Torture Porn: The New Splatter Film?

This is a CFP for a proposed panel to be held at (dis)junctions, the 15th
annual humanities conference at University of California Riverside on April
11-12, 2008. Since David Edelstein dubbed “Hostel” (2005) “torture porn,”
the term has been applied to such diverse films as the “Saw” series, “Wolf
Creek” and even “The Passion of the Christ.” Is the phenomenon known by
this name simply a logical next step in horror or is it so far removed from
its Grand Guignol origins as to become something else entirely? Just
because it makes some uncomfortable, should the entire genre be maligned in
such a facile way? What function does it perform in our society?
Contributors are invited to submit critical works that examine torture
narratives from a variety of critical perspectives.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to:
        The commodification of torture
        Torture on the screen and in the news
        Saw
        Hostel
        Wolf Creek

Abstracts of 250-300 words should be submitted by email to
michael.podolny_at_email.ucr.edu by the deadline of February 16, 2008 (text in
the body of the message; please no attachments). Please include all contact
information and institution affiliation.

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Received on Sun Jan 27 2008 - 15:32:26 EST