# What is your tolerance for violence and gore? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 17, 2014, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-tolerance-for-violence-and-gore/698767 "2014-09-17T21:16:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2014, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-tolerance-for-violence-and-gore/698767/21 "2014-09-17T23:43:25Z")
I swore I just posted in here and it’s gone? Anyway, if it’s fictional violence and gore I don’t care what goes on; it’s fiction! I easily compartmentalize that from reality. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Woo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@Dr.Woo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Woo)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2014, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-tolerance-for-violence-and-gore/698767/22 "2014-09-17T23:47:50Z")
I voted Other, because I’ve turned into the biggest wuss in this area of the galaxy. Yogi Bear cartoons are far too intense for me these days, so I watch only home improvement programs and completely innocuous documentaries. I hope I snap out of this at some point, but for now I avoid anything at or above the level of 101 Dalmatians. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-tolerance-for-violence-and-gore/698767/23 "2014-09-18T00:12:18Z")
I have an infinite tolerance for movie/TV/book gore. I can’t handle real crimes, though. I can’t watch beheading videos or kitten-stomping. But I slept like a baby after watching _Martyrs_. I love watching bad things happen to good people, the bloodier the better–as long as it’s not for real. > [@zoid](#): > > It’s not gore that bothers me in scary movies, it’s the suffering. > > What gets me about these movies is the thought of the victims in horrific pain while they scream and thrash around. That part really bothers me. This is what I enjoy. It’s, dare I say, cathartic. But only if it’s fiction. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-tolerance-for-violence-and-gore/698767/24 "2014-09-18T00:16:36Z")
My husband is a horror movie fanatic so I’ve seen all of them. It doesn’t bother me at all. About the only things that get to me are things involving the teeth or eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Lydia\_Phalfav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a6a055/32.png) [@Lydia\_Phalfav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lydia_Phalfav)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-tolerance-for-violence-and-gore/698767/25 "2014-09-18T00:19:40Z")
I used to watch a lot of gory movies but over the last few years, they’ve just turned me off. --Mostly because a lot of movies or scenes featured the abuse & torture of women on a much more personal scale than they typically focus on dudes. That bothers me a lot more than the gore does. Nowadays I generally prefer action thrillers. ---
**Author:** ![JesterX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/439d5e/32.png) [@JesterX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JesterX)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-tolerance-for-violence-and-gore/698767/26 "2014-09-18T00:30:16Z")
I would say the level of gore has absolute ZERO effect on whether a horror flick is actually scary or not. But I’m with those that say it’s fine if it’s within the context of the story and not gratuitous. As for real life gore, I could tolerate it if it was part of my job, but since I don’t have that kind of job, I try to avoid it. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-tolerance-for-violence-and-gore/698767/27 "2014-09-18T02:59:35Z")
Gore doesn’t bother me much. I’m that guy who while watching my wife give birth was thinking “Oh wow, that’s a LOT of blood!” and watching intently. Or the second time around, watched the doctors pop her uterus out after the c-section and sew it up. I’m also the one who can eat while people discuss just about anything. I don’t have a very good connection between my intellect and my stomach, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-tolerance-for-violence-and-gore/698767/28 "2014-09-18T03:06:53Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > I went with “keep it out of my face” > This is going to sound really weird but… > > It’s not gore that bothers me in scary movies, it’s the suffering. I’ve helped butcher animals and watched medical procedures online and it doesn’t really bother me. > What gets me about these movies is the thought of the victims in horrific pain while they scream and thrash around. That part really bothers me. Doesn’t sound weird at all. Total agreement. I dislike depictions of people (or animals) in pain. I also very much dislike depictions of characters suffering from great fear. The “horror” of horror movies often involves poor panicked souls, screaming in terror, fleeing mindlessly, even committing suicide – e.g., jumping off a cliff rather than let the monster touch them. This pushes too many of my buttons, and I try never to watch such dramas. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-tolerance-for-violence-and-gore/698767/29 "2014-09-18T03:09:05Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > It’s not gore that bothers me in scary movies, it’s the suffering. > What gets me about these movies is the thought of the victims in horrific pain while they scream and thrash around. That part really bothers me. > [@Rachellelogram](#): > > This is what I enjoy. It’s, dare I say, cathartic. But only if it’s fiction. Yikes :eek: To each his own I guess. I’ll have to beg your pardon though for not inviting you the next _ **zoid-house sleepover Dopefest** _😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-tolerance-for-violence-and-gore/698767/30 "2014-09-18T03:26:10Z")
I agree with the sentiment that what they do with the gore is more important than its presence or lackthereof. Like, I don’t like goreporn movies, they’re gross and usually stupid and uncomfortable. But I can tolerate as much or even far more gore if the camera isn’t fixating on it like the editor is going to get off on it later. Even in literary horror, gore is cool but it’s often used extremely poorly. There’s a bit of a meme now about how every video game or animation creepypasta must contain the words “hyperrealistic blood”. It’s just a general trend that people mistake blood and gore for actual fear and horror. I’ve read some damn effective horror with blood and gore, and even gratuitous pain, but it’s not the main feature. It’s not what the fic is focusing on. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-tolerance-for-violence-and-gore/698767/31 "2014-09-18T03:31:34Z")
I watch some pretty gory stuff, but I have to be in the mood for it. I have found myself in the mood a little less often than I used to, but it could be a phase. October and Halloween time often bring out some gore binging. I will qualify as others have, however, in that it has to be fiction. I’m fascinated by what can be done with makeup, latex, and in-camera movie magic. So sometimes, I’m disconnected from the scene and enraptured more by how well or badly done the effects are. Real stuff, I won’t watch. I know there are people out there who watch animal killings, beheadings, hangings, suicides and whatnot. That all makes me sick. I’m a veterinary technician and see real life suffering and gore plenty enough without seeking it out. I’m here to make animals better, not watch them suffer. Same for people. And with the dichotomy that is my brain, what I have seen IRL helps me appreciate more when the fake stuff is really well done! ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-tolerance-for-violence-and-gore/698767/32 "2014-09-18T03:42:35Z")
If it’s organic to the story, I’ll tolerate flying organs. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-tolerance-for-violence-and-gore/698767/33 "2014-09-18T04:01:53Z")
Been known to eat spaghetti and meatblls in red sauce while watching [Faces of Death](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faces_of_Death) and won a gross out story contest with mrAru’s crewmembers at VaBeach 1. Ambulance crew tend to have the best grossout stories. I do however prefer not to watch torture porn like the SAW movies or Hostel, I think they are pointless. Give me a more atmospheric type horror movie, with the imagination filling in most of the details and I am much happier. I love reading, and like to exercise my imagination instead of it being spoonfed to me. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-tolerance-for-violence-and-gore/698767/34 "2014-09-18T04:14:45Z")
I can always appreciate good gore, for both the artistic value and the technical skill in it’s creation. I’ve seen stuff on the _Disney Channel_ that disturbed me far more than Tom Savini’s masterpieces. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-tolerance-for-violence-and-gore/698767/35 "2014-09-18T04:37:27Z")
Oddly, I’m pretty much only squeamish when it comes to real surgery videos. I see a beating heart, I feel my own tighten up. Anything goes for a horror movie though. ---
**Author:** ![Sleel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-tolerance-for-violence-and-gore/698767/36 "2014-09-18T04:37:31Z")
This is going to sound like I’m being contradictory. I think that there actually isn’t enough realistic violence in action movies. At the same time, many horror movies glorify gore, rather than actually being horrific. The way movies show gun violence, for example, is far too bloodless and consequence-free. People get shot, there’s little blood, they fall down dead almost immediately. In real life, there’s usually blood every-fucking-where in seconds, unless it’s a small-caliber wound with no exit that just bounced around inside and caused internal hemorrhaging. The Big Fucking Guns that are inevitably shown in movies can cause massive trauma, with exit wounds the size of fists. Even so, people can get shot several times, keep fighting, and then maybe collapse suddenly and unexpectedly. And then there’s the screaming and shitting and pissing themselves and horrific noises as they slowly die. Not (thankfully) that I know this from first-hand experience, but I knew a lot of police, military personnel, and emergency service workers. Getting shot is messy and painful and not fun in any way shape or form. If your only exposure to the aftermath of actually using firearms on someone comes from the movies, you’d think it was no big deal to shoot and get shot at. I think spree killings are inspired in part by the glorified violence they see in action movies. Not the violence itself, but the fact that everything is toned down to PG-13 or R rated. Violence even in entertainment should be at least uncomfortable, if not downright disgusting. Many horror movies go for gore, but they’re oddly clean and pretty most of the time. I understand, it’s meant to entertain, but despite all the blood they’re psychologically about as frightening as a post-Hot Topic goth club. Contrast the latest edition of horror franchises\* with something like [Audition](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0235198/), which strikes most people as seriously fucked-up despite an almost total absence of gore. I don’t dislike violence in entertainment, but I find that I’m starting to object more to a certain kind of violence; “clean” violence. Violence should be _disturbing_. You can tell an entertaining story involving violence, but more and more I think that you should be at least slightly repelled by the outcome of that violence. - What was the last one? Something like _Freddy does Jason: The Slash-Fiction Slasher with Buckets of…Love_? ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-tolerance-for-violence-and-gore/698767/37 "2014-09-18T04:42:19Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Similarly, for me the best horrific scene in films is the final scene of **Obama**. It’s totally horrifying if you’ve seen all the movie, and the best thing about it if you watch the scene without the rest of the movie, you’ll never realize just how horrifying it is. It looks pretty mundane, actually, but the horror is in what it represents. I’m \*really \*curious now what movie you meant to type, because that gave me a good laugh! I have quite a high tolerance for gore, but there are really only two things that I cannot watch - eyes being sliced/gouged/stabbed/etc. and torturing dogs. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-tolerance-for-violence-and-gore/698767/38 "2014-09-18T04:54:11Z")
It mostly depends on what its being portrayed in. Like a lot of people here my tolerance is a lot lower for real life blood and guts. My tolerance is fairly high for cinematic B & G but I don’t like the outright “torture porn” stuff like _Saw._ On the other hand my tolerance in books can be quite high. And it’s very high in video games, I tend to enjoy the sorts of games that have chunks of people flying everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_York](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_York](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_York)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-tolerance-for-violence-and-gore/698767/39 "2014-09-18T11:41:16Z")
My wife’s idea of a scary movie is when the cat chases Stuart Little. I don’t watch gore for gore’s sake. Criminal minds is about my level ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-tolerance-for-violence-and-gore/698767/40 "2014-09-18T12:47:54Z")
Same as most people, I can cope with it in the service of telling a story, but I don’t get my jollies off the gratuitous stuff. And some things are right out, such as torture. One of my favorite horror authors is Joe R. Lansdale, who can get pretty intense. But there’s plenty of good stuff going on along with the gore. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-tolerance-for-violence-and-gore/698767.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-tolerance-for-violence-and-gore/698767.md?page=3)