There was a rerun of Smallville tonight, so I decided to watch while cooking dinner. In "Conspiracy," a dismembered arm is shown, revealing what the resurrected medical examiner had done to the Kandorians he had kidnapped. It could be that the director intended to evoke horror with this sight, and it did for me. But I felt even more disgust at the fact that this was shown in the first place. (Between 8 and 9!) But is this the case with the average member of the audience? It was another opportunity to ask how desensitized we have become to such images.
When I was in 5th grade, I started reading a copy of Ian Fleming's Dr. No, which my friend RL had lent me. I got to the part in which one of James Bond's allies is burnt alive by an armored vehicle's flame thrower. The description of the body after it had been burned was very short, but it was sufficient to provoke someone with an imagination. I didn't want to read any more so I gave the book back to my friend. He was a bit upset, since I had asked to borrow it and returned it to him so soon, having lost interest in reading the book. I didn't want to explain why I no longer wanted to read it.
After a certain age I had become accustomed to onscreen violence in action movies, though graphic images that are staple in horror movies were not part of my normal viewing fare. That wasn't an interest, despite my curiosity about the monsters and killers in horror movies and the fear they caused... Up until fairly recently I could deal with graphic images, but my aversion to them is growing.
Edit. Just read about what the director of Saw wants to do next: 90 Kills in 90 Minutes.
I think there is a case that what children read and see should be limited, as they have strong imaginations and can be psychologically harmed. It is a lesson that is lost on the many parents who permit their children to see horror movies.
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