MovieChat Forums > Postcards from the Future: The Chuck Palahniuk Documentary (2003) Discussion > Guts

Guts

posted 18 years ago by Piston_Smash
11 replies | jump to latest

A couple of the items on this site make reference to CP's story "Guts" and the fact that "35 people worldwide" fainted when hearing/reading it.
What's the deal with this story?

[–] ethan0731 18 years ago

i haven't seen the movie yet
but
i read the story
it's basically 3 anecdotes intertwined into a short story about sexual mishaps, i believe all of them involving masturbation.
disgusting? yes
most disturbing in book? no...try out Exodus.

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[–] Piston_Smash 18 years ago

Fainting seems like an extreme reaction to a story about bashing the bishop. However, if I was looking at a photo of a naked Roseanne while self-pleasuring I might just faint...

[–] m-elizabeth-c 18 years ago

Beyond the masturbation it's basically the final story which involes, well, guts that does the trick.
The first instances were in an overcrowded stuffy area and were probably due to heat. Some of the others may have been staged by fans.
It's descriptive. I think that being unable to control the pace of hearing the story may be a big factor. It wasn't particually terrible reading it. Gross, yeah, but I agree that Exodus is defiently more downright disturbing.

[–] Piston_Smash 17 years ago

Ta v. much, you two. I shall check out the story. I shall read it with a tub of goosefat by my side and see if I can stay conscious!

[–] mistergarret 17 years ago

It's from the novel 'Haunted'. Don't presume you can take it until you read it, and read it without distractions. It is quite disturbing, no matter who you are. I'm not a faint-hearted person, but I got light headed reading it, and I thought I was gonna get diarreah. Palahniuk has a power to his writing I have never read before. It obviously won't kill you, but seriously, if this kinda thing is going to bother you a few days after you read it, or if you'll lose sleep over it, read at your own risk. It's more disturbig than all the crappy slasher movies, loaded with gore. This is more realistic than that stuff.

By the way, they don't feature the story itself being read in the film. Read the book to get the story.

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[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] mistergarret 17 years ago

Exodus is Director Denial's story, right? I was more distrubed by "Guts", but I'd say my favorite in the collection is Obsolete. What a perfect ending. Ritual was great as well. Only one in the book I wasn't very fond of was Civil Twilight.

enjoy life
the dude abides
Stand.

www.michaelsavage.com

[–] dario_van_kuschn 16 years ago

Civil Twilight was great. Made me drop a bowling ball on the curb to see if it bounces. Not so much...

What was the name of the story where there was a strange box and if you looked inside you went crazy?

[–] mistergarret 16 years ago

It recurrs through a few stories, but I believe it first pops up in 'The Nightmare Box'.

That post is from April, but who knows, it might get read.

enjoy life

[–] eissian 15 years ago

the other point that probably contributed to all the faintings is that chuck begins by saying the story will last about as long as you could possibly hold your breath(thematically linking the construction of the story itself to it's theme of autoerotic asphyxiation). some fans in the audience taking his advice probably held their breath a little too long.

[–] droog3 15 years ago

I have to admit i couldn't finish it pee hole's and graphic writing didn't make me feel so well the carrot bit was funny though. mostly its the detail that makes you feel sick i think.

"oh,like house of pain was gonna do anything"