News

A lot has changed since Alan Jones from Total Film coined the term Splat Pack referring to a group of gory movie makers who sought to stretch the boundaries of what would be considered acceptable in an R rated film. The sea of blood and guts that rolled across the cinema screen starting in 2002 gradually pulled back to low tide. PG-13 became the new R rating once again and the MPAA decided to pull itself up by its bootstraps to enforce its code. For the Splat Pack, originally consisting of Rob Zombie, Eli Roth (the Frank Sinatra of the Pack according to Quentin Tarantino), James Wan, Leigh Whannell, Robert Rodriquez (added later by association), Greg McLean, Neil Marshall, Alexadre Aja and Darren Lynn Bousman, filmmaking has gone as usual, and each has made a substantial contribution to the horror genre in a positive way, testing the limits of our stomach...

Alright, before you jump the gun and judge Remy and I based on David Edelstein’s over-reactionary yet sickly fitting genre-describing term, just know “torture porn” doesn’t exactly depict the actions on-screen with exact duplication. No, we aren’t watching people fornicate and kill each other simultaneously. Well, at least I’m not, can’t exactly speak for what Remy does in his free time, but the term “torture porn” is more of a horror sub-genre description which focuses mightily on artistic visual gore over deeply rooted story material. Stress on the torture, soft on the porn, depending on the film that is.

Remy: So, you’re telling me “torture porn” Isn’T when my girlfriend and I…

Nato: No, whatever you’re about to say, no.

The History

“Torture porn” isn’t new by any means, but like other recent movements, the past decade has seen a large resurgence of sub-genre specific films.

Filmmaker Frank H. Woodward's new 21st century themed horror documentary, The Splat Pack, will soon be available for your mass consumption, and to celebrate the release of this slice of meaty goodness, we have an exclusive clip for you. Why? Because you are badasses and we love you.

Featuring interviews with Alexandre Aja (High Tension), Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II-iv), Adam Green (Hatchet), Alan Jones, Harry Knowles, Greg McLean (Wolf Creek), Neil Marshall (The Descent), Greg Nicotero, Eli Roth (Hostel), and the beauty to my journalistic beast -- Staci Layne Wilson, The Splat Pack will be available for download on Friday, August 20th (as a rental or a straight purchase), through WyrdStuff.com.

Even better? For those of you who are collectors out there, a limited run of DVDs is in the works and will be available soon. Stay tuned for that bit of news shortly!

On with the show!

The Brat Pack had Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Molly Ringwald and Judd Nelson. But who makes up The Splat Pack? According to the new documentary directed by Mark Henry and Frank H. Woodward, Alexandre Aja (Piranha 3D), Darren Lynn Bousman (the Saw II-IV), Neil Marshall (The Descent) and Eli Roth (Hostel) are just a few of the familiar fright faces who have made a major impact on today’s horror scene.

The Splat Pack Concept PosterWyrd Studios, from the info' available, is a production company based in the greater La area, which specializes in documentary filmmaking. This company has several projects in the works and their production Lovercraft: Fear of the Unknown has been nominated for Best Independent Production. Their latest documentary, entitled The Splat Pack, incorporates a series of interviews with horror icons like Eli Roth (Hostel), Alexandre Aja (High Tension), Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw), Adam Green (Hatchet), Neil Marshall (The Descent) and more. A trailer for the production is below and The Splat Pack received their name from the international horror journalist Alan Jones, whose biography is also below. All the details on this Wyrd Studio production are inside.

A short synopsis for the film here:

"Wyrd’s new documentary looks back on the first decade of 21st Century horror films and the filmmakers who were dubbed “The Splat Pack”...

Wyrd Studios is releasing a documentary titled The Splat Pack, directed by Mark Henry and Frank H. Woodward. The movie takes "a look back at the first decade of 21st Century horror films and the filmmakers that re-energized the genre." The documentary features new interviews with Alexandre Aja (High Tension), Darren Lynn Bousman (the Saw series), Adam Green (Hatchet), Alan Jones, Harry Knowles, Greg McLean (Wolf Creek), Neil Marshall (The Descent), Greg Nicotero, Eli Roth (Hostel), Staci Layne Wilson and more. The doc seems to be mostly a talking head retrospective, mixed with clips from the horror films discussed. Wyrd has released the first movie trailer for the upcoming release, which is embedded after the jump. source: WYRDStuff (via: bloodydisgusting)...

Directors Mark Henry and Frank H. Woodward have been at work for some time on a documentary called The Splat Pack , a term used to describe the spate of button-pushing and gore-relishing directors that have emerged over the last decade. And now it looks like the fruits of their efforts are about to be put on display. Splat Pack - an analysis of horror in the 21st century (so far) - features interviews with Eli Roth, Greg McLean, Alex Aja, Darren Lynn Bousman and more. (No James Wan? Not surprised, he doesn't dig the "splat pack" banner he's been placed under, I hear.) Keep Wyrdstuff.com bookmarked because that's where the doc will debut and be available to download.