31 days of horror movies: Funny Games is deeply disturbing
I’m just going to come out and say it: this movie is not for everyone. If the idea of a slow-burn, messed-up psychological thriller makes you uncomfortable, then yeah… sit this one out. If you can withstand violence and are looking for a movie to prey on your nervousness – this is a movie for you! The shocking film Funny Games (2007) holds a place in my heart as one of my favorite horror movies. I’ve probably seen it 15 times, and each time I was completely invested and filled with anxiety. It’s a traumatizing, fourth-wall-breaking, disturbing masterpiece.
“You shouldn’t forget the importance of entertainment.”
Funny Games shows what happens when two charming young men invite themselves into a family’s summer home to eventually hold them captive and enact violence. It stars Naomi Watts and Tim Roth as a wealthy married couple who head to their lake house with their son and dog to get away. When two pale strangers dressed for a game of golf come knocking (Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet) things slowly become… extreme.
Although creator Michael Haneke never intended for Funny Games to be a horror film, it has definitely solidified as one in the mind of audiences everywhere. Haneke made this film to comment on violence in media and to explore the realism of film. This movie will give you hope and take its sweet time stripping it all away.
“Whether by knife or whether by gun, losing your life can sometimes be fun.”
Interestingly enough, this 2007 horror movie is a shot-for-shot remake! Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke wrote and directed the 1997 original Funny Games in the German language. Later, he replicated the film exactly, but in English with American actors. Haneke says that he made the American remake because “the German-language version did not find the English-language audience for which the film was originally meant” (read the full interview here).
Both versions of Funny Games are great (I mean, they’re practically the same), but I prefer the chemistry between the actors in the American version. I think Michael Pitt is the perfect actor for the main sadistic villain who calls himself Paul, and I just adore Naomi Watts and Tim Roth in everything.
Although the film isn’t available for free, a rental of Funny Games is currently as low as $1.99. I promise that it will be worth it!
Funny games is available for rental/purchase on Amazon Prime Video, Redbox, and Google Play.
Next. 31 days of horror movies: As Above, So Below takes us to Hell and back. dark
What are your thoughts on Funny Games? Let us know in the comments!