he's progressing when it comes to the goal of being stylish (Hanger was, unfortunately, a step in the wrong direction ).

 

[INDYjon22]

I actually intend on seeing Gutterballs in the very near future, I was checking it out at the mall last weekend and didn't even realize it was in this tournament. It seemed like more of a campy 80's homage to horror films then something that would be overly disgusting and disturbing. However, I can not say the same for its opponent. Salo is one of the few films I will probably make a point of never seeing. I honestly have no real need to see people forced to eat shit. That is to much. Salo may be the most disgusting and disturbing film behind Cannibal Holocaust, and could potentially give it a run for its money.

Winner: Salo.