5. The Captivity Controversy And More

Given the blood-soaked nature of the movies, which delighted in agony and suffering, it was only natural that criticism would follow in their claret-tinged wake.

One of the biggest controversies swirled around the posters for a dodgy Eliza Cuthbert-starring film, Captivity, which attempted to leap aboard the bandwagon in 2007.

Directed by what-the-hell-happened-to-his-career Roland Joffe, the film was advertised with a series of posters showing the former 24 starlet in a series of horrific situations, including being buried alive and tortured.

No lesser spokesman than Buffy creator Joss Whedon - an outspoken advocate for women - led the criticism, calling  the imagery "not only a literal sign of the collapse of humanity, But a part of a cycle of violence and misogyny that takes something away from the people who have seen it. It's like being mugged."

Suffice to say, the giant billboards and bus shelter adverts were hastily taken down amongst much buck-passing and finger pointing. Producer Courtney Solomon, whose After Dark Films spearheaded the movie, tried to say that he didn't know who was responsible.

Lions Gate, which was distributing, knew where to look. "This film was done in association with After Dark Films. The nature of the association allows After Dark autonomy over their marketing materials, and therefore we neither saw nor approved this billboard before it was posted," said Lions Gate's Peter Wilkes.

"Once aware of the materials and the reaction to them, we immediately asked After Dark to remove the billboards, to which they immediately and cooperatively responded." After plenty of free publicity, of course.

Still, even the controversy couldn't stop the flop - it made just $10 million. Worldwide.

The other big problem for the genre? Overkill (ba-doom tish! Thank you very much, we'll be here all week, try the buffet and tip your waitress).

"There became a glut of so many horror movies, and I think the audience is oversaturated," Dimension's Bob Weinstein, told The LA Times.

"Sometimes the industry has the habit of making the same movies over and over again."

"There's nothing you can do to a human being on screen that is taboo anymore," blabbed Oscar-winning writer-producer Akiva Goldsman. "Over and over again, people are breaking the boundaries of the body, hurting people, chopping people up, ravaging people…"

And what was once shocking has become increasingly standard, with TV shows focused on murders and the forensic detail that solves them.

The genre still has its defenders, notably Roth. "I've heard myself referred to as a gore-teur or gore-nography.

"I think that I understand what David Edelstein said when he said audiences were getting off on the violence. What that does though is it immediately discredits the film.

"You know, when you watch pornography, you watch it, you get off, and that's it. I think it's more reflective of the critic than the film. It shows a lack of understanding and ability to understand and appreciate a horror film as something more than just a horror film.

"The gore blinds them to any intelligence that goes into making the film. And I think that the term "torture porn" genuinely says more about the critic's limited understanding of what horror movies can do than about the film itself."

Plus, there was still clearly a market for the sub-genre, even after the relative failure of Hostel: Part II and the crash of Captivity.

It continues to inspire filmmakers around the world…

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