It’s human nature to indulge in any extreme imagery that tickles our morbid curiosity – a fact that means death and violence have long been a fascination in the world of cinema. With the evolution of practical and special effects since the sixties, the twisted minds of many filmmakers have entered into an unofficial game of one-upmanship. Entire franchises (we’re looking at you, ‘Saw’) have seemingly spawned based on a model of out-goring themselves and pushing an audience to their ‘look-away limit’.

Our exploration of gruesome imagination has even seen some genre’s mould toward audience demand, as slasher movies gradually gave way to splatter movies and war films dropped the glossy heroism to become candid depictions of horror.