Title: Little Deaths (2011)
Runtime: 94 minutes
Directors: Sean Hogan (House & Home), Andrew Parkinson (Mutant Tool), and Simon Rumley (Bitch)
—
And I thought torture porn was dead.
When it comes to the fine line between horror and porn, Little Deaths falls just on the horror side. Barely. This film is incredibly graphic, insanely brutal, and absolutely sexual. Little Deaths pulls no punches, so to speak, and it’s admirable because of it.
To say I “enjoyed” Little Deaths is a bit off; that’s not what the movie is about. What I admire about the films, though, is how ridiculously creative they are. The first film is a twisted rape and revenge film, the second is a take on addiction, and the third is a look at a deteriorating sadomasochistic relationship.
The one element that shines in all three short films – aside from the overwhelming creativity – is the acting. Virtually every actor in the movie takes this from a standard torture porn outing to a piece of disgusting art. It is filled with twists that the actors play with ease. It’s really wonderful to see such high quality acting in what most would consider low-brow entertainment.
Little Deaths is not for everyone; hell, it isn’t for many people at all. But those who think the torture porn genre is dead need to think again. Little Deaths might be part of the beginnings of the Extreme New Wave instead of the torture porn genre, but either way, it’s a screwed up little film that I’m glad to have watched.
Branden has been a film fan since he was young, roaming the halls of Blockbuster Video, trying to find the grossest, scariest looking VHS covers to rent and watch alone in the basement. It wasn’t until recently, though, that Branden started seeking out the classics of cinema, and began to develop his true passion for the art form. Branden approaches each film with the unique perspective of having studied the art from the inside, having both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in acting. He has been a film critic since 2010, and has previously written for Inside Pulse Movies, We Love Cult, and Diehard Gamefan. His biggest achievement as a film critic, to date, has been founding Cinefessions and turning it from a personal blog to a true film website, housing hundreds of film and television reviews, and dozens of podcasts.
