MovieChat Forums > Tusk (2014) Discussion > Why people call it so digusting

Why people call it so digusting


I won't be seeing it, but I've been reading up on it and wonder why people think it's that disgusting. Personally, I find the concept of body horror disgusting, and even in actually great films like The Fly, it's a daunting sit-through; but when it's this gratuitous, downright wrong: why invite people to such a thought, why convey an idea that's disturbing. Do you think it's because the film makers were a bit sick from thinking it up themselves that they wanted to "contaminate" others with it, kind of like when you've found a dead animal in the yard and bring someone to show it to ?

This is supposed to be a comedy, but discarding that aspect - I'm interested in knowing WHY exactly you thought that movie was disgusting/disturbing.
Is it the thought a human being could be so cruel to another, his extreme selfishness ? The violence (medical procedures) ? Is it the core thought of a human becoming a monster ("walrus" here) ?
Is it the perspective he would stay that way his whole life; like a claustrophobic feel of doom ?

Harry !!....your hands are freezing !!...

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I loved the movie and unless you're against critical thinking then don't watch it.
Long plays what would seem like a typical American shock jock looking to go further.
He's so egotistical and they shout that out loud. He has so many misconceptions about other cultures and thinks only in stereotypes he wants to exploit.
Parks does NOT play a typical psycho. He didn't just randomly choose a walrus for fun, unlike tom sixs movies.
He goes into quite a lot of detail about his past, so if you have an ounce of attention it makes sense.
There's a very eerie revelation towards the end so it makes park look much more sadistic.
Johnny Depp played a Canadian PI who is hilarious. It shows Parks intelligence as he throws depp off by pretending to be a simple farmer.

There's obviously a main theme to me which don't be so assuming and cocky because karma will get you when you least expect it

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It's cartoonish disturbing horror.
Enter this film at your own risk.

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Why don't you watch it and come to your own conclusions?

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For me it was disturbing because, for one I did question myself a bit in why I continued watching. But I think all humans, no matter how kind and gentle you may be, have this underlying curiosity about evil, or strange things. As disturbed as I was I couldn't stop watching. Kind of like a car crash scene. It's sad and disturbing especially if you see someone or people hurt but can you look away if you have the chance to watch it go down? That instinctive curiosity gets the best of you simply because you're human, and we live normal lives where weird or scary things are normally in the movies, not in front of us. Either way that saying "it's like a car wreck, it's so sad ans violent but you can't look away" and after watching this and (the human centipede) I felt gross. Not just for what it's about but that I was fascinated or interested or whatever enough to keep watching. I know I'm a good person but I was like ew is there something wrong with me so even want to start and continue watching sick stuff like this? But it's entertainment. Simply put. But the movie itself is so disturbing for me because for one, I can't fathom how evil people can be. I am an anti bullying advocate for schools. And any evil in this world that I hear about, especially the intense evil they put in movies it really hits me hard. And for someone to trick someone into their home, and then experiment on them like they are nothing more than plastic or an object and turn them into something else. That is evil but sick and twisted. In this case, the visual effects for me was very uncomfortable. I have a vivid imagination. I am hyper aware and I can out myself into others minds way too easily. So seeing someone in his position, being turned into a walrus. I felt that uncomfortability.i felt how terrified I would be in that situation. It felt very real to me, as far fetched as it is. So in that way the film is "good" because it's far fetched yet it plays off realistically. It doesn't have a vibe to it like scary movies where you imagine actors in the makeup room, laughing before shooting scary scenes. So it was like this nightmare type feeling I couldn't wake up from. But it was my decision to keep watching until the end. I thought about how terrifying it would be to be put in that situation, how scary it would and painful and uncomfortable it would be to no longer be a normal human but an animal or kind of animal of some kind. Its uncomfortable enough being in a cast. Having a rash. Wearing a mouth guard for tmj. Imagine your entire body being transformed. It's gross and scary to think about and watch it happen in front of you. Do I think Kevin Smith and whoever else is sick? Maybe. I've never in my life come up with a thought like this movie or ones like it. And I'm a writer and a creative person but my mind doesn't go there. I don't think Kevin Smith is a killer, or would act on his strange thoughts. But would I want to be buds with this guy anymore after this film? No. I would be too uncomfortable knowing the kind of weird stuff floating in his head that he actually made come to life. So that's it in a nutshell for me. If you don't like weird, evil, sick, twisted, scary things that people may be do to others or think of doing to others and u can imagine it happening to you vividly while watch out, never watch it. It messed with me for sure. Not for weeks or months but definitely the day I watched it and a week after. Just felt icky and weird and unsettled. And the ending, is just so hopeless. Hopelessness is a scary thought. Being buried alive is one of those terrifying things you would never want to happen to yourself and its uncomfortable to think about or watch. The ending of this film has that same feeling. Except and here is an ending spoiler so don't continue reading if you might watch this, but he is successfully turned into a walrus. He's no longer all human. He can't speak. He can't move. He's trapped in a body that isn't his forever. How effing terrifying and sick is that? It makes you feel lucky you aren't in that situation but it's awful to see and awful to think about. But congratulations to Kevin Smith, you did itan, you got underneath a lot of people's skin with this film. And though parts of it are chuckle worthy dialogue wise because yeah Kevin is funny and can be funny, it's only funny in certain parts before the real *beep* goes down. To me it's no longer a dark comedy at that point. But he succeeded I think in what eh wanted as a film maker.

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Thank you pennilayne for this in depth reply, I don't think I've been notified about and just discovered and read entirely just now.
Though I haven't seen this film and won't, I agree on everything you're saying on the larger scale of things. I've seen a few sick films, and the Human Centipede felt that way to me. The concept of it just disturbed me for some days, I kept reading about it, thinking about it, then I watched it.
I'm not going to watch this because it's sick. Simple as. But every once in a while, that morbid fascination you talk about wins me and I go seeking online again.

A lot of film makers are cynical and actually twisted, and additionally they enjoy wearing that tag. David Cronenberg, a director I rate, said in an interview he considered his rendition of the Fly (1986) to be a "dark comedy". A man turning into a repulsive monstrosity, loses all humanity and contact with the world, whose only solution at the end is suicide...is funny.
I'm a "creative person" too, I write and all but I also consider myself sane enough that I know there are limits. Horror movies, weird fiction books, eerie music - sure. But there are limits.
The fact of someone spending so much time and creative effort in making films about torture, rape, graphic violence, disturbing concepts and things of that nature isn't edgy or avantgardist. It's just wasteful, and worse yet, wrong.

Harry !!....your hands are freezing !!...

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Thanks for the response! And I completely agree with all you said!



"No way? That's GREAT! WE LANDED ON THE MOON!!!!!!!!!!!!"

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