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alt title(s): Guro; Torture Porn
Graphic violence, to the point of prurience. A portmanteau of "gore" + "porn". Can refer to just a graphic scene or to the entire sub-genre of horror films in the spirit of Saw.

Sometimes referred to as "torture porn", or by the Japanese term "eroguro," though the latter usually refers to sexual torture rather than arbitrary torture.

The inclusion of the term "porn" in the moniker should not, however, suggest a sexual intent or response to the material (though for some viewers...). Generally, one might consider 'half a corpse dragging itself across the floor until it collapses' to be rated quite low on the list of Pleasant Things Seen Today.

Gorn, however, offers violence and horror not to upset or frighten but to excite and thrill. And like pornography in which a flimsy plot about a pizza delivery boy and a spaceship's randy, all-female crew is simply a device to get people to take their clothes off and have some sex already, the "torture porn" genre is also all about "getting to the good stuff"... though that isn't to say that all Gorn is mindless drivel.

Certainly, horror relies on placing its characters in terrible situations so that the audience can experience the shock, even the thrill, of their peril. However, gorn isn't about the audience enjoying a good scare. Gorn isn't concerned with the protagonist's struggle to survive. Gorn is gore for the sheer enjoyment of a good, old-fashioned bloodbath.

Not to be confused with the Star Trek reptilian alien race of the Gorn Hegemony. That would be a man-in-rubber-suit fetish of some sort, gone horribly wrong. Completely different, really.

Horrible (and horrifying) deaths are a requirement in this sort of thing. See also Bloody Hilarious, Ludicrous Gibs, Exploitation Film. When mixed with Sickeningly Sweet, you get Grotesque Cute and Sugar Apocalypse.


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