Abstract:
This thesis provides a cross-cultural analysis of the cinematic conventions featured within the torture film subgenre and is intended to develop scholarly discourse surrounding the use of visual codes and conventions featured in extreme cinema. It draws on both textual analysis and the academic framework of scholars (such as Michel Foucault, Tom Gunning and Laura Mulvey) to provide a working definition of the subgenre, identify its key codes and conventions and explore its cross-cultural variations. A close examination of key films from America, Asia and Europe are analysed, in order to illustrate the way in which visual conventions are used to display acts of torture as a point of spectacle. In essence, this thesis is concerned with the progression of the subgenre and how cultural context plays a significant role in shaping the use of cinematic codes and conventions within the torture film. Through this approach we are able to identify the relationship between visual language, intended audience and the development of cinematic codes and conventions within the subgenre. As a result, it becomes apparent that the treatment of particular visual codes and conventions are not limited to, but are largely determined by, the social and cultural contexts from which they arise. American, Asian and European torture films all feature a regionally distinct use of visual codes and conventions used to present the spectacle of torture. Examining how this specific subgenre relates to particular social histories and the tradition of extreme cinema, offers a uniquely close look at the use of graphic imagery and the development of visual language within the torture film.
