History Film / EightMM

* SheCleansUpNicely / SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: Welles interviews the mother of the missing girl. He goes back for a follow up interview to find she's cleaned the house and prettied herself up.

-->'''Velvet:''' "Machine, set him free."

* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Lampshaded by Max, who notices that Welles isn't as grossed out by what he's seeing as he used to be. Welles himself would be subversion however, since he still retains a strong moral center throughout the movie, and that instance didn't involve a suspected snuff film.

* SnuffFilm: Welles can find no proof that snuff films are anything other than an UrbanLegend. [[spoiler:It turned out that Longsdale discovered this, too, so he hired Velvet to create one.]]

-->'''Machine:''' You know the best part of killing someone? The look on their face. It's that look. Not when they're threatened. Not when you hurt them. Not even when they see the knife. It's when they feel the knife go in. That's it. It's surprise. They just can't believe it's really happening to them. [[spoiler: She had that look, the girl, when she knew it wasn't just porno.]]

* DragonTheirFeet: [[spoiler:Welles kills (or sees killed) the people who created the snuff film before going after the "performer" who murdered the girl. Justified, the actual murderer was injured and it took Welles a while to figure out he was.]]

* NightmareFuelStationAttendant: Machine, the cherub-faced sadist and PsychoForHire [[spoiler:who was responsible for the murder of Mary Anne Matthews. His anti-MotiveRant is horrifying and cements him as a pure evil bastard.]]

* AmoralAttorney: [[spoiler: Daniel Longdale arranged the creation of the SnuffFilm for his rich client and plans to kill Tom when he gets too close to the truth]].

-->'''Machine:''' You know the best part of killing someone? The look on their face. It's that look. Not when they're threatened. Not when you hurt them. Not even when they see the knife. It's when they feel the knife go in. That's it. It's surprise. They just can't believe it's really happening to them. [[spoiler: She had that look, the girl, when she knew it wasn't just porno.]]* PsychopathicManChild: Machine is a sadistic pervert who kills people on film. [[spoiler:He also still lives with his mom despite being a middle-aged guy.]]

* KnifeNut: It's Machine's weapon of choice.
-->'''Machine:''' You know the best part of killing someone? The look on their face. It's that look. Not when they're threatened. Not when you hurt them. Not even when they see the knife. It's when they feel the knife go in. That's it. It's surprise. They just can't believe it's really happening to them. [[spoiler: She had that look, the girl, when she knew it wasn't just porno.]]

* PsychopathicManChild: Machine is a sadistic pervert who kills people on film. [[spoiler:He also still lives with his mom despite being a middle-aged guy.]]

** When Tom first investigates the underground porn rings for snuff films he is driven out at gunpoint for daring to ask for it. Others into extreme bondage rape and sell kiddy porn are likewise angry at being asked about it. It takes a real sicko to find one, and even then it's fake (simulated, no one dies.)

* FamousLastWords: The filmmaker Velvet, [[spoiler:after being shot in the neck by a .32]].
-->"Not this way...I wanted something more cinematic..."

* {{Sidekick}}: Porn store employee Max California takes on this role. Welles even invites Max to join him as a partner.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Welles uncovers the terrible truth behind the film and kills (or sees the deaths of) all the men who had a hand in its production. He also relates Mary's fate to her mother, finally giving her closure after years of stress and worry. However, Max ends up getting killed through no fault of his own and Welles is deeply traumatized from everything he bore witness to. He's also troubled by the fact that what happened to Mary will never be made known to the world, meaning proper judicial justice can never be dispensed.]]

A direct-to-video "sequel" called ''[[TitleByNumber 8mm 2]]'' was released in 2005. [[InNameOnly It has no connection whatsoever to the original]].

Not to be confused with ''Film/EightMile'' or ''{{Film/Super 8}}''.

-->'''Eddie:''' Did you fuck me on this?
-->'''Dino:''' Of course not, Edward.

** Also [[spoiler:Mr. Christian]]'s reason for [[spoiler:having the snuff film made. It all just came down to the fact that Mr. Christian had the means to make such a film, and that he derived sexual pleasure from watching genuine human suffering]]:

--->'''[[spoiler:Longdale]]''': "Because he could. He did it because he could."

** Creator/PeterStormare as Dino Velvet. Seems like he had a lot fun playing him.

* PunchClockVillain: Averted with Eddie Poole. He insists he only participated in the film for the money. However he's just as psychopathic and callous as Machine and Dino Velvet, especially where he taunts Welles over the girl's murder in the snuff film. And not to mention the fact he's also a sexist homophobe, as mentioned above.

* AntiClimacticUnmasking: [[spoiler: [[PsychoForHire Machine]] is nothing more than a bald guy who commits atrocities [[ForTheEvulz with pleasure]]. He even points out that he was always an unpleasant human being.]]

* PunchClockVillain: Averted with Eddie Poole. He insists he only participated in the film for the money. However he's just as psychopathic and callous as Machine and Velvet, especially where he taunts Welles over the girl's murder in the snuff film.

* PunchClockVillain: While he's by no means sympathetic, Eddie Poole only participated in the film for the money.

** Also [[spoiler:Mr. Christian]]'s reason for [[spoiler:having the snuff film made]]:

* FreudianExcuse: Machine goes out of his way to [[DefiedTrope defy the trope]]. The idea that some people are ''[[ForTheEvulz just plain twisted]]'' is one of the core ideas explored in the film.

* PistolWhipping: One man taunts Welles with the fact that Welles can't murder him with his own gun because it's registered in his name. So Welles ''beats him to death'' with it.